How to: Pleated cake Effect

Wooohooo Yesss Finally I am back to my Blog!!!! I have missed it soo much and your comments and questions. So yes I am back and ready to show you one of my latest cakes. I made this one last weekend to celebrate my niece's party. She wasn't super happy with her gift but she was definitely impressed with her cake. I must tell you I spent about 50 hours on her doll toppers !!!! BTW if you are wondering who they are, well these teenagers used to be Ponies !!! Yes, "My Little Pony" and by a strange activity with a mirror, they turned into some sort of alien/teenager/pony/ rockers and they are called Equestria Girls, or sort !!! LOL 

I was requested to make them all!!!! yes all !!! ahhh the dreams of a 7 year old girl !!!! 

They took me forevahhhh to make, and of course because they have so many details on their clothes but certainly they look cute all dressed up. I was totally happy to make them, It was  like when I was a little girl  playing with my Barbies. And if at this point you are wondering how I made them... Drum roll!!!!!!

(this is a great time to bring the subject again to the table, LOL ppppplizzzzz ) 

TADAAAAAA!!!! MY NEW CRAFTSY CLASS WOOHOOOO 

So basically For the stand up girl, I used the same way to build my pre-teen super cool  Girl from my class, so in case you missed it, please check this class, I share many secrets and wonderful information for successful toppers  results.

Ok ....Now let's go back to the cake!!! and its super easy pleated tier. I used a 10" round cake for the pleated tier and 6" double barrel for the top tier ( Click here to learn How To double barrel a cake).

I removed the edge on the cake so I can make it look more rounded, sort of donuts' shape. I used buttecream to crumb coat the cake. This part doesn't need to be super perfect, no imperfection will be shown on the cake. If you notice, I lift the cake by placing it on top of a fondant bucket. Of course there is a cardboard circle on the bottom of the cake so it's easier to move it and decorate it. 

                                         

This time I use Wilton fondant because is soft and it takes longer to dry. This process is easy, but it's time consuming. I Roll a large piece of fondant and let it rest for a bit.My cake messures about 4" tall, when I roll the fondant, I make sure to make it at least 8" wide, so I cover the cake all the way from top to the bottom part. Also good to know,  This fondant might need a good amount of cornstarch to avoid sticking on the table. You also need wooden dowels, I use some that are meant for craft projects. They come in different sizes, these are 3/16 inch.

Once fondant is rolled, place each dowel under it, using your index and thumb to smooth and mark the pleat. This part doesn't need to look perfectly lined, some pleats are larger or with different distances between one or the other.

Tip: Use dowels with different thickness, it will make the pleats look more natural.  

Once the fondant you rolled is resting with its dowels, it's time to wet the cake to stick the pleat. I make a syrup with equal parts of water and corn syrup. Brush the syrup where you are going to add the pleat, this technique is done little by little. Make sure to even add the syrup under the cake, yes even on the cardboard circle. 

Now is the time to add the fondant pieces, remember, the should be made by steps, using small strips. Take the dowels off and squeeze the pleats together before lifting it to add it to the cake. Make it smaller will be easier to handle it. 

List the fondant pleated strip and stick it to the cake, making sure the strip comes from the bottom all the way to the top. In order to hide the seams where each strip meet each other, I overlap each strip. Keep doing this until you cover the entire cake. 

Tip: Make sure to mark on the top of the cake where the next tier will be placed, this way you know how large the strip should be. The topper tier should be placed on top of the pleats. 

Check the bow and ribbon, I made it following the same technique, but I used a long strip, long enough to go all around the cake, making sure it stays higher on one side and lower on the other side. 

Hope you like it !!!! see ya