I have learned so much since joining CC earlier this year and really feel my cakes are starting to reflect some of that. I had never worked with fondant previously and now I love decorating with fondant accents. What I really want to focus on is the details. I see so many beautifully & cleanly executed cakes on here that just inspire me.

I know that I'm often disappointed with my cakes because despite the many hours I put into them, there are always rough edges on my fondant decorations, not so perfect icing, etc that just give a sloppy look to my finished cake.

Any tips or advice on how to get my fondant pieces to look clean & perfect? Should I be dipping my cutters into cornstarch or something? Also, I always seem to tear the edges of things when I do freehand cuts. Maybe that's a tool issue???

Any thoughts?

I always dust my cutting board with icing sugar - powedered sugar you call it. Make sure your cutters are clean before you cut out your shapes, press hard into the fondant and make 'scrubbing' motion with the cutter against the board -- that way your pieces will have sharp edges. As for smooth icing, the crumb coat needs to be as smooth as possible before you apply the fondant - practice makes perfect, honestly

Good luck

A couple of tricks that I've found are when cutting freehand, I use a sharp exacto knife and I press down with it, not drag it throught the fondant (if that makes sense?). Also, whenever I use a cutter, I twist it a bit, like the previous post says and I also trim off any rough edges that remain on my piece. Do you have the Wilton gumpaste tool set? There is a tool in there that I use all the time. It has a shell on one side and a plastic blade on the other. It's great for gently nudging fondant cutouts back into shape if they stretch a bit.

I dust my cutting surface, too, but I use a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch. I also occassionally put a bit of shortening on my cutters.

Another tip I learned here on CC and have tried with success, is to let your fondant sit for a minute (not too long though..you don't want it to get too dry) after you've rolled it out and then again after you make your cut-outs. I think you'll find it's easier to get a clean line and less distortion.

Thank you for your suggestions! I am getting ready to work on a cake and will try your tips! Elcee I definitely have been "dragging" my knife through the fondant so I will try just pressing down instead.

Is it possible to smooth out edges of dried fondant decor (if they are large)? I don't know if there is some sort of tool for that maybe?