When the autumn leaves start falling and a chill returns to the air, it’s time for some spooky fall-themed dessert treats! Hajnalka Mayor (Hajnalka) of Zorica’s Cake Art created these delightful fondant owl toppers fit for cupcakes or cookies and perfect for your next autumn get-together. Follow her step-by-step tutorial to learn how to make them yourself!

By Hajnakla Mayor (Hajnalka)

Materials

#12 round piping tip
¾-inch circle cutter
2 ½-inch circle cutter, or the size of your cupcake/cookie
9 prefered colors of gel food color (I used black, dark blue, yellow, green, orange, purple, dark and light brown, and white.)
Craft knife
Fondant
Lemon extract
Paint brushes, size 1 and 0.5
Parchment or wax paper
Rolling pin
Shortening (for hands and work surface)
Small brush for water
Tylose/CMC powder
White food color (gel or powder as you prefer)
Water (to use as a glue)

Instructions

Step 1 Put a little shortening on your hand and knead a little Tylose or CMC powder into your fondant. It will harden it a little, which makes it easier to work on small details. Color your fondant in the preferred colors.

Step 2 Roll out the dark blue fondant about ⅛ inch thick, and cut out a circle the size of your cupcake.

Step 3 Place it on the parchment/wax paper. With the wide end of the piping tip, gently mark the place of the moon.

Step 4  Mix up a little white food color. If you use gel food color, add a few drops of lemon extract. If you use powder color, add lemon extract until you like the consistency of the paint. It should look like watercolor. Paint the moon using the size 1 brush. For the stars, use the size 0.5 brush.

Step 5 Roll a thin sausage from the dark brown fondant.

Step 6 Cut one bigger and two smaller pieces from the sausage. With a tiny amount of water, stick them together. Make a bench shape on the blue base. Use the end of your brush to shape the benches, and make little indentations if you like.

Step 7 For the autumn leaves, marble together yellow green and light brown fondant.

Step 8 Cut out 4 little circles with the small end of the piping tip. To make the leaves, shape the circles into a teardrop shape, then press a line in the middle with the end of the paint brush.

Step 9 With a little water, stick the leaves in place.

Step 10 For the body and head of the owl, roll out the orange fondant and cut out 2 circles. For the body, use the small circle cutter. For the head, use the wide end of the piping tip.

Step 11 From the bigger circle, cut out a small piece with the piping tip as you see on the picture. You don’t need the small piece.

Step 12  Use a little water to stick the circles on the base. The bigger circle with the missing part is the body, and the small circle is the head of the owl.

Step 13 Roll out the yellow fondant and cut out 1 bigger and 2 small circles using the piping tip.

Step 14 Use a small amount of water to stick them in place. The 2 small circles are the base of the eyes, and the bigger circle is the owl’s tummy. With the smaller end of the piping tip, make little feather indentations on the tummy. Hold the tip at a 45 degree angle to do it.

Step 15 Roll 2 small balls from the white fondant between your fingers. Put a little water on their bottom and press them in the middle of the yellow eye bases. The white part has to be smaller than the yellow.

Step 16  Repeat Step 15 twice with the black and the white fondant using a smaller and smaller amount of fondant to form the eyes — first the black, then the white fondant.

Step 17 Take a small piece of light brown fondant and form a teardrop shape to make the owl’s beak. With a little water, stick it in place as you see in the photo.

Step 18 To make the wings, roll out the green fondant and with the small circle cutter, cut out a circle. With the circle cutter or with the craft knife, cut out 2 wing shapes.

Step 19 With a small amount of water, stick the wings on the two sides of the body. Press them down a little.

Step 20 For the feet, roll out a tiny sausage from the orange fondant and cut out 6 small, even pieces.

Step 21 Stick the orange pieces on the bench at the bottom of the owl — 3 on each side, a little separated in the middle.

Step 22 Using the purple fondant, form a small witch hat. Shape as you see in the picture. It has to be wider than the owl’s head.

Step 23 With a little water, stick the hat on the head of the owl.

Step 24 Using the green fondant, make a little belt for the hat, and stick a mini piece of white fondant in the middle of it.

Step 25 For the bat, roll out the black fondant and cut out a circle with the small circle cutter. Cut it in half, and with the small end of the piping tip, cut out 3 pieces from each half to form the wings. (See picture.)

Step 26 Stick the wings next to each other across the moon. Roll a tiny ball from the black fondant between your fingers and stick it between the wings.

Check out more of Hajnalka’s sweet designs on her Facebook page, facebook.com/ZoricasCakeArt.