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Christmas Tree Tutorial #1

Friday, December 10, 2010

Like I mentioned a couple of days ago, I've decided to do a series of tutorials on pine trees. You can use these trees as they are, or you can decorate them to look like little Christmas trees. For most of these tutorials using just plain fondant will be too difficult. Fondant alone isn't as strong or stretchy as something called gumpaste. Gumpaste can also be rolled much much thinner then fondant. So I suggest using either gumpaste, a 50/50 mix of fondant + gumpaste. You can also add a little tylose powder to your fondant. I used the 50/50 mix.

So here we go with tutorial #1:

This is the finished tree... aren't you excited to get started! :)




This project will be easier if you have one of these cutters. It's called a "spice mincer" and can be found in about any kitchen specialty store... plus it's pretty fun to use! If you don't have a mincer, you can use a knife to or a pizza cutter to cut the lines.

Roll your fondant into a cone shape. Don't worry if it's not perfectly smooth, we'll be covering the whole thing with little loops anyway. So no one will notice.


Roll the fondant into a large rectangle shape.

Cut the fondant with the spice mincer across the long way or horizontally. (If I cut a second time on the same piece, I'll leave a larger or smaller strip in between the two passes. This way I can see it and won't accidentally use the wrong size in my project.) Next use a pizza or pastry cuter and cut the strips into even vertical sections. I also cut a few smaller sections for the very top of the tree.

Fold the strips in half and make lots and lots of little loops. The ends of the loops will stick together better if you moisten them with a little water or gum glue. (Cover the cut strips and finished loops with plastic wrap as you work to keep them from drying out.) The number of loops you'll need will depend on the size of your tree.

Attach the loops to the tree starting at the bottom. You'll need to use either water or gum glue to make these loops stick to the tree.

Each time you start a new row, stagger the loops as you attach them. This way they won't line up in a straight line.

Continue all the way up to the top of the tree. I used the shorter loops for my very last row. I also stuck one on the top of the tree to finish it off.

There you go... have fun! 
Next tutorial coming soon.


12 comments:

  1. Seriously Judy when I saw this on my reader I thought that it was a true ribbon tree and not a fondant one! It is sooo cute and would fit right in a gingerbread village. Joni

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  2. Wow, Impressive! Some day, I'm going to try fondant...

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  3. Thanks ladies, and yes Si... you should give it a try. If you can play with Play Dough then you can work with fondant!

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  4. fabulous tutorial, thanks for sharing. could you post a link of where to buy your spice mincer?

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    1. This herb mincer is made by Oxo. It can be found at places like... Bed Bath and Beyond, Target, Linen and Things, or even Amazon. Good Luck!

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  5. wow,wow,wow. that's all i couuld say. just came to your website through pintrest and i'm drooling on your creations. you are talented indeed.
    thanks for all the inspiration and tutorials.
    by the way how do u use these trees after u make them

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  6. Hi,
    I am from Amsterdam, The Netherlands and I like what you do so much. My question is if it is possible to make the christmas trees with an ice cream cone as base putting the fondant leaves on it. I am making a cake for my grandson 1st birthday and I want to make a tree. Thank you very much.
    Grecia

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    1. Hi Grecia,
      I've never tried that... but I think you could do it. Try using either royal icing or melted white chocolate as the glue to attach the fondant leaves to the ice cream cone. The leaves may need to be held in place for a few seconds before you let go. Give it a try, and let me know how it goes. Good Luck, I'm sure your grandson will be thrilled!!!!
      ~Judy

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  7. Hello Judy, i made a collage of your christmas tree tutorials as a referal to your blog in my fans page, you can check it out here https://www.facebook.com/lasdeliciasdevivir?fref=ts

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