My Cricut Cake arrived today. I bought this with my eyes wide open. (I've used the Expression with paper for 3 yrs).

I've been reading all the posts here about the Cricut, and think I have an idea of how to try to get started.

My question: has anyone been successful in getting the Cricut Cake to cut the intricate designs, like on the cart "Elegant Cakes"? I know I couldn't do it from paper, and I'm thinking it's crazy to think it'll happen with fondant and gumpaste.

Hoping someone proves me wrong......

Anyone?

Hmmm, no one?

Impresssive, Jeff. I couldn't get it to work at all. In fact I've given up and moved on.

I have just recently starting to use mine more often, and had a few of the wilton sugar sheets I didn't need for anything, so I used thm in my Cricut and it cut the intricate designs beautifully. It's actually encouraged me to start using it more and I'm addicted to my Cricut again now.

I can get it to cut sometimes but then when moving the intricate stuff I mess it up. I either smoosh it, it stretches or if I freeze for 5 mins just to firm up it can get too brittle. I tried the icing sheets from cricut (they were on clearance for 50% off) and I thought they were worthless!

Oh, this is SO GREAT to hear! Can those of you who have had success give tips? I've read that I should mix my fondant w/ tylose or Gum Tex: do you do that? Or do you just rolll it super thin and go from there?

I am SO ENCOURAGED now! Thank you so much!!!

Jeff, I looked at your photos, and your cakes are gorgeous!

Do you use a pasta roller to get your Duff fondant thin enough? or do you just roll it by hand?

My cricut is just collecting dust! I've found that there's a huge learning curve. I originally tried using the cricut icing sheets and I didn't like them at all! Then when Wilton came out with the sugar sheets I gave them a try, but again had to adjust to those and in the process I ended up wasting a bunch of the sheet. I've only made one "Happy Birthday" successfully So I did some more research and saw where it was suggested that you could use fondant or gumpaste, roll it out onto your mat, and freeze it for about 10-15 minutes. So I tried that. That worked better than the others, plus if you do mess up, you can reuse your own fondant and gumpaste, unlike the sheets. Still, after cutting out some flowers (I did the rose pattern from the basic cartridge I think) the look is just too flat/boring for my taste. I feel like I'm stuck with a useless, expensive tool~BIG MISTAKE as far as I'm concerned. Heart breaking since I do cakes for fun :'(

I agree, sorry I wasted money on it.

I love mine, I use it regulary. I roll my fondant uber thin ( Duff or Satin Ice works best for me) through it in the freezer for at least 15 minutes, take it out and cut, remove the excess then throgh it back in the freezer to firm up for intricate cuts. I find it easier to work with when it is frozen....but that's just my experience.

I have a bunch of Duff fondant that I got with a coupon @ Michael's, and I make my own gumpaste. I'm planning on using these two items in the cricut. I also have SCAL for my paper crafting, so am hoping to utilize SCAL with it, once I learn to cut.
Platinumlady, do you freeze yours first? Do you always use the purchased sheets, or do you ever use your own?
I bought this for the fonts and borders, and plan to use my regular decorating on the rest. I don't like plain clip art, either.

I was really worried about how hard the cricut would be to use, but after getting one for Christmas last year I can honestly say I've never had a single problem. I read a lot on here about it before I got one and I always roll the fondant super super thin, pop it in the freezer and then cut. After cutting I pull away the excess, put the cut pieces (still on the mat) back in the freezer to firm up and then move them from the mat to the cake or off to the side to dry. Even with the more intricate patterns in small sizes (on the basics cartridge) I haven't had a single problem.

You folks have made my day! I am so encouraged!

Hmmm the more I see these threads the more grateful I am that I haven't been stupid enough to buy one of these things! Hats off to those that can use them but more often than not I see posts and threads from people who deeply regret paying out so much money for a machine they can not use!!!!

CP x

i really don't understand why people have so many problems, i've always had complete success with my cricut (i use it on most of my cakes, even if it is just for text!). i make my own gumpaste and it works like a charm without freezing, or i use satin ice (i never really freeze that either, although i have on occasion). i love my machine, i think it was one of my best investments (second to my agbay, of course! lol). i wish you the best of luck KayMC!


the key is to roll everything super thin!!! don't forget that (i've never used any sugar sheets, though)

Yes, I also thought the 'stupid' comment was rude. AND inaccurate, as many who posted here have mentioned their success with the machine. Well, it takes all kinds of people...

i took a whole month off to do no cakes but to play with the cricut that has been gathering dust in the bacck room since the first night that hsn started them ... with the 2 cartridges and the 5 flex pay wasn't too painful

just bought a personal cricut for scrapbooks and it came with 4 cartridges that and a friend who is adicted to her cricut and buying cartridges i am set that way just need to learn what to do better.. she is going to come help with all the how toos of the machine.

can someone please post the recipie for the home made gum paste. I just ordered a bucket of ready to use satin ice gumpaste for a cake that i have due on the 30th. i am told that to mix gumpaste and fondant that it will make the fondant harder and it won't get soft when stuck into the cake like this project requires. I need to stick the doilies into the cake and they completely cover the sides of the cake ..;not touching the cake just stuck into the lowest tiers and on up.. so you don't see the sides of the cake at all .. just the doilies. so i need them to not break. i made a few out of scrap fondant and it worked fine but didn't put it into the cake am going to do that this weekend to see how it works. wish me luck and thanks for the encouragement to work with my cricut.

