Instructables Robot Cake Topper

Fondant is a moldable material made of sugar that is used to make decorations on cakes. I used it to make a little wedding cake topper in the design of the little Instructables robot. It's a great way to celebrate getting a featured Instructable, or winning a Contest!

In order to make this you will need:

1. Fondant - I recommend buying it in a cake store, it's a pain to make. Follow the instructions to prepare it. Mine required microwaving with Crisco.
2. Food coloring in yellow, red, green and black
3. Parchment paper or another non-stick surface to work on
4. a fine point knife (I used the edge of a sharp paring knife)
5. a fine point paintbrush
6. a refrigerator - it's important that you let your figurine cool in between steps so the fondant can harden. The more you work it, the softer it will get and it will fall apart.

Let's get started.

Knead a handful of fondant on a nonstick surface with a little bit of Crisco or vegetable oil to prevent sticking. Continue to work the fondant until it makes long ribbons when it's pulled. If it feels spongey or keeps breaking apart easily, warm it in the microwave in 10 second intervals. Be careful that it doesn't get too hot and burn your skin.

Add 4-6 drops of yellow food coloring and 1 drop of red food coloring to the fondant. Knead until the color is even. If you don't want rainbow hands, wear plastic gloves.

Take a ball of fondant slightly larger than a quarter and form it into a cube. Press in on the tops of the cube until it forma s cowbell shape. Put it in the refrigerator to harden.

Take a smaller ball, about 1/3 of the size and form it into a small rectangle. Place it on top of the body and put both in the refrigerator to harden.

Make two teardrop shape forms and attach them to the sides of the body. In order to attach fondant this way, I recommend you score the backs of the arms and the side of the body, then use a small drop of water to dampen it before you press them together. Then, I used the flat part of my knife to press up the bottom of the arms and flatten them out.

For the legs, roll out a piece of fondant. Cut it into two smaller pieces, about 3/4 inch long and use your knife to flatten one side, these are the feet, then press down on the other side to make the hip joint. Line up the legs along the front of the body and press them together.

Cut two parallel, shallow slots into each leg. Dip the fine end of the paintbrush into the black food coloring and add a small amount into the crevice. Dab away what's left with a paper towel. Later, I decided to add similar detailing into the arms, but there's no images that clearly show that since it was a last minute decision.

While your figurine is cooling in the fridge, you're going to make two more color fondants based off of the yellow that you've already been using.

Add 3 drops of red to part of the fondant. Rolll small bits of the fondant into balls. Place the larger balls on the sides of the head to be the ears. Place the smaller dots on the front of the face to be the head. They don't need to be perfectly shaped because the logo is a little bit lopsided.

Add 2 drops of green to the remaining fondant. Form it into three additional balls and a very skinny rope. Press the balls into the chest of the robot, and press the rope right behind them.

Don't worry about any of this being too imperfect, you should use the tip and flat edge of your knife to press everything into place exactly the way you want it.

Use your knife to cut in a flat line under the eyes to be the mouth and one above each eye to be the eyebrows. Use the black food coloring to emphasize these details. If you go outside the line, use a paper towel to tidy it up, but dab with a different part every time so you don't dye the whole face. Place your adorable robot on top of your cake, keep him on display, or eat him in a moment of sugar frenzy.

And to the Instructables staff and community: thanks. I eat this cake in your honor.