How to Make a Two-Tier Fondant Cake

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Buttercream is the standard frosting for most cakes you find in grocery stores and corner bakeries, but fondant is a separate variety that boasts a smooth, elegant look and makes any cake seem professionally done. Fondant is sometimes called edible modeling clay because it’s so easy to roll, shape and mold. To create a two-tiered fondant cake, roll out two large sheets of the frosting, cut circles from them and securely drape them over each cake tier.

Place the larger of your two cake tiers on a flat surface, such as your kitchen table or countertop.

Scoop a small amount of buttercream frosting onto the top and sides of the cake, and apply it in a thin layer with a butter knife or flat spatula, as Food Network suggests. The buttercream will act as “glue” for the fondant and help it to stay in place on the cake.

Sprinkle a generous amount of powdered sugar on your work surface and tear off about two-thirds of your fondant frosting. Using your hands, shape the fondant into a ball and begin to pat it flat.

Roll the fondant out in an even layer of between 1/8-inch and 1/4-inch thickness. If the fondant begins to stick to the board or the rolling pin as you work, sprinkle it with more powdered sugar. Roll the fondant out to a circumference large enough to drape over the top and sides of your base-cake tier.

Lift the fondant sheet gently and position it over your cake tier, or slide the cake tier underneath the sheet of fondant.

Press the fondant down onto the cake lightly, starting with the top and moving to the sides. Avoid pressing too hard, as the surface of the frosting will appear uneven or dimpled if you do.

Cut away excess frosting at the bottom of the cake with a sharp knife.

Cover the second tier of the cake with the remaining fondant in the same way.

Using a large spatula, gently lift the smaller cake tier and place it on top of the first cake tier before serving.


If you need to color the fondant before using it, do so with gel food coloring, as liquid food coloring is harder to work into the frosting and will negatively affect the consistency. WhatsCookingAmerica recommends wearing plastic gloves, applying coloring with a toothpick and massaging the color into the fondant until it is evenly incorporated.


Fondant will dry quickly. Keep any fondant you’re not working with covered with a sheet of plastic wrap, and store extra frosting in an airtight container.