I too have had NO trouble or any complications with the cricut. I love it to bits and use it quite often for borders, names, logos and more... and delicate intricate patterns have been successful too. I use MTC with mine more than cartridges.. I have only the original cart that it came with. I love to download different fonts and silhoutte patterns and adapt them to the cricut.. the possibilities are endless really. 90% of the cakes in my gallery (Thomas square cake, Buzz cake, boxing ring cake and more) I have applied the cricut to.
Patience is the key and will be your best friend.. telling yourself prematurely that you "hate the machine" and that you "simply can not use it because it is useless and doesn't work" will be your biggest downfall (and waste of money!).. you have simply given up before you have really given it a good chance. Unless your machine is actually faulty.. most of the issues come down to user error... and that is not me being rude or cocky. It is like any other new decorating technique.. we all must start from the beginning and learn. You may find the it is not a decorating technique that you have the patience to learn or actually want to apply.. but that does not mean the machine is useless or 'stupid'.
TIPS: Rolling your fondant (must add tylose!) really thin, to the point you can see your mat through the fondant/gumpaste is a MUST. I free roll.. meaning I do not bother to use a pasta machine.. to me that is just another step in the process that would just pee me off (just my opinion though). I use to freeze my sheets for a little bit, however, I find that because of the added tylose, it is just as effective to roll them in advance and allow them to 'harden'.. again, this is trial and error as room temp and different brands of fondant will most likely be different for every user. Another thing to remember is to be patient after the machine has finished cutting your design.. remove the sheet and again, allow it to sit for a while before trying to remove the finished design. The more intricate designs will require you to use a craft knife and maybe some tweezers to remove the areas not applicable to your design (the scraps). I then use a knife like a sharp spatula to get under the design and gently rise it off the mat to remove it. Remember.. PATIENCE is the key.. your designs, no matter what the size will be delicate and fragile and require care.. you can't just rip them off the mat like cardstock as they will snap and stretch. Another tip: ALWAYS wash your blade thoroughly after every use so as to remove any sticky residue.. this will ensure a good sharp clean cut.
HTH Enjoy your cricut!

I'm happy I didn't buy one...very happy. When they first came out I really wanted one - but now I see that I can do everything I need to do without one, so am glad I didn't spend the money and use up the cupboard space. I think I wanted one more for text than anything, but really - how many fonts do I actually NEED?...with all the cutters I have, Tappits, Clickstix etc I pretty much have something to suit every cake already anyway. Plus I tend toward 3D hand-modelled decorations anyway, I don't have much use for a lot of 2D cut-outs.

So many people blame the machine for not working when it's actually the operator. icingimages frosting sheets work just as well as the wilton sheets at a much lower cost. They are coming out with colored sheets at ices and they will be 12 x 12.

I bought the Cricut mini as I have a cupcake business. I bought it specifically because I thought I could offer my customers more options when decorating cupcakes. I specifically bought the Best of Pixar cartridge for a Finding Nemo themed 1st birthday party I have next weekend. I returned my Cricut and the cartridges I bought within a week(insisted they take the cartridge back when they said they were not returnable when open). I returned it for a few reasons. 1. It is extremely time consuming. 2. The more intricate the design, the more difficult the machine had cutting it. I found for cupcake size purposes roughly 2-3" it just wasnt going to work. Fondan and Gumpaste tore repeatedly. 3. The price was too high to just collect dust and take out every once in awhile. So to answer your question, I had a very hard time creating intricate designs with the Cricut Cake. I think the concept of the machine is wonderful, however, it just falls short on delivery. As for the Finding Nemo party. I am going to do molded fondant figures on top of an 8" cake then decorate the cupcakes in just plain icing. Molding the fondant figures will take less time than the Cricut Cake did attempting to just get 1 Nemo done! Just my opinion, but its not worth the money.

I bought one and at first I hated but I learn which fondant works best with it. Wilton or Satin Ice works well with mine. I roll it thin and left out to dry for a few hours and I cut. I will try the freezing and refreezing method. I know that Duff fondant is horrible to use with machine.

I can manage to get things cut out but my biggest challenge is then getting them off the mat I have yet to figure out how to do that nicely.

If I put too much Crisco on the mat that it comes off easily the fondant slides around when cutting. If I don't put enough on it falls apart when I try to take it off.

I have yet to use it while making the cake. I can use it for pieces that need to dry but not ones that need to bend. That's my challenge to myself this weekend - use it for part of my own birthday cake!