How to Make a Bow - A Fondant Bow Tutorial

Want to learn how to make a bow in fondant? Here is how I make my mine, step by step.

Fondant bows are quite a common cake decoration and one that adds much elegance and beauty to any cake.

Despite looking difficult, fondant bows are quite easy to make. The only difficulty or rather issues with fondant bows is in attaching them to cakes. It is still not much of an issue when these are placed on the top of cakes, but it can be quite an issue when attaching these lovely pieces of sugar art on the sides of the cake.

A round cake decorated with fondant bow and a baby stroller topper

I have made and used fondant bows on many of my cakes. And I am sharing on this page, how I normally make these cute cake decorations.

How to Make a Fondant Bow

Supplies needed:

Fondant - Satin Ice fondant is the fondant I normally use. For this particular fondant bow, I used Satin Ice Chocolate fondant.
CMC powder - the function of CMC powder is similar to tylose powder. It gives additional strength to the fondant and makes it dry hard. This helps the fondant bow to hold its shape. I use about ¼ of a teaspoon of CMC powder to 100g of fondant.
Ribbon bow template - the template is an easy one. It consists of one long rectangle piece for the loops and another smaller rectangle piece for the centre. In coming up with the template, it is important to keep in mind the size of the bow. This is to make sure you get the size that you expected. I normally decide on the length of my bow first, and only then draw and cut out the templates in paper.
Kitchen towels/tissues - These are to be used to hold the shape of the fondant bow while it is drying. I use 2 kitchen towels, fold and roll them into cylinders and tape them. I get these ready before starting my fondant work.
Fondant glue - Fondant glue is the best medium to stick the fondant pieces together. Shortening is not a good option as it does not dry hard which means the fondant pieces can disassemble due to their weight.

And this is how to make the fondant bows:

As I have mentioned above, the first step in making the bow, is to get the template ready. My template consists of one long rectangle (for the 2 loops of the bow) and one small rectangle (for the center of the bow). The length of the long rectangle will determine the overall length of your bow's loops.

So, if you want your finished bow to measures 12cm in length with loops measuring 3cm in width, you would need your rectangle template to measure 12cm by 3cm for each of the loops. Once folded, each loop will be half of its original size, in this case, 6cm. So two loops of 6cm will make a bow that is 12cm in length). For the center, there is no need for any specific measurement, just an estimate of the width and length is sufficient.

Once the templates are ready, next is the kitchen towel rolls. I fold them into 3 and then roll them up tightly and secure with tape. I make 2 of these for the two loops of the fondant bow loops.

Cutting the fondant pieces

Next is the fondant. I mix CMC into the fondant and knead it well. Then I roll it thin to the thickness I desire for my fondant bow. Using my long rectangle template for the loops, I cut out two pieces in fondant.

Cutting along a rectangle paper template on a rolled brown fondant with a pizza cutter

I then apply some fondant glue on one edge of the fondant strips. And then fold the other end over and stick both ends together. Before folding the strips, I place one of the kitchen towel rolls in the middle, as shown below:

Brushing the edge of a brown rectangle fondant strip with a small roll of tissue on it

I then press the ends to make it thin.

A strip of brown fondant wrapped around a small roll of tissue and the edges pinched

And then I form the folds. It is easier to do the folds when the fondant is thin. Hence the thinning of the ends in the earlier step. The folds are basically in a curved zigzag pattern as shown below.:

A strip of brown fondant wrapped around a small roll of tissue and the edges gathered

I repeat the steps above for the other fondant strip also.

2 strips of brown fondant wrapped around a small rolls of tissue and the edges gathered

Once the fondant bow loops are done, I then cut out the center fondant piece. For this piece, I roll it thin so that it is easier to work with.

A paper template and a rolled and cut brown fondant

Showing the thickness of a rolled and cut fondant piece

To give the center a folded ribbon feel, I create a pleated look. I start by folding one end of the strip, then form a pleat in the middle and then another fold at the other end.

Rolling the edge of a rectangle brown fondant

Pinching the center of a brown fondant cut out

This is how it would look like when turned over.

A rectangle brown fondant piece, with a fold in the centre

Assembling the fondant bow

To assemble the fondant bow, I turn the piece back to its original position with the folds and pleats showing and apply fondant glue all over.

I then place one of the bow loops as shown (only half of the loop is on the strip, the other half is not), apply glue to its end, and attach the other fondant loop.

2 strips of brown fondant wrapped around a small rolls of tissue and the edges gathered and a small piece of fondant underneath

Next, I bring the center piece upwards and tuck it at the back of the fondant bow loops.

Wrapping a piece of brown fondant around 2 fondant loops

This is how the back of the fondant bow would look like. If there is any excess fondant, I trim it off so that the back is flat and even.

Next, I carefully and very gently, turn the bow over and leave it aside to dry and set hard. I normally leave mine overnight. Once the fondant bow is done, it can be placed on the cake. Again, I use fondant glue to attach the bows to my cakes to ensure the fondant bows are securely attached to the cakes.