Sugar High Heel Cake Topper | A Fun Fondant Project
Chef Alan TetreaultIn this tutorial: Tools and Cutter Kits · Making the Heel · Creating the Sole · Cutting the Toe and Strap · Attaching the Sole to the Heel · Making the Miniature Shoe · Assembling the Large Shoe · Assembling the Miniature Shoe · Finishing Touches and Luster Dust · Adding Embellishments
Sugar high heel shoes are a stunning cake topper that never fails to impress – perfect for bridal showers, birthday cakes, and cupcakes alike. In this detailed tutorial, Chef Alan Tetreault walks through every step of making both a full-size and miniature high heel sugar shoe using the Gem shoe cutter kits. He also demonstrates how to apply edible images to the sole and finish the shoes with luster dust and bow embellishments.
What You'll Need
- Mexican paste – dries faster and holds shape better than gumpaste for shoes
- Gem high heel shoe cutter kit – includes sole cutter, heel mold, toe piece cutter/embosser, strap cutter, and styrofoam formers
- Gem miniature shoe cutter kit – smaller version for cupcake-sized shoes
- Gem shoe toppers kit (optional) – auxiliary pieces for the large shoe with closed toe, wrap-around strap, double strap, and triple strap options
- Gem pad – has holes that align with the cutters for clean cuts
- Luxe edible images (optional) – pre-printed designs to apply to the sole
- Luster dust – for painting and finishing the shoe pieces
- Bow mold (optional) – for molding small bows as embellishments
- Atlas pasta machine (optional) – for rolling paste to a consistent thickness
- Shortening or Crisco – for greasing the heel mold
- Cornstarch – for dusting cutters and work surface
- Water brush or gum glue – for adhering pieces together
- Alcohol, vodka, gin, Everclear, or lemon extract – for mixing with luster dust
- Pallet knife – for removing cut pieces
- Rolling pin
- Small paintbrush
- Scissors and paper towel – for the sole-protecting technique
Tools and Cutter Kits
The Gem high heel shoe system includes several kits. The basic Gem shoe kit contains a sole cutter, a two-piece heel mold, a toe piece (cutter and embosser), two strap options, and styrofoam formers for drying. A separate shoe toppers kit adds a closed-toe front, a wrap-around back, and double and triple strap options – these auxiliary pieces work only with the full-size shoe, not the miniature.
The miniature shoe kit includes a smaller sole cutter, toe piece, one strap, heel mold pieces, and small formers – everything needed for cupcake-sized shoes.
Making the Heel
Start by lightly greasing the inside of the two-piece heel mold with a small amount of shortening applied with a brush. Snap the two halves of the mold together using the built-in pins.
Roll a piece of Mexican paste into a cone shape and push it down into the mold firmly – the paste should come out the bottom. Use a knife to trim off the excess, making sure the top is completely flat. Slice off any extra paste on the bottom as well.
Gently open the mold and remove the heel. There will be a visible seam down the back.
💡 Tip: Leave the seam for an hour or two before removing it. Once the paste has firmed slightly, use a flexible blade or spatula to gently scrape the seam away for a clean finish. Attempting this too early will leave a jagged look.
Allow the heel to dry completely – ideally several hours or overnight – before attaching it to the sole.
Creating the Sole
The sole can be made plain or decorated with a Luxe edible image. For the edible image method, cut a piece of the image slightly larger than the sole cutter.
Roll out Mexican paste fairly thick – about a number two setting on an Atlas pasta machine. If the sole is too thin, the other shoe pieces will have nothing to adhere to and will fall off or break.
Brush the paste lightly with water, then peel the edible image from its backing and lay it directly onto the paste. Roll gently to bond them together.
Dust the sole cutter with a bit of cornstarch and place it on the Gem pad (the pad's holes align with the pins on the back of the cutter). Lay the paste with the edible image on top and roll from the center outward with a rolling pin. Use a pallet knife to pop the cut sole out from the back.
💡 Tip: The embossed stitch lines from the cutter are less visible when using an edible image or patterned paste. They show up most clearly on plain white or solid-colored paste.
Cutting the Toe and Strap
Roll out a piece of teal (or your chosen color) Mexican paste slightly thinner than the sole. Dust the work surface with cornstarch.
The toe piece kit includes two parts – a cutter and an embosser. First, cut the toe piece, then remove it with a pallet knife. Lay the embosser over the cut piece, line it up, and press down to imprint the ribbed design.
