I was asked by Cake Masters magazine to submit a cake for their Ombré Cakes Collection in their latest May Issue. I was assigned the colour BLUE and was immediately inspired!
Right away, I knew what I wanted to do. I had been playing around one day, and came up with a new and unique way of doing simple ruffles. Once I saw “ombré” in the email, I KNEW I had to use this technique for the effect.
It is super simple so I hadn’t planned on doing a tutorial but luckily I had taken some pics anyway, for reference (hence the sub-par quality!) I’ve now decided to post a quick mini-tutorial after all, because I had that cake on display at The Toronto Bakery Showcase just this past week, and I got TONNES of questions about how I created those ruffles. So I’m guessing it’s not as simple as it may seem, for some.
I used 8 gradients in the ombré, and with the same batch of fondant which was first coloured the deepest shade, I just kept adding in an equal amount of white each time after I was done with the shade I was working with.
See below for additional closeup photos of this cake…
But first, here are the basic step-by-step pics of how to make my V-Petal Ruffles – ENJOY!! If you use these ruffles, please feel free to quote this tutorial and I’d love for you to share your creations to my Facebook page so I can see what you’ve done with them!
(Updated May 27-2020 – Note: these are my own techniques developed independently with my own ideas and shared for personal use ONLY. They are not to be used for monetary gain or to develop products, books, DVDs, downloads or lessons for sale or to be taught in classes or tutorials, whether hands-on, on-line, in video format or in print without express written consent.)
Cut out an oval using a 2.5″ oval cutter
Flip the oval over and dab some water on the very end of one side of the oval – this is the underside that will end up inside the folds
Fold oval over, so the good side shows on the outside
Mark the centre with the end of your brush – this helps with the folding
Dab some water just on the end of the folded over oval
Fold the ruffle at the crease you made earlier and pinch the end so it creates a point or ‘V’
Cut a small portion off the bottom – NOTE: this is only needed for the first row of ruffles that rest on the cakeboard
Attach the first row to your cake with a dab of water down the centre of the back – if they have dried a bit, you may need to add more water and hold longer; add additional ruffles in rows (here I show three columns only, to give an idea); when adding V-Petals on top of an existing one, dab water under the point or ‘V’ of the new petal before attaching; sit each new petal inside the top gap of the previous ruffle underneath; pinch the top loops together if necessary, to neaten up the seams; try to ensure each column is straight, as you work your way up
8 rows and 7 columns of ombré V-Petal Ruffles all completed =D
(Note: these are my own techniques developed independently with my own ideas and shared for personal use ONLY. They are not to be used for monetary gain or to develop products, books, DVDs, downloads or lessons for sale or to be taught in classes or tutorials, whether hands-on, on-line, in video format or in print without express written consent.)
Now for some closeups of my Blue Ombré V-Petal Ruffle cake!
I have a tutorial in the April issue of Cake Masters for these Gumpaste Dogwood flowers that do not require special cutters. I will post that tutorial here in a few months but if you can’t wait, you can always get a copy of the magazine first 😉
I made the cosmos using my own method but I studied those made by Petalsweet Cakes intently!
Happy Caking Y’ALL!! =D
Hi, I'm Violet, currently a mom of two and part-time cake designer/decorator!
I first discovered my love for cake art in early 2008 when researching how to make a cake for my husband's milestone birthday. I consider myself "internet or community taught" having found and learned as much as I could from the many helpful sites, blogs, YouTube videos and tutorials around the net, where people were willing to share their craft. I used every family occasion to practice after that and soon, friends and family were asking me to make their cakes, which I did for many years.
I took an extended break from taking orders after the birth of my daughter, to spend more quality time with the kids. I then spent the next years since, creating one-of-a-kind pieces for special projects, magazine tutorials and personal occasions, taking on the odd order here and there.
I share my work along with tips & tricks on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest, as well as in this blog. Here, you can also find helpful insights and free tutorials that will hopefully make your cake decorating life easier. I have had the honour of being part of several special Facebook cake community collaborations that have been named as Finalists for the prestigious Cake Masters Collaboration of the Year Award, one of which won in 2018. I've been named as a Finalist for the Cake Masters Awards for the Best Magazine Cover (2019) and for the American Cake Awards for the Cake Maker Award (2020).
My cakes have been featured in print in Edible Artists Network and American Cake Decorating Magazines in the US; in Cake Masters, Cake Craft Guide's Party Cakes, Cake Craft Guide's Wedding Cakes & Sugar Flowers and Cake Decoration & Sugarcraft Magazines in the UK; and in Australia's Sweet Magazine. I've also been featured online as 'Edible Art of The Day' at Edible Artists Network's blog, as Satin Ice's Cake of the Month for January 2015, and in online magazines and blogs such as Cake Wrecks' Sunday Sweets, the Craftsy Blog, 'The Cake of the Week' on FB, Pretty Witty Cakes' online Magazine, American Cake Decorating's Blog, Satin Ice Showcases, Australian Cake Decorating Network's online Cake! Magazine and in Cake Geek Magazine. My cakes have also been chosen to grace the cover of four industry-leading magazines, as the featured cake.
