Creating A Ruffle Wedding Cake: Decorating Tips And Tricks

Ruffle wedding cakes are a beautiful and delicate choice for a wedding cake. They can be time-consuming to make, but the effect is worth it. The ruffles are created by cutting out and sticking on hundreds of individual shapes, which can be made from fondant or buttercream. Ruffles can be added in any colour to match your theme, and they can be stuck on with edible glue or royal icing.

Using fondant to create ruffles

Creating ruffles on a wedding cake using fondant is a delicate process that can be time-consuming but will result in a beautiful, textured effect. Firstly, you will need to roll out your fondant and cut out around 350 separate shapes, which will then be folded into ruffles and attached to the side of the cake. This can be done using a little edible glue or, if the fondant has set, royal icing. You can cut out lots of hydrangea shapes at once and store them in a plastic zip-lock bag until you are ready to thin and scrunch them.

When it comes to attaching the ruffles, it is best to start with the cake on a board of the same size, filled, stacked, and crumb-coated in buttercream icing. You can then pipe waves of buttercream all around the cake, following the curves of the previous wave or mixing it up. For a delicate look, keep the ruffles fairly close together.

The waves will look more natural if they begin slightly below the cake, so it is recommended to elevate the cake. Once you have piped waves all the way around, use an offset spatula or paring knife to gently cut off the bottom excess without disturbing the rest of the wave. Finally, use the spatula to carefully lift the cake and place it on a serving dish or cake stand.

Fondant ruffles can be created in any colour to match your wedding theme, and the effect is so pretty and delicate, with hundreds of individual mini discs added in different directions.

Using a piping technique to create ruffles

Once your cake is crumb-coated and your buttercream is whipped, you can start piping ruffles onto your cake. This technique is simple and fast, and the organic nature of ruffles means that your waves don't have to be perfect. In fact, you can embrace the imperfection!

To start, place your cake on a cake board of the same size. You can then fill, stack and crumb-coat your cake in buttercream icing. You can use an offset spatula to gently "cut off" the bottom excess without disturbing the rest of the wave.

You can use a piping bag to create ruffles by piping waves all the way around the cake. Sometimes follow the curves of the previous wave and sometimes mix it up. The ruffles can be placed fairly close together for a delicate look.

To attach the ruffles to the cake, you can use a little brush of edible glue. If your ruffles have set a bit more and won't stay attached, you can use royal icing.

Using hydrangea shapes to create ruffles

To create the ruffles, you will need around 350 separate hydrangea shapes for each technique. These shapes are then folded into the ruffle and pushed onto the side of the cake. The ruffles can be placed close together for a delicate look, and they can follow the curves of the previous wave or be mixed up for a more organic feel.

The cake should be crumb-coated and filled with buttercream icing before adding the ruffles. It is also recommended to elevate the cake so that the waves look more natural. Once the ruffles have been piped, use an offset spatula or paring knife to gently cut off the bottom excess. Finally, use the spatula to carefully lift the cake and place it on a serving dish or cake stand.

Fondant can also be used to create ruffles, although this method takes longer. The fondant is rolled out and cut into shapes, which are then stuck onto the cake. This technique allows for more precise placement of the ruffles and can create a more uniform look.

Using a spatula to cut off excess ruffle

Once your cake is crumb-coated and buttercream-whipped, the piping is quite simple and fast. Embrace the imperfection! When you pipe waves all the way around the cake, take an offset spatula or paring knife to gently cut off the bottom excess without disturbing the rest of the wave. You can use an offset spatula to carefully lift the cake and place it on a serving dish or cake stand.

To create ruffles, you will need to roll out your fondant and cut out the shapes. This process takes the most time, but actually sticking them on is relatively quick. You will need around 350 separate shapes for each technique, which are folded into the ruffle and pushed onto the side of the cake. You can use a little brush of edible glue to stick the soft ruffles to the cake, but if your ruffles have set a bit more and won't stay attached, you can use royal icing.

Using a cake board to create ruffles

To create ruffles on a wedding cake, you'll need to start by placing your cake on a cake board of the same size. You can then fill, stack and crumb coat your cake in buttercream icing.

Once your cake is crumb-coated and your buttercream is whipped, you can start piping ruffles onto the cake. This is a simple and fast process, and the organic nature of ruffles means that your waves don't have to be perfect. In fact, you can embrace the imperfection!

To create ruffles, you'll need to pipe waves around the cake. Sometimes, you can follow the curves of the previous wave, and sometimes you can mix it up. If you prefer a delicate look, pipe the ruffles fairly close together. The waves will look more natural if they begin slightly below the cake, so it's a good idea to elevate the cake.

Once you've piped waves all the way around the cake, take an offset spatula or paring knife to gently "cut off" the bottom excess without disturbing the rest of the wave. You can then use the spatula to carefully lift the cake and place it on a serving dish or cake stand.

To attach the ruffles to the cake, a little brush of edible glue is usually enough. However, if your ruffles have set and won't stay attached, you can use royal icing.

Frequently asked questions