Ye Be Warned: Swashbuckling Fondant Pirate Tutorial Lay Ahead!

There’s no end to the popularity of pirate cake designs for both young and old buccaneers, which makes these blimey characters a continuous theme used by cake decorators for clients and personal celebrations alike!

Follow this tutorial to create a fondant pirate topper.

Pirate Fondant Tutorial

Materials:

  • Tan, black, white, brown and red fondant
  • Fondant rolling pin with 1/8″ guide rings
  • Water/edible glue and brush
  • Vegetable shortening1 7/8″ circle cutter
  • Round decorating tips #3, #5 and #12
  • Ball tool
  • Knife tool
  • Precision knife
  • Rolling pastry cutter
  • Small modeling stick
  • Modeling tool
  • Optional: white gel paste/toothpick
  • Optional: edible black marker
Pirate tutorial step 1

Step 1:

Roll out tan fondant with a rolling pin and 1/8″ guide rings. Punch out a circle with the 1 7/8″ round cutter.

Step 2:

With the bottom of a round decorating tip, make a sideways indentation towards the bottom of the circle to create the pirate’s mouth slightly open (saying argh, of course!).

Pirate Tutorial step 2

Step 3:

Utilize the ball tool to make indentations in the tan circle fondant for the eye cavities.

Step 4:

Roll out white fondant with the rolling pin and 1/8″ guide rings. Cut out two circles with round decorating tip #12 and glue each in the eye cavities of the tan circle.

Step 5:

Roll out brown fondant with the rolling pin and 1/8″ guide rings. First, cut out two small circles with round decorating tip #5. Roll each of them into balls, then flatten them out just a bit. Glue them in place over the white eyes on the pirate’s face.

Step 6:

From the rolled out brown fondant, cut out two additional circles with round decorating tip #12.

Step 7:

Roll one of the brown circles into a ball, then roll it out onto your work surface into a very thin sausage-shape, approximately 1″ in length.

Step 8:

Cut the brown fondant in half with the precision knife, then shape the two sides with your fingers to form the pirate’s mustache. Make small indentations over the mustache with the knife tool to create hair. Glue it in place over the pirate’s mouth.

Step 9:

Take the second brown circle and roll it into a ball. Form it into a teardrop shape with your fingers and flatten it out a bit.

Step 10:

Utilize the knife tool to make indentations lengthwise for the goatee hair. Flatten out the larger end and use your fingers to curl the tip a bit. Glue the finished goatee under the pirate’s mouth.

Pirate Tutorial step 3

Step 11:

Roll out red fondant with the rolling pin and 1/8″ guide rings. Cut out a circle with the 1 7/8″ round cutter.

Step 12:

Slice the top off of the red circle with the rolling pastry cutter to create the pirate’s scarf.

Step 13:

With the small modeling stick, make little indentations across the bottom to create seams. Glue the red scarf at the top of the pirate’s head, smoothing the rounded part at the circle’s edge.

Step 14:

Roll out red fondant with the rolling pin and 1/8″ guide rings. Cut out two circles with round decorating tip #12.

Step 15:

Form each of the red circles into teardrop shapes, then curl the pointed edges a bit to create the scarf tips.

Step 16:

Layer one of the larger ends of the scarf tips over the other, glue them together and utilize the small modeling stick to create the seams. Fit it on the side of the pirate’s scarf and glue it in place. Utilize the precision knife to slice off a bit to fit, if necessary.

Pirate Tutorial step 4

Step 17:

Roll out black fondant with the rolling pin and 1/8″ guide rings. Cut out two circles with round decorating tip #12 and one circle with tip #3.

Step 18:

Take the two larger black circles and roll them together into a ball.

Step 19:

Flatten it out a bit with your fingers, then shape it into an eye patch, flattening out the top.

Step 20:

Take the smaller black circle you cut out, roll it into a ball, then roll it out onto your work surface into a thin strip for the eye patch string. Place the eye patch and string over one of the pirate’s eyes and glue them in place.

Step 21:

Roll out additional black fondant with the rolling pin a little thicker than usual and cut out a circle with the 1 7/8″ round cutter.

Step 22:

Utilizing the same round cutter, trim a bit off the bottom, the sides (towards the top) and the very center tip to start creating the pirate hat.

Step 23:

Dip your fingers in vegetable shortening, then round out the perimeter of the hat, while shaping the pirate hat. Set it aside for a little while to allow it to dry a bit to hold its shape.

Pirate Tutorial step 5

Step 24:

Roll out white fondant with the rolling pin and 1/8″ guide rings. Cut out two circles with round decorating tip #12, then roll them together into a ball.

Step 25:

Flatten out the white ball and start shaping it into a skull.

Step 26:

With the small modeling stick, make indentations in the skull for the eyes and nose. Utilize the knife tool to make a long, horizontal line across the bottom of the skull, then make smaller vertical indentations for the mouth. Glue the skull on the pirate cap.

Step 27:

Roll out tan fondant with the rolling pin and 1/8″ guide rings and cut out three circles with round decorating tip #12.

Step 28:

Roll two of the tan circles into separate balls, flatten them out just a little, then utilize the modeling tool to make an indentation in the centers to create the pirate’s ears.

Step 29:

Roll the last tan circle into an oval shape to create the pirate’s nose.

Step 30:

Roll out additional brown fondant with the rolling pin and guide rings and cut out several circles with round decorating tip #12. Just as you did with the goatee, form them into teardrop shapes, make linear indentations with the knife tool and form them on the pirate’s sides and beneath the scarf. Trim them as necessary with the precision knife. Glue them in place, then finalize the pirate by gluing his ears, nose, and hat. Allow to dry thoroughly.

Optional additions: If you’d like, you add some finishing touches on the pirate by dipping a toothpick in white soft gel paste and adding a little glimmer to his eye that’s showing. With the black edible marker, draw a little scar on his face.

Pirate Cupcake Tutorial

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