1

Colour 1.3kg (3 lbs) of 50/50 fondant/gum paste and mix with gel colour to make three shades of green. You will need 708g (25oz) of chartreuse (mostly golden yellow gel with some leaf green, approximately 4 to 1), 708g (25oz) of medium lime green (equal parts golden yellow and leaf green) and 368g (13oz) of deep green (mostly leaf green with some golden yellow, approximately 4 to 1, with a touch of black).

2

Create ruffling texture on the top edge of the strip using the large end of the ball tool; you will want to drag your ball tool about 1.9cm out, starting 0.6cm under the top edge and rolling or thinning the fondant/gum paste upward, using long strokes.

3

Move across the strip and ruffle from one end to the other; once you’ve ruffled the entire length of the strip, use a wheel cutter to cut just under the ruffled portion where the paste is still thick. This will create a strip that is approximately 2.5cm wide with thin ruffling on the top and a bottom that is still 0.6cm thick.

4

The bottom of the ruffled strip is thick which will allow it to stand upright or straight up from the cake.

5

Cut each strip to 19cm to 20cm in length so they can be applied diagonally to the bottom tier as in this design.

Violet's Top Tip

To attach the first set of diagonal ruffles to the cake, it’s best to do it in a bunch of three to five strips. This allows the strips to be applied more easily and helps them stand straighter.

6

Apply water or edible glue to the front and back of each strip, along the bottom edge. Stand up and adhere five strips of the same colour together, starting with chartreuse. Use a ruler to line up the bunch; trim off bottom of strips at an angle as they would line up on the cake and let set for five minutes to make sure they hold together when you move them to the cake.

7

Apply some water or edible glue to the surface of the 17.7cm (7in) tier, in a diagonal wide strip.

8

Turn over the bunched group of strips, brush the bottom with water or edible glue and attach to cake where you applied the diagonal strip of water and hold in place until set. Be sure to press the bottom of the ruffle bunch so it is flat against the cake; use a knife blade or ruler to hold under the ruffles while they set to ensure they stay straight and don’t droop.

9

Next, make five ruffle strips from the medium lime green fondant/ gum paste mix and attach with water or edible glue, one at a time to the cake. Start by brushing the surface where the strip will go, as well as the bottom and back side of the strip with water/edible glue.

10

Add each new strip on top of the ruffled strips that have already been attached the cake so they can support the weight of the new ones. Trim the strips at the top edge with scissors or a craft knife.

11

Continue adding ruffled strips in a coloured pattern until the entire tier is covered with diagonal Standing Ruffles. Use five chartreuse, five medium lime then two deep green ruffles and repeat, for my pattern but you can use any kind of pattern you want.

12

Roll chartreuse fondant/gum paste mix to 0.07cm thick. Cut a strip that is 2.5cm wide, ruffle one end of the strip using a similar method as when making the Standup Ruffles.

13

Add it to the top edge of the 17.7cm (7in) tier to cover and clean up the top end of the Standup Ruffles.

Violet's Top Tip

Use a 50/50 mix here so that the pinstripes can dry fairly quickly so they can hold their shape and stay straight when attaching to the cake, making for a cleaner finish.