Friday, September 16, 2011
From The Mail Bag: How To Make Fondant Legos
Hi Maria,
Thanks for all you do for the rest of us! Just inspiring!
I wanted to ask how you made the Lego blocks out of fondant. Did you have a mold of some sort? They look so good. And are the ninja guys out of fondant as well? I assume they are, but they look nice and "soft" somehow... mine never look that good. :)
Thanks so much for any guidance. I have my son's Lego Ninjago themed party next month and really need to get a plan in place.
~ Ansley
Hi Ansley,
Thank you so much your kind words and the great question. When I first wanted to make fondant Legos, I looked on the Internet for Lego molds or something similar that would make them. Unfortunately, I was never able to find any and I decided to try and make my own. This is what I came up with and I think they look pretty good.
I hope these directions are clear and show that they are pretty doable. All you need are a few basic tools, some fondant and a bit of time. A very happy birthday to your little guy. I'm sure he will love his Ninjago birthday party---what a fun idea! Enjoy!!
Best,
Maria
WHAT YOU NEED:
Vinyl Gloves I always use vinyl gloves when working with fondant. Not only does it keep thing hygienic but it makes handling the fondant easier b/c it will not stick to your hands.
Fondant You could use homemade, a professional grade or Wilton's. I prefer the Wilton's for the Legos, because it holds color very well.
Rolling Pin
Small Square Cutter
Med/Sm Piping Tip (this is a #10 Wilton's)
Fine Tip Pastry Brush
Small Amount of Water
TO MAKE THE LEGOS:
1. Place desired amount of fondant in a plastic baggie or loosely wrapped in plastic wrap. Microwave for 4-5 seconds to make fondant soft and pliable. Add desired color to your fondant and kneed well. You may use pre-colored fondant to save time.
2. Roll fondant to desired Lego thickness.
3. Use the square cutter to cut out a piece of fondant.
4. Use the square cutter to cut the fondant again, making it a rectangular Lego shape.
5. Roll some more fondant about half the thickness of the Lego base (rectangle). Then use the tip of your piping tip to cut out the Lego "nubs". You may need to use the end of your pastry brush to push them out of the tip.
6. Dip the pastry brush in a TINY bit of water and brush lines on the rectangle piece where you want to attach the nubs. The water acts as a glue but be careful of adding too much b/c it will mess up the fondant.
7. Attach the nubs and press down gently to help them stick and look more realistic.
8. Fondant Lego complete!! Let them air dry for about an hour then store in a Tupperware container (single layer) till ready to use.
As you can see, these are fairly easy to make. However, chances are that you will need several and that can be a little time consuming. I recommend making these a week in advance of when you need them.
Here are what the Legos look like when placed on a cake.
Pretty realistic, no?
Finally, to make the ninja "Ninago" Lego, I first found a picture on the Lego website to use as a reference. This is the photo I used to make the ninja below.
Then, I started cunstructing the piece by building the larger body party (head, body, arms, legs) first, followed by the smaller parts (belt, hands, head/face mask). Finally, I added the facial details. I used a fine tip black food color marker to draw the eyes and nonparelis to act as eyeballs.
OMG Maria...this post is AWESOME!!!
ReplyDeleteYou never cease to amaze me... definitely putting it on my 'to-do' list.
Thank you for your dedication and for always having something interesting for your audience. ;)
Naia
great job! thank you for this tutorial!
ReplyDeleteWow!! THANKS for an amazing tutorial, it's just what I was looking for!!!! :)
ReplyDeleteFantastic - this tutorial makes me think i can possibly pull this off, well the lego blocks, the ninja is amazing but above my skills :) thank you for sharing this!
ReplyDelete