Lynlee North Beckett share her fondant pirate tutorial this week from her book, Sweet & Unique Cupcake Toppers.
The book features over 80 new miniature topper tutorials in a wonderful array of party themes.
The level is detail is astounding but with instructions so clearly explained, even a complete beginner can hit the ground running with this brilliant cake decorating resource book. Aside for cupcakes, the toppers can easily be adapted for larger size cakes too.
It can sometimes be difficult to find cupcake ideas for little boy’s birthday parties so this week we’ve chosen a terrific pirate cake topper tutorial from Sweet & Unique Cupcake Toppers for this week’s tutorial.
1. Knead tylose powder into light brown fondant and roll it into a ball (approximately 1 inch).
– Shape it into a square, narrowing it toward the top (A).
– Insert a raw spaghetti long enough to fit the top of the body and the head.
– With the rolling pin, roll out more brown fondant 1/8 inch thick. With the
rolling pastry cutter, cut a strip long enough to fit around the bottom of the shorts and create a cuff.
– Glue it around the shorts and then use the knife tool to indent the bottom center to define the legs (B).
– Roll dark brown fondant into a ball (approximately 1/3 inch) and shape it into a cone.
– Flatten both the top and bottom to create the peg leg.
– Use round tip #2 to insert a hole into the wood and the knife tool to make some wood marks (C).
– Glue the wider end to the pirate bottom.
– Roll black fondant into a ball (approximately ½ inch) and shape it into an oval.
– Use the knife tool to create a large indentation toward the bottom of the oval to create a heel and then make smaller marks on the sole of the shoe (D). Glue the shoe to the pirate bottom.
2. Knead tylose powder into white fondant and roll into a ball (approximately 7/8 inch). Shape it into a square, narrowing it toward the top to create the pirate top, similar to the shorts but on a smaller
scale.
– Insert a raw spaghetti through the center to create a hole to place it over the pirate bottom (A).
– With a rolling pin, roll red fondant 1/8 inch thick and cut out a rectangle 3 × 1½ inches.
– Use the rolling pastry cutter to trim both sides off diagonally (B) and shape and glue it around the pirate top to form the coat.
– Roll out 2 red fondant balls (approximately 5/8 inch). Roll them out onto your work surface to make the arms.
– Bend them at the center, narrow the top of the arm to shape to the pirate’s body, and flatten the bottom to be placed at the pirate’s hip (C).
– Roll out yellow fondant with the rolling pin 1/8 inch thick and use the rolling pastry cutter to cut out a long strip.
– Glue it as the trim along the perimeter of the coat. Cut out 3 more strips in 3 sizes (D) to glue to the front of the coat and cut out buttons with round tip #7 to glue to the ends of the strips.
– With the rolling pin, roll out white fondant 1/8 inch thick. Cut out 2 strips with the rolling pastry cutter for the sleeve cuffs.
– Make indentations across the top to ruffle it a bit (E). Glue the cuffs around the ends of each arm and glue the arms to the pirate.
– With the rolling pin, roll out some more white fondant 1/8 inch
thick and cut out 1 strip with the rolling pastry cutter.
– Create the shirt ruffle by folding the fondant strip 3 times, pinching the top together and fanning out the bottom.
– Use the precision knife to trim both sides (F). Glue it to the top of the pirate’s coat.
3. Knead tylose powder into ivory fondant and then roll it into a ball (approximately 1 inch).
– Place it on top of the pirate’s body, making a hole to insert it over the raw spaghetti.
– Use the bottom of a round tip at a 45-degree angle to indent the pirate’s mouth, placing it a bit askew on the face and pressing downward a bit to open the mouth (A).
– Roll out red fondant with the rolling pin 1/8 inch thick and cut out a 1½-inch circle with the cutter.
– Spread shortening over it and smooth it out, while rounding out the sides. Glue it to the pirate’s head for his scarf (B).
– With the rolling pin, roll out black fondant 1/8 inch thick.
– Cut out a circle with round tip #12 and flatten the top to make the eye
patch (C).
– Cut out another circle with round tip #10. Shape it into a teardrop and use the knife tool to create vertical indentations on it.
– Round out the top with your fingers and pinch the bottom and
angle it slightly to the side to create the goatee (D).
– Cut out 2 more circles with round tip #3. Roll them out on your work surface. Then, shape them into the sides of a mustache (E).
– Cut out 1 final circle of the black fondant with round tip #7 for the pirate’s eye.
– Glue all pieces to the pirate’s face and dot the eye with the toothpick dipped in white soft gel paste.
– With the rolling pin, roll out red fondant 1/8 inch thick and cut out 2 circles with round tip #12.
– Shape them into teardrops and layer the wider sides by gluing them together. Use the bottom of the round tip to cut off the wide tip and discard (F). Glue the layered piece to the side of the pirate’s head for the scarf ties.
– Roll out yellow fondant with the rolling pin 1/8 inch thick and cut out a small circle with round tip #3.
