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.

From the Mail Bag: Cake Frosting Questions

Hi Maria!

Thank you for sharing great ideas and recipes with all of us...I am not very talented in the baking department, but you have inspired me to take on the baking of my niece's birthday cake. I ABSOLUTELY ADORE how smooth and beautiful you cakes look without being over the top. So i wanted to ask you,
1. Where can i find a 'foolproof' vanilla cake? I want to make it from scratch
2. Which of your frosting would you say its the tastiest? Which one is the smoothest for decorating cakes?
3. HOW DO YOU MAKE THEM LOOK SO CLEAN? Please, please share with us your frosting techniques. I read your post about how to fill a piping bag and noticed you had a ginormous tip on the bag you were using...which tip is that? is that all you use or do you also use a spatula?

I guess if in the future you are looking for a topic to do a blog, please keep CAKE FROSTING on your mind.

Also, for us rookie beginners in baking, which would you say is a good source of information to have?

Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR TIPS AND IDEAS..I enjoy watching your blog and Happy Blogverssary!

Best,

From Sunny Miami, FL

Naia :)


Naia,

Thank you so much for the nice comments and for your patience. This message is more than a week old and I'm just getting around to posting it now. I'm not sure if you've already made your cake or not but I hope the tips below are still helpful.

-Maria

1. Where can i find a 'foolproof' vanilla cake? I want to make it from scratch
My favorite foolproof vanilla cake recipe is Perfect Party cake by Dorie Greenspan. My neighbor, Polly, also likes this All Butter cake by Martha Stewart. I don't think you could go wrong with either one of these recipes.

2. Which of your frosting would you say its the tastiest? Which one is the smoothest for decorating cakes?
I typically make either an American-style buttercream or a Swiss Meringue buttercream. I like both but they do have a different taste and texture. The American style buttercream is very sweet and some complain about it tasting too sugary, however it is very easy to make. The Swiss meringue by contrast is not overly sweet, has a very silky texture and wonderful buttery taste. It can be a little tricky to make though b/c it requires working with egg whites.

They both smooth well on cakes. Here are two cakes with different butterceams.

This cake is made with Swiss meringue buttercream

This cake is made with American style buttercream.

3. HOW DO YOU MAKE THEM LOOK SO CLEAN? Please, please share with us your frosting techniques. I read your post about how to fill a piping bag and noticed you had a ginormous tip on the bag you were using...which tip is that? is that all you use or do you also use a spatula?

My biggest tip for making a cake look clean is...to NOT bake your cake and decorate it on the same day!! Why? Because making a cake from scratch takes several hours (prepping the batter, baking the cake, letting it cool fully, torting, making the buttercream,etc.) and since frosting the cake is the last step, you will often be rushing and not give yourself enough time to do it properly. I almost always bake my cakes the night before, wrap them in plastic wrap and then frost and decorate the next day.

The first step to getting smooth frosting is to give the cake a "crumb coat". A crumb coat is basically a thin layer of frosting applied to the cake that will seal in crumbs. I do try and smooth out the crumb coat as much as possible, then pop the cake in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to let the frosting firm up.


Other helpful tools:

Cake Icer Tip
Icing Smoother
Angled Spatula
Rotating Cake Stand
Viva Paper Towels
Fondant Smoother

Once the crumb coat is set I add a generous amount to the top and sides of the cake. The large icer tip and rotating cake stand make the job easier.

Once the cake is completely covered, I use an angled spatula and/or the icing smoother to smooth and remove excess frosting. Always remembering to wipe off the spatula or smoother in between swipes.

Now, when I am working with American style buttercream, I will do one final step. I will use a Viva brand paper towel (this brand has no quilting!!) and a fondant smoother to smooth it even further.

To do this I must first make sure the cake has "crusted". To test this I will touch it lightly with my fingers. If no icing comes off, it is ready to go.



Then I will lay my paper towel on top of the cake and using a gentle but firm motion I will smooth out the cake with the fondant smoother.


Viola!