Place the cut-and-embossed toe piece over one of the styrofoam formers that comes with the kit. It needs to firm up enough to hold its curve but remain flexible enough to attach to the sole – this takes roughly 10 minutes to an hour depending on humidity.
For the strap, roll the paste slightly thinner still, dust the strap cutter with cornstarch, and cut the strap. Lay the strap over the toe piece on the former (with cornstarch preventing them from sticking) and let both pieces dry for 30 minutes to an hour.
Attaching the Sole to the Heel
Once the heel has dried completely, brush a small amount of water (or gum glue for a stronger bond) on the top of the heel. Line up the sole and press it gently onto the heel. Place the assembled piece on the second styrofoam former with the heel pointing straight up.
💡 Tip: A water brush works well with Mexican paste for most applications. For a shoe that needs to withstand transport, use gum glue instead – but be careful, because any gum glue that leaks out will dry shiny and be visible.
Allow the sole and heel to bond for at least a couple of hours before attaching additional pieces.
Making the Miniature Shoe
The miniature heel mold does not have snap-together pins like the large version, which makes it trickier. Lightly grease the inside of the mold with shortening. Roll a small piece of paste into a cone with a much thinner, almost pointed bottom.
Push the paste into the mold while holding the two halves together. Use a foam pad or cell pad underneath so the mold can be pressed against a flat surface while squeezing the sides together and pushing down simultaneously. Trim the excess paste so it is flush with the top of the mold.
Pull the mold apart and remove the miniature heel. Let it dry for a few hours before attaching it to the sole.
For the miniature sole, toe, and strap, cut each piece using the miniature kit's cutters. Instead of using the styrofoam formers for the toe and strap, simply curve them by hand and set them on a foam pad to dry.
Attach the miniature heel to the sole with a water brush, place it on the small blue former from the kit, and let it set for at least 30 minutes to an hour.
Assembling the Large Shoe
Once the sole and heel are bonded, attach the strap first. The strap goes where the heel connects to the sole. Brush a small amount of water on the inside of each strap tab (not the ends) and press one side onto each side of the heel-sole joint. Hold in place for a few seconds.
Next, attach the toe piece. Brush water or gum glue on the inside and position it about half an inch to three-quarters of an inch from the front of the sole. It is easier to hold the shoe in hand while pressing the toe piece against the sides of the sole. Place the shoe back on the former to dry.
⚠️ Let the shoe dry completely before adding any finishing touches. If the pieces have not fully set and you start painting or embellishing, the parts may loosen or break – and reattaching broken pieces is extremely difficult.
Assembling the Miniature Shoe
Follow the same process as the large shoe: attach the strap where the heel meets the sole, then attach the toe piece. Use a small tool to press the toe piece edges into the sides of the sole. Let the assembled miniature shoe dry completely before finishing.
Finishing Touches and Luster Dust
To paint the toe and strap without getting dust on the decorated sole, use the sole cutter as a template. Place the cutter on the Gem pad, lay a piece of paper towel over it, and roll with a rolling pin to emboss the sole shape into the towel. Cut just inside the impression with scissors, then tuck the paper towel cutout into the sole of the shoe as a protective mask.
Mix luster dust with a small amount of alcohol (vodka, gin, Everclear, or lemon extract – not lemon juice) to create a paint. Brush the mixture onto the toe piece, strap, and heel.
💡 Tip: Mixing luster dust with alcohol rather than applying it dry produces a smoother, more even coat and prevents powder from drifting onto other parts of the shoe. The alcohol also evaporates quickly. For white shoes, super pearl dust adds a beautiful pearlized finish.
For the miniature shoe, the same technique applies. The hybrid luster dust line can also be dissolved with water, though alcohol still dries faster.
Adding Embellishments
Embellishments like bows, flowers, or glitter can be added once the shoe is fully dry. In this tutorial, Chef Alan Tetreault uses a small bow mold to create a black paste bow. A light brush of shortening gives the bow a subtle shine. Attach the bow to the front of the shoe with a dab of water and allow it to dry.
Once the embellishment is set, gently pull out the paper towel mask from the sole to reveal the clean, protected surface underneath.
The possibilities for finishing sugar shoes are endless – different colors of luster dust, edible glitter, sugar flowers, or molded bows can all be used to create a custom look for any occasion.
This tutorial is part of Global Sugar Art's library of free cake decorating videos by Chef Alan Tetreault. Browse all tutorials →
