Fondant Ruffles with a Garrett Frill Cutter | A Simple, Elegant Technique
Chef Alan TetreaultIn this tutorial: What You'll Need · Choosing Your Paste · Rolling and Cutting the Frill · Creating the Ruffle · Attaching Ruffles to the Cake · Adding a Bottom Border Ruffle · Making a Molded Rose Border · Finishing Touches and Variations
The Garrett frill cutter is one of cake decorating's classic tools – and it's making a comeback. Originally popular decades ago, this simple two-piece cutter creates elegant fondant ruffles perfect for wedding cakes, bridal showers, christenings, and birthday celebrations. In this tutorial, Chef Alan Tetreault of Global Sugar Art demonstrates how to use a Garrett frill cutter to create beautiful ruffled drapes and borders, then finishes the look with a molded rose border accent dusted with luster dust.
What You'll Need
- Garrett frill cutter with interchangeable centers – a round, scalloped cutter with snap-in center rings that control ruffle width
- Rolled fondant –
- Gum paste – for a 50/50 mix with fondant
- Pasta machine – for rolling paste to an even, consistent thickness
- Cel pad (soft side) – provides the right surface for ruffling
- Cel pin (small) – the smallest size works best for ruffling
- Water pen or water brush – for adhering ruffles to the cake
- Cornstarch – to prevent sticking while rolling and ruffling
- Silicone rose border mold – Global Sugar Art rose border mold for decorative accents
- Luster dust – pink and green for coloring the rose border
- Palette knife – for trimming excess paste from the mold
- Vegetable shortening – for greasing fingers and tools when working with molds
- Fondant-covered cake – pre-covered and marked with guide dots for even placement
Choosing Your Paste
While fondant can be used on its own, Chef Alan Tetreault recommends a 50/50 mix of gum paste and rolled fondant for Garrett frill work. Pure fondant tends to stretch unevenly when applied to the side of a cake, making it difficult to achieve consistent ruffles. The gum paste in the mix adds structure and holds the ruffle shape without becoming too stiff to manipulate.
💡 Tip: The ratio may need adjusting depending on the fondant brand. Softer brands like Fondarific or Choco Pan may require a higher proportion of gum paste to compensate for their softer texture and higher oil content.
Rolling and Cutting the Frill
- Dust a work surface lightly with cornstarch.
- Roll out the 50/50 paste mix – by hand or using a pasta machine. Chef Alan Tetreault uses a pasta machine, starting at setting 1 and working up two settings at a time to finish at setting 5 for a thin, even sheet.
- Dust both sides of the rolled paste with cornstarch so it feels completely dry.
- Place the assembled Garrett frill cutter on the paste and press down with a circular rocking motion to cut cleanly.
- Remove the cutter and pop out the cut piece. Discard the center circle – the outer scalloped ring is the frill piece.
💡 Tip: The interchangeable center rings control ruffle width. Use the smallest center for a wide ruffle, and the largest center for a narrow ruffle. Chef Alan Tetreault uses the largest center (narrowest ruffle) for the drape detail in this tutorial.
Creating the Ruffle
- Cut the scalloped ring open so it becomes a single strip.
- Place the strip on the soft side of a cel pad – not the firm side.
- Dust the top lightly with cornstarch to prevent the tool from sticking.
- Using the smallest cel pin, roll back and forth along the outer edge only, applying gentle pressure to thin and stretch the edge into a ruffle.
⚠️ Only ruffle the outer edge. Stretching the inner (top) edge will thin the entire strip and eliminate the ruffle effect. The ruffle forms because the outer edge becomes longer than the inner edge, creating natural folds.
💡 Tip: With a 50/50 gum paste mix, a simple back-and-forth rubbing motion is enough to develop the ruffle. Pure fondant requires more deliberate rolling. A smooth paintbrush handle or even a cocktail toothpick can substitute for a cel pin in a pinch.
Attaching Ruffles to the Cake
- Before starting, divide the fondant-covered cake into equal segments by marking guide dots around the top edge. Chef Alan Tetreault marks six evenly spaced dots, then places a second dot about 2 inches below each one to define the bottom of each drape.
- Using a water pen, lightly dampen the fondant along the path where the ruffle will be placed.
- Lay the ruffled strip onto the moistened area, positioning the smooth inner edge along the guide marks and letting the ruffled outer edge hang freely.
- Pinch off any excess at the ends.
- Use the cel pin to gently lift and adjust the ruffle for a fuller, more dimensional look.
Adding a Bottom Border Ruffle
- Prepare and ruffle a second strip using the same technique.
- Dampen the fondant along the bottom edge of the cake with a water brush.
- Lay the ruffle strip along the base, pressing the smooth inner edge against the dampened fondant.
- Use the cel pin to press down on the back edge so it adheres firmly.
- Finish by adding a fondant pearl border along the top edge of the ruffle – simply dampen the top of the ruffle strip and press the pearls into place.
Making a Molded Rose Border
- Roll a small piece of 50/50 paste into a sausage shape.
- Grease fingers lightly with vegetable shortening to prevent sticking.
- Press the paste firmly into the Global Sugar Art rose border mold, working it back and forth to fill every cavity completely.
- Using a palette knife lightly greased with shortening, trim the excess paste flush with the mold surface. Start from the middle and cut toward the ends – starting from an end risks lifting the molded piece out of the mold.
- Place the filled mold in the freezer for about 5 minutes, then unmold.
💡 Tip: When trimming with the palette knife, always work from center to edge. This prevents accidentally pulling the paste out of the mold cavities.
↪ Dusting with Luster Dust
- Brush pink luster dust onto the roses.
- Brush green luster dust onto the leaves.
- If the border will hang downward on the cake (roses pointing down), dust the top edge as well – otherwise the uncolored white paste will be visible when looking down at the cake.
↪ Attaching the Rose Border
- Dampen the back of the molded rose border with a water brush.
- Position the border at the top of each ruffle drape, where the frill meets the cake, and press gently to adhere.
Finishing Touches and Variations
The Garrett frill technique offers plenty of room for creativity. Consider these variations:
- Layered ruffles – start with a wide ruffle (using the smallest center ring) and overlay a narrow ruffle on top for added depth
- Pearl accents – add a string of fondant pearls along the inner edge
- Hand-rolled rope border – roll a thin rope of paste by hand and lay it along the ruffle edge
- Crimped finish – use a crimper tool along the inner edge for a decorative crimp border
- Multiple colors – make ruffles in different colors for a more dramatic effect
Garrett frill ruffles are especially well suited for wedding cakes, anniversary celebrations, engagement parties, baby showers, christenings, and baptisms – any occasion that calls for an elegant, classic presentation.
This tutorial is part of Global Sugar Art's library of free cake decorating videos by Chef Alan Tetreault. Browse all tutorials →
