Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

Hi,
Finally I could view d videos Danielle.. Thanks for dat.
In d tutorial for.making strips (common decorations tutorial) can u clarify it a bit more as in how did Paul sir have marked it on paper towel and how come after folding, paper size ain’t reducing.basically dat step is not clear to me.if u can make it clear, will b grateful. Also won’t mixing sugarpaste n flourpaste make d strips Lil bit hard? Is it fine if we do it only Wid d sugarpaste?
Thanks again.

Hello Decake

Paul measured the circumference of the cake with a strip of till roll . He fold the strip into sections like a wide pleates or stripes. These folds can be as wide or as narrow as you would like. The less folds you make the wider each pleate or stripe will be, the more folds you make the more narrower or reduced each pleate or stripe will be. This way you can vary how wide or narrow you would like your stripes to be. Unfold the strip of paper and place it against the cake. The unfolded strip will now have crease lines where it was pleated. Each crease will have a join line where it was folded, this line is the mark off place when the unfolded strip is placed against the cake. With a cake decorating tool or the end of a paint brush, mark off the cake at the top of each fold mark. The marks are where the edge of your stripes of fondant will be stuck once it is cut out.
Next step is to measure the folds on the till roll stripes. This is the distance apart the fondant is to be cut to make the stripes which will be stuck to the cake. Paul has shown two ways of measuring the stripes. He used the multi wheel cutter and he also showed how to measure with a ruler. If you have a ribbon cutter that can also be used to cut evenly spaced out stripes.
In the tutorial Paul suggested firming up the sugarpaste with a little flowerpaste so it is easier to handle when sticking the stripes against the cake, the stripes will not go hard or brittle because the moisture from the cake surface will stop them hardening off. If you prefer not to use flower paste just use sugarpaste on its own. However, allow the cut out stripes to slightly crust over for about 5 minutes. This will help the stripes to keep their shape and make it easier to lift them for sticking to the cake.

Hope this helps.