Painting Embossed Cakes | The Technique That Looks Hand-Painted
Chef Alan TetreaultIn this tutorial: What You'll Need · Roll and Cut the Fondant Plaque · Emboss the Design · Mix Your Paint · Paint the Embossed Design · Finishing and Display Options
Patchwork Cutters make it easy to add elegant embossed designs to cakes – but painting those designs is where the real magic happens. In this tutorial, Chef Alan Tetreault demonstrates how to emboss a T-Rose design onto a fondant plaque and paint it using luster dust and petal dust dissolved in alcohol. The technique works on cake tops, cake sides, or standalone plaques that can be dried and applied later.
What You'll Need
- Patchwork Cutters – available in hundreds of designs (roses, hearts, holiday themes, and more)
- Fondant – a small piece rolled to about 1/4-inch thickness
- PME scalloped oval cutter – double-sided with scalloped and plain edges
- Luster dust or petal dust – Chef Alan uses ultra pink luster dust and rose petal green; ·
- Clear alcohol – Everclear, vodka, or lemon extract for dissolving the dust
- Small paint brushes – fine-tipped for detail work
- White shortening – a small amount to grease the cutter before embossing
- Powdered sugar – for dusting the rolling surface
- Rolling pin –
Roll and Cut the Fondant Plaque
- Dust the work surface lightly with powdered sugar.
- Roll out a piece of fondant to approximately 1/4-inch thickness.
- Transfer the rolled fondant to the board where it will be painted.
- Select a PME scalloped oval cutter – one side is scalloped, the other is plain. Chef Alan uses the larger size with the scallop side facing down.
- Press the cutter firmly into the fondant. Do not shimmy the cutter back and forth – this will distort the scalloped edge.
- Hold the cutter in place and pull the excess fondant away from the outside to reveal a clean scalloped oval.
⚠️ Never shimmy a scalloped cutter. Unlike smooth-edged cutters, rocking a scalloped cutter back and forth will ruin the decorative edge. Press straight down and pull the fondant away instead.
Emboss the Design
- Select the Patchwork Cutter design – in this tutorial, the T-Rose.
- Lightly grease the face of the cutter with a small amount of white shortening to prevent sticking.
- Center the cutter over the fondant oval.
- Press down firmly but gently – the goal is to emboss, not cut through the fondant.
- Slide a fingernail under one corner of the cutter and pop it off cleanly.
💡 Tip: Only a thin coat of shortening is needed. Too much can blur the embossed lines.
Mix Your Paint
- Place a small amount of luster dust or petal dust into the lid of its container – a handy trick from Marion Frost, the developer of Patchwork Cutters. When the alcohol evaporates, the unused powder simply goes back in the pot.
- Add a generous amount of clear alcohol (Everclear, vodka, or lemon extract) and mix until the consistency is very liquid.
💡 Tip: The mixture needs to be quite thin and watery – not paste-like. A liquid consistency allows the paint to flow naturally into the embossed grooves, creating darker veining for a dimensional look.
Paint the Embossed Design
↪ Paint the Rose
- Using a small brush, dip into the pink luster dust mixture.
- Touch the brush where the embossed lines meet – the liquid will follow the grooves and pool in the recessed areas, creating natural-looking darker veining.
- Once the grooves are filled, lightly brush over the entire petal area to fill in the surface color.
- Repeat for the rosebud.
↪ Paint the Leaves
- Switch to the green petal dust mixture.
- Start at the bottom of the leaves and work the liquid into the embossed veins first.
- Lightly brush over the leaf surfaces to fill in the lighter background color.
💡 Tip: If hands are unsteady, use one hand to hold and stabilize the wrist of the painting hand. This simple technique makes detail painting much easier for decorators at any skill level.
↪ Add Depth (Optional)
Once the first coat of paint has dried, go back over select petals or leaves with a dry application of dust (no alcohol) to darken specific areas. This creates a more realistic, three-dimensional effect.
💡 Tip: Both petal dust and luster dust work well for this technique. Luster dust gives a slightly shinier, more polished finish, while petal dust produces a matte look.
Finishing and Display Options
- As a plaque: Let the painted fondant dry overnight. The next day, lift the entire piece and place it on a finished cake. For extra shine, pearl the outside edge of the plaque before applying it.
- Directly on a cake: Emboss and paint right on the top or side of a freshly covered cake. When painting on the sides, use a small brush and keep the mixture thin to prevent dripping.
💡 Tip: This technique works on cake sides just as well as on tops. The key to preventing drips on vertical surfaces is using a small brush with a controlled amount of liquid.
This tutorial is part of Global Sugar Art's library of free cake decorating videos by Chef Alan Tetreault. Browse all tutorials →
