Pinwheel Cake Tutorial

 Spring is supposedly on its way but when I look out my window all I see is little flurries of snow and a grey sky. Its probably a bit unrealistic to expect green grass and flowers in Alberta in February. I won't be vacationing somewhere warm any time soon so I've been staring at spring inspired photos and fabrics online to get my fill of pinks and greens and yellows. 

I have been reading the fabric and quilting blog Nana Company even though I don't sew or quilt. Her fabric choices are so pretty that I love checking out what sort of cute stuff she is working on. When I decided that I wanted to make a spring themed cake with pinwheels I used her creations as my inspiration for the colours and patterns.

 

 

 

Making these cute spring decorations yourself is actually really easy. You can make them any size, colour, and design that you want. Then they can be used to decorate cakes, cookies, and cupcakes or whatever else needs a pretty spring decoration.

 

 

The supplies:

• Gum Paste/sugar paste (I always use the premixed stuff because it's the perfect consistency and one bag lasts me through many decorating projects. You can find it at most craft stores)
• Crisco or some brand of shortening
• rolling pin
• gel food colouring
• paint brushes
• vodka (to dilute the food colouring with)
• optional : shimmer or petal powder

 

 

Knead your choice of food colouring into some gum paste. To get everything soft and workable I usually knead a tiny bit of crisco into it.

 

Tip: I find the pinwheels look the best when the background colour is pale and the painted on and folded parts are painted darker. Go easy on the food colouring because you can always add a wash of colour later.

Grease your work surface (important so that it is easy to move after!) and roll out the gum paste.  Use a piece of paper or post-it note cut into a square as a template for your square shape. Keep any gum paste that you aren't using either in plastic wrap or in a plastic bag to prevent it from drying out

 

 

 

Wet your paint brush with a bit of the vodka or dilute some of the food colouring into a little dish of vodka to paint your pattern with. Vodka evaporates faster than water and doesn't make the gumpaste as soggy or as sticky.

Paint whatever pattern you want! It really doesn't have to be perfect because only parts of it will be showing. Plus part of the charm is that they are hand painted and thus not completely perfect.

 

 

 

Once your square is painted use a knife or gum paste tool to cut lines from the corners about two-thirds of the way to the middle.

 

 

 

To shape the pinwheel dab a tiny bit of vodka onto the left corner and then fold and press that corner into the middle.

 

 

 

Repeat that with the remaining corners folding each alternating one in.

 

 

 

 

Voila! A pinwheel! Stick a little ball of gumpaste in the center to cover up the points there. It looks really cute if you paint it a bit darker than the base colour that you are using.

 

 

 

I really like the way the pinwheels look when the folded in parts are either brushed with shimmer powder or a darker wash of colour for some contrast. It's easiest to let the pinwheel dry before doing this so that you aren't pressing on it and ruining the shape. However, I'm super impatient sometimes and I just brushed it on right away and then used the back of the paint brush to lift up any parts that I had squished down.

 

 

 

Use a spatula to gently move your pretty new pinwheel to a safe place to dry for a couple hours or up to overnight. Re-grease your work surface and start on the next pinwheel

 

 

 

 

Once your pinwheels are dry they are ready to decorate with! I stuck my pinwheels on a chocolate layer cake covered in light green homemade marshmallow fondant.

 

 

For edible glue beat together an egg white with a lot of icing sugar to make a thick royal icing that is spreadable rather than thin enough to pipe. Spread a little glob on the back on the pinwheel and hold it against the cake for a few seconds. The thicker the royal icing (which means more icing sugar beat in) the better it will glue the pinwheels to your cake/cookies/cupcakes.

 

 

 

 

To stick the pinwheels to the wooden skewers place the pinwheel face down on a flat surface and spread a glob of the thick royal icing in the center of it. Gently press the skewer into the royal icing and then cover with a circle of fondant. To make it more secure you can spread a bit more icing around the edges of the fondant. Allow to completely dry before using.

 

 

I had so much fun planning and making the decorations for this cake that I forgot about the cold and snowy weather outside.

That is, until I looked out the window again. But by that point I had cake in front of me so it really didn't matter that much.

 

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Comments

[Rigel_p]

Brilliant pinwheels. They look just like pretty fabric. Take that, gloomy winter!

[Russell van Kraayenburg]

This is sooo cute! And so much easier than I would have ever thought. I'm not sure I have a direct need for a cake like this at the moment but I kind of want to make it anyway for fun! Cute!

[Jenn (Cookies Cupcakes and Cardio)]

Such a cute idea! I'm looking forward to trying this soon...great step by step, clear, tutorial!

[Jen]

Wow this cake is so pretty and so elaborate!

[yummy supper]

Stephanie, Every time you bust out with one of your crafty creations, I am blown away! You are the master of the gum paste:) So cool.
-Erin

[Mary at n00bcakes]

These are absolutely 100% adorable. I really love your patience and talent with your gum and sugar paste constructions; your end products are always so wonderful! The pinwheels were a great idea and so deliciously simple (even a talentless decorating hack like me could probably do it :D)! I think my favorite are the small flowers...they remind me a bit of my mom with her occasional quilting and bigger cross-stitching habits. :)

[Maggie Muggins]

I love this tutorial! Such a cute idea. I really need to start playing around with gumpaste and fondant, it looks like fun.

[carrie]

ohmygoodness... how adorable is that?!? What a great idea! I love the overhead shot of them all laying out to dry... SO pretty all together. I want to try this, but perhaps I'll start with paper and work my way up ;) Hope you see some "true spring" outdoors, soon! :)

[Jordan 2012]

I really need to start playing around with gumpaste and fondant, it looks like fun.

[Jessica @ bake me away!]

This is so whimsical! With your tutorial, it doesn't look very difficult either. I love the colors you chose for this.

[regan @ miss maillard]

Just got back from vacation and am catching up with my blogroll over coffee... WOW. This is totally the cure for blah weather. Adorable.

PS - Love the concept sketches! I thought I was the only one who did things like that!

[Jess [tenpenny splendid]]

These are gorgeous! I love the ones with the flowers painted on.. they look like fabric! I need to find a reason to make these! :)

[Julia {The Roasted Root}]

hey there! This is my first time visiting your site and I am amazed at your pinwheel cake. I am SO bad with fondant...actually I'm pretty bad with all frostings but seeing these beatutiful fondant creations makes me think I really need to start working on my skills. Creative and adorable!

[patrick willis jerseys]

Thanks very much, I have learned a lot from your post. Well done, really!

[business]

Hi…………………….??????
This is a really good post… Must admit that you are amongst the best bloggers I have read… Thanks………..?

[Natalie]

Could you just use your marshmallow fondant to make the pinwheels? Or do you need it to be true fondant/gumpaste/sugar paste? I'm trying to make this gluten free/dye free so I'd love to be able to use your marshmallow fondant if I can to make the pinwheels!!

THANK YOU this is AWESOME!! :)

[Sac Longchamp]

Pinwheel Cake Tutorial - Clockwork Lemon