Wafer paper can be bent and folded into certain shapes, and ruffles are a nice cake decorating option for wedding cakes and baby shower cakes.
When making ruffles from wafer paper, though, you have to work with it in a different way because it doesn’t behave the same way that fabric does.
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How to shape wafer paper into ruffles
When you’re making a ruffle with fabric you work with the grain of the fabric, which is woven. Wafer paper isn’t woven, it’s made from potato starch, so you need to treat it totally differently.
To shop for wafer paper on Etsy, click here.
The difficulty in making ruffles with wafer paper is that the paper itself is stiff, and fabric ruffles aren’t. You’ll need to make the paper act like something that can be draped even though it isn’t drapeable until you get it wet.
The problem is, when you get wafer paper wet enough to move it around, it’s also wet enough to grab onto itself and form itself into a big gluey ball. You obviously want to avoid this.
The easiest way to do ruffles, then, is to get the paper as close to the shape of the final ruffle as you can before you get it wet. That way the ruffle will be almost done before you start messing around with altering the composition of the paper.
This will work for certain types of ruffle cake designs that extend away from the cake, like the bottom tier in the main photo above.
(I’ll add here that wafer paper ruffles do NOT taste good, and that they should probably be used as an effect on part of the cake and not on the whole thing. They would make a cute border around the base of tiers, or a skirt for a ballerina cake.
If they cover the entire tier they’ll definitely need to be removed before serving since you won’t be able to cut through them easily, either!)
For an article about making wafer paper wings, click here.
For wafer paper conditioning ideas, read this article: Wafer paper conditioner roundup, recipes and techniques
How to make fan-shaped ruffles
To start, take the piece that you want to ruffle and fold it carefully into a fan shape. If the paper has been sitting out and has dried out it might crack, so don’t press too hard. You want to bend the paper rather than folding it into a hard crease.
Take one edge of the opened fan and brush some water or edible glue on it, enough to dampen it slightly. Press the folds together and flatten along one end so that it sticks to itself. You can either leave it as an individual unit at this point, or attach it to the cake.
If you’re doing a lot of ruffles it would be easier to attach it to the cake if you know what the placement will be. You can open the fan a little if you do it that way so that it isn’t as tight and so that it covers more area. Apply them to the cake before you take the next step.
I use edible glue to attach wafer paper to the fondant. Brush some onto the part of the fan that will touch the cake, and apply it to the spot where you want it. I’ve attached it to another piece of wafer paper to demonstrate.
Click here for an article with a tutorial for removable wafer paper ruffles.
Soften the ruffles on the cake.
When you have the fans where you want them on the cake, the next step is to soften them up to mimic the look of fabric. Using a spray bottle with vodka or water in it, lightly spray the ruffles as they sit on the cake. This will soften them up and make them look like a taffeta fabric. They’ll still be stiff but spraying them will soften the edges of the folds and make them look less like paper and more like fabric.
You can also use a wafer paper conditioner spray to soften the paper before working with it.
Do a tiny bit at a time so that you can control the amount of moisture on the paper. It will get softer as it absorbs the water, so don’t soak it all at once. Spray a little then wait and give it a chance to soften. Spray more if you need to. Try not to touch it as it softens up.
For plain wafer paper on Amazon, click here: Edible wafer paper sheets
These ruffles are going to be very stiff, and hard to cut through. They really should be for decorative purposes only. If you need to do a very large area on a cake it would probably be better to use fondant. The paper gives you a nice crisp look, though, so it’s a trade-off.
So basically, put the paper where you want it, then wet it, then shape it. You can do this for pleats and drapes too, but it’s trickier.
How to make wavy wafer paper ruffles
You can also cut the paper into a U shape and clip the curve like you would if you were sewing, then apply the paper to the cake in a flat line.
This will make the paper curve into waves like it would if you were sewing. It will be difficult to place it so you’ll need to go slow and make sure that you keep your hands dry as you’re working!
This works better on fondant than on buttercream because you’ll be pressing onto the cake to attach the ruffles, and you’ll need a firm surface.
Petal-style ruffles.
Another way to do ruffles is to do individual pieces that overlap and are applied to look like ruffles, but which are really just petal-type shapes.
Use flat petals, cupped petals that you make by cutting a slit in them and overlapping the edges, or use veined petals for an even rufflier look.
Use a wafer paper conditioner spray before applying the pieces to the cake to soften the edges and the curl of the ruffles.
Start at the bottom of the tier and apply one row of petals.
Work your way up the tier, overlapping the petals to cover the base of the row below. Curve the petals over the top edge of the tier.
Again, this isn’t going to be the best-tasting cake covering…You should probably expect to remove the fondant before serving it if you do it this way.
Wafer paper supplies.
Wafer paper supply list:
Shop for materials to make wafer paper flowers on Amazon (#ad):
- Wafer paper, white or colored
- Silicone flower center molds
- Petal veiners
- Petal dust
- Floral wire
- Tylose glue
- Fluffy paintbrushes
- Flower former
- Craft scissors
- Liquid Food Coloring
- Food-grade glycerin to make wafer paper conditioner
- Corn starch
- Flower paper punches
- Steamer to shape wafer paper
