It’s Template Tuesday!!
A new name for a new day here on the website. I’m hoping to get you all a new template every Tuesday that you can use for your next cake creation!! Hopefully this will be a fun place to be inspired and find great tips and tricks to make your cake projects a little smoother! So, check back here on Tuesdays and see what’s new. Most of the time it will probably be a digital “sketch” of a cake though. My heart’s desire is to love on my kiddos and husband during the week which doesn’t leave a lot of time for cak’n it up! – But when I get a wild hair…I’ll be bringing you a REAL cake to showcase the template on!
Today it’s CHEVRON!!!!
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| Bakedrop background by Sugar High Inc. |
Chevon still is a very popular pattern. It’s incredibly diverse because you can make it look feminie, masculine or sweet…perfect for baby showers or little girls birthdays. There are large chevrons, small chevrons and basic chevrons!! So many sizes, so many styles…it’s SO fun to be inspired by this pattern.
If you’re not familiar with my templates and how to use them, let me explain briefly…
I developed a process for placing graphics onto your cakes in a very clean and precise way. Have you noticed whenever you try to apply a long horizontal stripe, or a complex shape, it can bend, stretch or tear before you get it on your cake?! Also, trying to line up endless polka dots or geometric patterns can be so time consuming in order to make sure everything looks even and precise.Well…no longer!! With my wax paper transfer technique, you can create a sticker using my templates and apply those designs onto your cakes perfectly and in LESS time! – yes…less time!! If we can save time…it’s like paying yourself back!
Designing cakes is my most favorite thing!! So, now I create templates for you to use with various cutters that are readily available from stores like Amazon, Global Sugar Art and Not Just Cakes By Annie, Michael’s and Joann’s. In fact, you probably already have a lot of them…and you’ll see me use the same sets over and over in various ways!!
I also create my own “templates” you can cut out and use without having to purchase cutters for those smaller projects. You just print the template, cut it out and use it on top of your fondant/modeling chocolate to cut out the shapes you want. Then, place them on your cake. I share ALL about this process in my first Craftsy Class, “Clean and Simple Cake Design“. I also teach you how to make fondant, make modeling chocolate, get a perfect crumb coat on round and square cakes as well as cover them both in fondant. It’s a huge class and well worth your time and money. It will truly save you hours and hours and give you better results than you thought possible.It’s been SO fun for me to share this class with you and hear how it’s changed your cake making life!! :) LOVE it!! So, if you’re not familiar with this technique and how to use the templates I’m creating, check out the class. The link above is for 50% off!
Today’s template is for a large chevron pattern seen pictured here.
Before we start…here’s a little cutter info!!
The cutter I used for this pattern is by Not Just Cakes by Annie and can be found HERE. I’d highly recommend getting the cutter because it will save you a ton of time. But if you can’t get it (due to stock being out and being in a rush) all you have to do is print off the template you’d like to use on cardstock, cut out one of the chevron stripes and use it over all your rolled out fondant/modeling chocolate to cut it out by hand. I’ve done it before and it totally works…it just takes some time. So, having the cutter on hand is going to save you in the long run. Also, I did notice that working with fondant is much easier with these cutters than modeling chocolate!! You need it to stretch a bit when you take it out of the cutter, otherwise it can tear a lot. AND, roll it super thin! – I roll my decorations on a #4 on my pasta machine. It really helps with the cutters too.
After you’ve cut out the long lines of chevron pattern, let it rest 20 min. or so before moving it too much. Then, apply it over the template and adjust the stripes to line up perfectly. It’s AMAZING how much chevron stripes stretch from when you cut it out to when you get it on the template. I was amazed at how much I had to reshape the lines. I can’t imagine doing chevron patterns without a template. It just won’t look as crisp and perfect.
Okay…back to the templates!!
With this template you will get SIX variations!! – yes…SIX! It’s a big packet.
You’ll get three HORIZONTAL designs with 5/16″ spacing, 7/16″ spacing and 11/16″ spacing.
You’ll also get three VERTICAL designs with the same spacing for those fun vertical chevron stripes!! This is the easiest way to create a chevron look because you only make the chevron stripes as tall as your cake and not have to make them travel horizontally all the way around your cake.
Each template is sized for a 4″ and 6″ tall cake because you can print extra copies and tape them together for pretty much any size cake using the 4″ and 6″ sizes.
Click HERE to check out more about this template and purchase it for your tools library!
I’m planning on releasing the smaller chevron version of this pattern next week!! – so hold on for one more that you can use for those dainty chevron stripes!!
And, now…some inspiration!! Here are some fabulous chevron cakes to help inspire your designs!!! Click HERE to check out some beautiful cakes!!!
Thanks for looking!!! – and happy cake making!!
This is awesome…can’t wait to try it out! What are the dimensions of this particular cake? It’s beautiful!
Thank you so much!!
It’s a 6×6 base cake and a 5×4 top tier cake. I love the small difference in base and top tier. Something new I tried!
Beauyiful!!
