How to Make 3D Fondant Clouds

Fondant clouds are pretty easy to make, and I have seen many different techniques for creating such clouds. And I myself made 2 different types of fondant clouds recently, and both were for a rainbow birthday cake. I have prepared tutorials for both types and I am sharing on this page, the tutorial for making one of them (click here for the other tutorial).

Top of a cake decorated with 3d clouds and rainbow lettering

Like I said earlier, these were pretty easy to make. And the best part of all, there is no need for any special cutters or tools

Here is how I made the 3D Fondant Clouds

These were the main supplies I used :

Fondant - I used Satin Ice white fondant
CMC powder - Since the clouds were in 3D form, I added CMC powder (tylose can also be used) to fondant to make it dry harder.
Clouds templates - I drew these freehand and in drawing them, I had to make sure the sizes fit the cake I was making.
Craft knife - I used this to cut the fondant clouds out of fondant.
Fondant glue - I used fondant glue to attach the clouds to the cake.

And here was how I made the clouds:

First of all, I prepared the clouds template. I drew them on a white paper and cut them out following their outline. Since I was going to place these clouds on top of a cake, I had to make sure the sizes fitted the cake.

Once the templates were ready, I started with the fondant. I kneaded CMC powder into fondant ( I used about ½ teaspoon of CMC powder for a handful of fondant).
I then rolled the fondant to about ¾ cm thickness. The fondant had to be thick because the clouds were meant to stand upright. Thicker fondant will make the clouds more stable when put upright on the cake.
Next, I arranged my clouds template on the rolled fondant and cut them out, one by one, using my craft knife.

Cloud paper templates on a piece of rolled fondant, and using a sugar craft knife to cut them out

Showing the bottom of a fondant cloud by hand

Once cut, I smoothed the sides. I also made sure the bottom of each cloud was level. This was important so that the clouds were stable on the cake. I did this by using a ruler and flattening the bottoms so that they become level.

Using a ruler to straighten the bottom of a fondant cloud

I did this for all the clouds and then left them aside to set completely. In fact, I left mine to set overnight. Adding the CMC helped with the setting, but since the fondant was thick, I wanted to make sure they were completely dry and set before being placed on the cake.

3 pieces of fondant cut in the shape of clouds

Attaching the fondant clouds to the cake

To attach the clouds on the cake, I used fondant glue. I did not use shortening here as shortening is not able to support the weight of these clouds. Fondant glue, once dried, is much better at holding the clouds in place.
For added assurance that the clouds don't fall off when transporting or moving your cake, you can actually attach toothpicks to the base of the clouds before setting them aside to dry. When placed on the cake, the toothpicks will be able to provide extra support in holding the clouds in place. I did not use toothpicks for this project, and clouds stood up just fine.

And for the finishing touch, I rolled tiny balls of fondant in random sizes and placed them in clusters at the base of the clouds (used fondant glue to stick them) denoting clumps of clouds.

That was how I made my clouds with fondant.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial.

Happy decorating 🙂