I've been invited and have travelled worldwide, to teach my style in hands-on classes and demos. I've filmed online video classes for Pretty Witty Cakes in the UK and Craftsy in the US. I am also a proud member of the Satin Ice Artists of Excellence team.
I am constantly inspired by all things around me, particularly fashion, geometric prints, home décor trends and of course, other sugar artists!
May 5, 2016 at 3:31 pm
The cake is so beautiful, Violet and the tutorial is awesome. Thank you for starting the blog and sharing 🙂
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May 5, 2016 at 3:38 pm
Thank you Jeanne!! This is such a major compliment coming from you!! ❤
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May 6, 2016 at 12:29 am
Amazing, Violet!! So simple yet so creative and beautiful!
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May 6, 2016 at 12:56 am
Thank you so much…glad you like it! 😊
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May 6, 2016 at 4:21 am
Thank you Violet for sharing this tutorial. Your cake is gorgeous!
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May 6, 2016 at 4:38 am
Thank you so much! =D
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May 7, 2016 at 10:08 am
Just love this cake Thank you for sharing.
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May 7, 2016 at 1:25 pm
Thank you! Glad you like it. I almost didn’t make this tutorial thinking it might be too simple lol =D
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May 8, 2016 at 3:41 pm
love, love, love, love………..
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May 8, 2016 at 4:02 pm
Thank you!! 😊
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May 9, 2016 at 12:44 am
Thank you for showing this, it is beautiful.
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May 9, 2016 at 4:26 am
Glad you like it! 😊
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May 9, 2016 at 2:29 am
Thank you so much for sharing your design. You are such an excellent cake decorator. I have your craftsy class!!
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May 9, 2016 at 4:27 am
Awww thanks…it’s my pleasure! Hope you are enjoying the class 😊
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May 11, 2016 at 3:05 am
You are a amazing artist Violet and I’m always excited to see your next creation. Thanks for sharing it with us. ❤
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May 11, 2016 at 3:11 am
Awww thanks Susana…much appreciated!! 😊
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May 11, 2016 at 9:18 am
Its beautiful, thanks for sharing! The 2nd tier is also a beauty, did you use a mold for that or handmade? ♡
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May 11, 2016 at 2:06 pm
Hi…thank you…yes the 2nd tier is a mold that I got from Way Beyond Cakes by Mayen’s Etsy shop. You can check out my post on my Facebook page about that tier, which has her links. Or you can search for her on FB or Etsy =D
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May 18, 2016 at 8:32 am
Thank you for sharing your beautiful work and know how
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May 18, 2016 at 1:01 pm
Glad you like it! 😊
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June 27, 2016 at 12:49 am
I’m only just getting familiar with blogging on WordPress and your page was the first one I found. Wow! You have so many beautiful cakes and inspirations and tutorials. It feels like Christmas in June!
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June 28, 2016 at 2:32 am
Awww thank you! Glad you like it. I’m still learning too and don’t blog nearly enough but it’s been very user friendly so far. 😊
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Pingback: V-Petal Ruffles Mini-Tutorial – rubycakesnsweetsdotcom
July 6, 2016 at 8:50 pm
They look sooo good and the tutorial is very clear, thank you 🙂
If I’m putting them onto a buttercream finish can I do them in advance and apply them dry?
Do you think they will be too heavy for the buttercream to hold them?
Hope that makes sense 🙂
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July 6, 2016 at 9:02 pm
Glad you like it! To be honest, I don’t work with buttercream only finishes so I really don’t know if it will be strong enough to hold heavy décor. If it were me, I’d probably do a very thin layer of fondant to cover the buttercream just to be sure and let the base dry for at least 12 hours before adding the v-petals.
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July 6, 2016 at 9:04 pm
Oh and also, it’s best to use the petals as you go because it will be tougher to fit them into each other if they are too dry. I usually make about 6 at a time and apply row by row. HTH – Violet
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Pingback: Tsum Tsum Mickey with Rainbow V-Petal Ruffles | The Violet Cake Shop™
October 10, 2016 at 8:07 am
Love these V / Heart ruffles xx
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October 10, 2016 at 11:04 pm
Thank you!! =)
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January 4, 2017 at 9:04 am
Great tutorial, thank you! Are the rufgles straight fondant or is there any tylose added or is that recommended if doing in advance? I once did wavy ruffles out of fondant a few days in advance and on the serving day they started cracking….
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January 5, 2017 at 4:27 pm
Hi there! I add a touch of tylose if the fondant is somewhat soft to the touch. It all depends on the weather/climate. It should not crack with tylose added unless the fondant is overworked or you add too much tylose. Just add a 1/4 tsp at a time and mix into fondant until it starts to get firm enough to hold its shape when you do your cutouts. Other times instead of tylose, I will mix fondant with gumpaste. If you use marshmallow fondant, you’ll find you won’t need to add tylose or gumpaste for these type of ruffles. HTH – Violet 😀
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January 5, 2017 at 7:22 pm
Gotcha-thank you for the comprehensive answer! : )
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April 1, 2017 at 2:32 am
Love such clean details and beautiful cake! Thank you for sharing!
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April 1, 2017 at 6:58 am
Thank you! 😀
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