Can this be used on a 8 x8 round cake (double barrel) also what method would be best to cover said cake draping or paneling?
Thank you! Yes, it can be used on any size cake. You just copy the template and double it up to make it 8″ instead of only 4″ for your double height cake. I show how to create a double barrel cake in my second Craftsy class, so if you’d like to see a video, check out that class. I show both paneling and draping. For an 8″ diameter cake, I would personally drape the fondant on. But when I first started out, I paneled because I got much better results due to my lack of confidence at cover the taller cakes. Now that I’m more confident, I drape unless it’s a really skinny cake! So, go with what you’re most confident in. If you panel, I’d recommend using a 50/50 ratio of modeling chocolate and fondant mixed together. It makes for a beautiful panel and makes it easy to rub out the seams! Blessings!
Thank you! Yes, it can be used on any size cake. You just copy the template and double it up to make it 8″ instead of only 4″ for your double height cake. I show how to create a double barrel cake in my second Craftsy class, so if you’d like to see a video, check out that class. I show both paneling and draping. For an 8″ diameter cake, I would personally drape the fondant on. But when I first started out, I paneled because I got much better results due to my lack of confidence at cover the taller cakes. Now that I’m more confident, I drape unless it’s a really skinny cake! So, go with what you’re most confident in. If you panel, I’d recommend using a 50/50 ratio of modeling chocolate and fondant mixed together. It makes for a beautiful panel and makes it easy to rub out the seams! Blessings!
Hi Jessica!
I love your new designs and this one in particular! What I’d like to know: how does the cake look in the back? Do the lines meet in the back? How can this be achieved because sometimes there’s a little more ganache under the fondant and all of the sudden the circumference of the cake is bigger?
I’ve already ordered the cutter!!
Thank you, Iris
One more thing: could you also please declare the measurements in your templates in centimeter? That would make it so much easier for us “metric people”.
Thank you, Jessica!!
Oh my goodness that’s a great idea!! I’m so sorry I didn’t even think of that! YES…I’ll start doing that! Thank you for that suggestion!
Thanks again Iris!
Because this design is horizontal, it’ll go all the way around and just have a seam in the back. They should meet perfectly horizontally, but they might not exactly meet in the perfect zig-zag. So what I would do is get it all the way around, but leave the last 2″ off from the cake. Then, you can stretch it just a bit if you need to or “condense” it a bit by pushing the fondant together just a bit to thicken it and get it to line up with the zig zags. I hope that helps!
Your blog is brilliant as is your clean lines tutorial on crafts that I purchased. Did you add the line of chevron on piece by piece or did you do it long enough to do like a cake wrap? and if you did a cake wrap did you do all the rows of chevron at the same time or one by one?
Hope that makes sense. Thankyou
Nicola
Melbourne Aust.
Oh wow, what a sweet comment! Thank you!! I do it as a full wrap. So, my wax paper is as long as my cake circumference. Now, that being said, if it’s over an 8″ cake, I would do two panels so there would be two seams…otherwise it’s just too long! But, for this 6″ cake, it’s one panel I wrapped around, starting in the middle and wrapping to the right, then the left. I apply all the chevron rows at the same time so they are all lined up perfectly together, then panel it on the cake. If you have my first Craftsy class, “Clean & Simple Cake Designs”, you’d do it just like the horizontal stripe cake. I hope that helps! Blessings!
I received the cutters today and can´t wait to try them out!! But I realized that I had bought the skinny chevron cutter. Can I still use this template or is there another one for the skinny cutter?
Thank you, Iris
You’re in luck!! I just posted a FREE Skinny Chevron Cutter template today! Yippie!! Check out the latest post on my blog!
Hi Jessica, Thank you for the template. I am making a 10″ chevron cake this weekend and will be using your methods. Because of the “time issue” I ordered the cutter. I did my first trial today with the cutter and was a bit disappointed because it did not make a clean cut. I tried using both sugar and shortening on it and also two cutting surfaces. I have purchased, and watched, all of your classes the day they were announced! lol I have mixed my fondant with modeling chocolate as you have suggested with other striped cakes to get a clean cut. My question…is this the only way to get a clean cut with the chevron cutter? Thank you and have a wonderful day!!!
Hi there!
I’m so sorry you’re having issues with the cutter!! Bummer! For me, with those cutters, it’s important you roll your medium as thin as possible and use fondant. I’ve tried using modeling chocolate and it works, but for some reason, those cutters do better with fondant rolled real thin. So, give that a whirl. Also, I cut them out on wax paper and a smooth surface and press firmly, then rub it a bit before lifting up on the cutter. It works great when I do those things. I hope that helps!!
*Sooo happy you’ve enjoyed the classes!!! You are SO sweet and I wish you huge success with this cake. Blessings!!!
Just wondering….did you bake 6 seperate thin cake layers or did you torte 3 regular size cake layers to get the bottom tier to be 6×6?
I baked three layers then torte them. My layers aren’t quite 2″ tall either…more like 1.5″. So, with 1/4″ thick layer of frosting, it works almost perfectly!