How to make a penguin out of fondant

In this tutorial, Marie McGrath shows you how to make an adorable penguin out of fondant (sugarpaste). The project also includes a selection of accessories to add to your penguin...

Brought to you by Marie McGrath from Marie's Bakehouse

Follow these simple step by steps to make a basic penguin shape, then add your own sugar accessories to create a little choir to adorn a single tier Christmas cake!

Top tip!

It's difficult to get a true black colour when colouring white sugarpaste with gel colours yourself without adding lots of colour, which can change the consistency of the sugarpaste and make it difficult to work with. It's usually easier to buy pre-coloured black paste, which is what I've done here. Highly coloured paste can also be very soft depending on the brand you're using, the heat of your hands and the temperature of the room, so make sure you add CMC or Tylo powder to the black paste before you begin so the models don't sink as you're making them.

Find the full tutorial in the November 2020 issue of Cake Decoration & Sugarcraft magazine and complete your choir of fondant penguins!

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You will need

Edibles

White and black sugarpaste
Red, blue, orange, yellow and brown gel colours
Tylo powder or CMC powder
Edible glue

Equipment

Veining tool
Paintbrush
Knife
Rolling pin

Instructions

How to make the penguin

Roll a ball of black sugarpaste for the body and taper it slightly at the top. Roll a second smaller ball of black and stick this on top for the head using the edible glue.

Wash or wipe your hands before you pick up the white sugarpaste. Roll a cone of white sugarpaste slightly taller than the body and flatten this down using your fingers or gently with a rolling pin. Roll out a small piece of white paste and cut out a heart shape.

Stick the flattened cone to the body and smooth down the edges so it blends into the black. Tuck the bottom of it under the cone. Stick the heart shape to the head, stretching it if necessary, to fit the size of the head. Again, smooth the edges of the heart so it blends into the black on the face.

To make the feet, roll two small teardrop shapes of orange paste and flatten them slightly. Using the blade of the knife, cut two lines into the fatter end of each teardrop for the toes.

Stick the tapered end under the bottom of the penguin’s body.

To make the beak, roll another small cone of orange sugarpaste and cut into the cone at the tapered end, about ¾ of the way down to create the beak.

Stick this to the face of the penguin, opening the beak so it is singing and add two tiny balls of black for the eyes.

To make the arms/ flippers, roll a long tear drop shape of black sugarpaste and flattened them down, then stick them in place with the fatter end at the top. Be careful not to make these too thick or heavy as they will be difficult to shape and keep in place in the different positions. You can shape the flippers to any gesture you would like, why not take inspiration from the main.

How to make the Santa hat

To make the Santa hat, roll a tall cone of red sugarpaste. At the fatter end, use your thumb and finger to create a dip in the hat so it sits snuggly on the penguin’s head.

Stick the hat to the head. Roll a thin sausage of white paste and stick this around the edge of the hat, flattening it slightly as you stick it down. Use the point of the veiner tool to flick and rough up the white sugarpaste all the way round the edge of the hat to create a fur texture.

Bend the end of the hat over. Roll a ball of white paste and stick the end of your paintbrush into it to create a hole. Add glue to the hole and stick the end of the hat into it. Use the same technique as you did around the edge of the hat to create a fluffy ball.

How to make the woolly hat

For the woolly hat, roll a ball of blue paste and create a dip inside it so it fits snugly on the penguin’s head as you did for the Santa hat. Stick this onto the head of the penguin, then use the veining tool to draw lines on the hat. I split the hat into quarters first and then split each quarter into three like the face of a clock. It doesn’t really matter how many sections you have as long as it is an even number.

Mark diagonal lines on each section, alternately changing the direction of the lines with each section to give the hat a knitted texture look.

Add a trim and a big ball on top of the hat, texturing them with the veiner tool again to give them a look of fluffy wool.

How to make the robin and song book

To make the robin, roll two balls of brown sugarpaste, one smaller than the other. Then roll two tiny teardrop shapes for the wings. Next you need two smaller teardrop shapes in yellow for the feet, an extra one for the beak, plus a flattened ball of red for the tummy and two tiny balls of black for the eyes.

Assemble them together as shown and stick to the head of the remaining penguin.

To make the song books, cut out some white sugarpaste and cut out two rectangles. Gently fold them in half and pinch at the fold, opening them out again to form the book shapes.