Hey all...I have been doing cakes on the side for years. I use buttercream only, I know, I know, but I personally do not like the taste of fondant. Anyhow, I am now planning the cake for my daughter's wedding and one of the elements she wants is ruffles. The wedding dress has ruffles all along the bottom and I would like to duplicate that without necessarily using icing.

I saw the Martha Stewart cake that was in her magazine last month or month before and loved the ruffles on it. I read it was made with rice paper. I know rice paper, seen it, held it, but have not worked with if.

I have looked everywhere for a tutorial on how to make the darn ruffles, and can't find a thing. Does anyone have instructions, tips, video, or something so I can practice and perhaps do these ruffles on my daughter's cake? Her wedding is in May,

Thanks everyone!

Check out sugarveil. That can do it!

Thank you I may try that, but I would really like to try making ruffles from wafer paper. Like the Wendy Kromer cake that was in the Martha Stewart Magazine. I'm going to try to post the picture here. Thanks!

Hmmmmm......
Maybe you could e-mail her and ask? The only e-mail I found is [email protected].
I think it looks like strips were gathered on a thread, but obviously the thread isn't edible. Could you gather the paper on a thread or string, adhere the ruffle to the cake to hold its shape, then take the string/thread out? (There's probably a big problem with that idea.)
Or you could gather the strips, put them on the cake, but take them off before the cake is cut.

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/270240/fashion-inspired-wedding-cakes/@center/272453/wedding-cakes

There is a short description how they made the ruffles.

I would suggest using a foam craft brush and dipping it in water then lightly brushing the rice paper until it's pliable enough to ruffle. If it's too wet it will "melt" and if it's too dry it will break. I am trying a similar design with rice paper in a couple of days....good luck!!

I work with wafer paper quite a bit - and love how versatile it is. However, it has very specific properties.

Straight out of the package and unfolded, it is very brittle.
Molded, it gains strength and flexibility.
While wet, it is a sticky mess.
It will stick to just about anything - including fingers.

Work on silicone or greased surfaces. Your fingers should be greased or wet. I'll also use a damp paint brush to help position pieces.

Wafer paper shrinks as it dries. Left on it's own, it will curl as it dries - which is what I see in the image. The ruffles on the cake are irregular and almost free-form.

While the ruffles MAY have been formed on the cake, I suspect they were made prior. If the wafer paper is too wet, the ruffles will collapse and you're back to the sticky mess. The molded wafer paper can be steamed to become just pliable enough to take the shape of the cake round as it is applied. I prefer clear piping gel to "glue" and attach pieces.

I'd use steam to get the wafer paper pliable and form on a sil-mat. A damp sponge may also work. Just know that the wafer paper will be crisp, crisp, crisp and then hit a sudden point where it becomes pliable. This can make for a very short working window. You'll have to experiment to see what works best for you to find that "sweet spot" for molding it.

Thank you Lisa. I have only used rice paper a few times so that information is very helpful : D

Oh, boy, I hope I'm up to the challenge....I think I will make a few practice cakes and take them to work where everyone can "benefit" from the learning curve! Ha! And then on to Macarons!