-Roll it out on your work surface and mold it into a “C” shape (G). Glue it to the other side of the pirate’s head for the earring.
– To create the pirate hat, roll out black fondant thick with the rolling pin and wooden dowels.
– Cut out a 1¼-inch circle with the cutter. Spread shortening over the circle, round out the sides, and begin pulling 2 sides apart, narrowing.
– Continue to shape the hat as pictured, fitting it over the pirate’s head to ensure it fits properly (H).
– To make the skull and crossbones, with the rolling pin roll out white fondant 1/8 inch thick and cut out 3 circles with round tip #12.
– Narrow the bottom of one of the circles a bit to shape the skull head. Use the knife tool and small modeling stick to make the skull’s face indentations.
-Roll out the other 2 circles onto the work surface and flatten them a bit with your fingers. Use the knife tool to make indentations on the ends and roll out the middles a bit to shape them into bones.
– Flatten the center of one of the bones and layer the second over it diagonally in the opposite direction. Glue the bones and skull to the hat (I).
-Glue all remaining pieces to the pirate’s body. Allow to dry thoroughly.
Pirate Ship
1. Roll light brown fondant into a ball (approximately 1 inch) (A) and shape it into a long rectangular cube (B).
– With your fingers dipped in shortening, shape the rectangle into the ship,
narrowing one end and pulling the tip upward, and flattening the other end.
– Use the knife tool to make a large indent on the bottom third of the ship and to make smaller marks around the vessel (C).
– With the rolling pin, roll out yellow fondant 1/8 inch thick and cut out 2 circles with round tip #7.
– Use the knife tool to make 2 crossing lines and glue the windows to the ship (D).
-With the rolling pin, roll out white fondant 1/8 inch thick and cut out 3 circles with round tip #7.
– Glue the circles to the ship and use round tip #3 to indent the center of the portholes (E).
– Insert a raw spaghetti into the ship to hold the sail.
2. With the rolling pin, roll out red fondant 1/8 inch thick and cut
out a rectangle 2 × 1½ inches with the rolling pastry cutter (A).
-Turn it upside down and roll both sides into each other (B).
-Turn it back around and ensure the sail is not flat but puffed out a bit.
– Roll a bit of light brown fondant on your work surface and insert the raw spaghetti from the ship into the brown fondant.
– Roll it over the surface to even and smooth it out and use the precision knife to cut off the excess, making sure there is enough spaghetti exposed to insert back into the ship (C).
-With the rolling pin, roll out black fondant 1/8 inch thick and use the precision knife to cut out a small rectangle (D).
– Cut out a small piece from one end to create the flag and pinch the points
a bit to shape them upward (E).
– Glue the sail and the flag to the pole and allow it to dry a bit (F).
– Take various sizes of blue fondant and roll them into balls.
– Roll the balls out on the surface with your fingers and start rolling them into themselves to create waves (G).
-With the rolling pin, roll out blue fondant 1/8 inch thick and use the 2¼-inch cutter to cut out the bottom topper.
– Glue the rolling waves to the bottom topper, using the ship as a guide (H).
– When the sail is dry enough and secured to the pole, insert and glue the pole into the ship and glue the ship to the bottom topper, with the waves in front. Allow to dry thoroughly.
Treasure Map
1. With the rolling pin, roll out ivory fondant 1/8 inch thick and cut out a rectangle 3 × 2 inches.
– Pull all 4 corners a bit with your fingers.
– Roll the 2 narrow sides up and into the map, narrowing the bottom
a bit more.
– Use the knife tool to create linear indentations on the map.
– Use the brown soft gel paste mixed with water to brush on some color to the map to age it. Make sure the paste is watered down so it doesn’t turn out too dark. You can always use your brush dipped in water to clean it up more, if necessary (A).
– To make the whale, roll blue fondant into a ball (approximately ¼ inch) and shape it into a teardrop.
– Use the knife to cut a slit at the narrow end and shape it upward to create the whale’s tail.
– Use the small modeling stick to indent eyes.
– With the rolling pin, roll out white fondant 1/8 inch thick and cut out a circle with round tip #12.
– Shape it into a teardrop and use the knife tool to indent it twice on the wider end to create the water coming out of the spout (B). Glue it to the
top of the whale.
– With the rolling pin, roll red fondant 1/8 inch thick and cut out a small rectangle (C).
– Use the precision knife to cut out an “X” shape.
– With the rolling pin, roll out yellow fondant 1/8 inch thick and cut out 3 circles with round tip #12. Make indentations around the circles for added
details on the gold coins (D).
– Place and glue all pieces to the map and use the small modeling stick to make dots for the path on the map.
– Dip a toothpick in black soft gel paste and insert it in the dots. Allow to dry thoroughly.
From Sweet & Unique Cupcake Toppers by Lynlee North Beckett, published by Cedar Fort. Available online and from all good bookstores.