Maggie Austin’s, “Fondant Frills” Craftsy Decorating Class

What I ultimately judge an instructional class by is whether or not I have learned something, and more importantly can I apply what I have learned? In reviewing Maggie’s Austin’s, “Fondant Frills” Craftsy class, I can say that she not only gives away her special secret, she teaches you how to bring ethereal to life in sugar!

Her creations are artfully made and her famous, frilled ombré cake will inspire you. Her style is graceful and it shows in all that she demonstrates. Measured, careful, precise….she shows how to strive for perfection, yet love the imperfections of the finished product.

Maggie is very focused on her demonstration of every technique; she doesn't take shortcuts that would compromise the end result. To roll fondant and/or gumpaste as thin as she does, that fondant has to be shown a lot of love! So I would say to really get the most out of this class, you should definitely have a pasta machine attachment on your stand mixer. She rolls it thin enough for translucent light to come through the frills, giving it that ethereal quality that looks so exquisite. Just a warning though, all that airiness comes at a price as it is very fragile. Any “bull-in-a-china-shop” decorator that likes to just slap cakes together should be warned that they have to be able to be delicate if they are going to take this class.

My Project - Ruffle Ombre Cake

Because a major part of the class is learning to mix ombre colors, there is a lot of fondant kneading in the class, so be prepared to watch EXACTLY how she gets all her colors mixed. To someone just starting out in the cake decorating world, or to someone who is “color-challenged” this segment of the class is very informative. However, more advanced decorators who are adept at color will fall asleep because she mixes many shades, so make sure you drink your coffee if you fall into the latter group! One of the beauties of the Craftsy platform is that you can watch as little or as much as you want of the class at a time so you can just fast-forward if your heart desires. Maggie is very measured in speech as well, so you can get very relaxed. (She would really make a great yoga teacher if she ever decided to stop making her gorgeous cakes!)

In this “relaxing” class you will also learn how to make your own gumpaste, mix custom colors, the technique of layering colors, gilding, constructing a fabulous cabbage rose and frilling all that fondant that was mixed in ombre coloring. Maggie’s use of a cel stick really makes the frilling easier on the hands, since the entire cake is ruffled and she shows you how to keep your fondant/gumpaste moist and responsive. She shares many tips on how to improve your artistic eye so that you display your cake at its best and most captivating angle and how to turn an imperfection into a fabulous focal point.

Whether you are a beginner or advanced decorator you will learn something new about cake design with Maggie’s “sugar-magic”. Her exceptional eye is something we should aspire to as we create our own edible works of art! These techniques really produce cakes of such beauty that they take your breath away. It is well worth the investment to purchase this class to fine tune your decorating skills as it will certainly take your ability to create something graceful and elegant to the next level.

Does “Fondant Frills” Craftsy Decorating Class sound right for you? Purchase it here for 25% Off! Not ready to purchase? Then we recommend starting with one of Craftsy's free mini cake decorating classes!