Cake! magazine by Australian Cake Decorating Network November 2014 | Page 29

Step 9: I use 2 clear cake smoothers to create a sharp edge. The top smoother stays still while the smoother on the side of the cake moves back and forth. Clear smoothers are great as you can easily see the sharp edge forming as you go. Once your cake is covered in fondant, set it aside and allow it to dry. Step 12: Kneed each fondant section together and store in a zip lock bag. Step 10: My cake is 7” round and 6” tall. I’m using 400 grams of fondant, which is more than I need. I would rather have some left-over than not enough – especially when using ombre colours! Divide the fondant equally and colour one half. This coloured half will be the darkest colour in the design. Step 11: Kneed and roll out the fondant into logs, thicker at one end, skinnier at the other. For this design I will be having 6 ombre colours. I want the colour change to be subtle. For a more dramatic colour change, roll the logs skinnier and thicker at each end. I’ve used a ruler to cut each section evenly. Step 13: Join some sheets of copy paper together with tape, long enough to wrap around the whole cake. Remembering from the beginning that my heart plunger is ½” I want my paper wrap to be 5 ½”. Step 14: Tape the paper wrap around the cake. The top of the paper should be level with the top of the cake – leaving a ½” gap at the bottom. This paper wrap will guide you up the cake, ensuring your rows remain even all the way around. Step 15: Take your darkest fondant and roll it out. I use a pasta machine to ensure the same thickness all the way around. Cut out enough hearts for your rows. It’s much easier to let them dry a little before you start handling them, so cut them out and leave them for 5 mins or so. Each of my rows has 44 hearts!