Fondant Stiletto Shoe Tutorial
This is a tutorial on how to make a shoe out of fondant. In this tutorial, I will be focusing on high heels shoes and stilettos for women. I have 2 ways of making fondant high heels shoes. The first method is by using a mold and the second method is done without a mold. In this tutorial, I will be focusing on making stilettos with a mold. I will however talk briefly on how to make high heels without a mold.
When making shoes without a mold, I make use of a real shoe to shape and dry the sole. To do this, buy a cheap shoe and rip it apart, taking off the top, straps and sole flap. Seal the sole of the shoe with cling film or tape. Use the sole flap as a template to trace out the sole on fondant and place the cut out fondant on the shoe to dry. The most challenging part of making shoes without molds is ensuring that the heel is high enough and shaped at the proper angle to accommodate the sole. I usually use the sole of the real shoe as a guide. You might need to reshape the heel with a sharp blade as it dries. Though not the most straightforward process, it is doable. The two shoes below were made without a mold.
HOW TO MAKE STILETTOS USING A MOLD
TOOLS:
(1) A Mold. I use the one made by N.Y.Cake. Shoe molds can be purchased online on Amazon or Ebay. They usually go for between $60 – $70 dollars and comprise mainly of a silicone heel mold, drying form and templates for the sole and straps of the shoe.
(2) A Pizza Cutter or Sharp Blade
(3) Floral Wires
(4) Fondant Stitching Wheel
(5) Rolling Pin
(6) Painting Brush
EDIBLE COMPONENTS:
(1) Fondant. I use marshmallow fondant.
(2) Water
(3) Vodka (Alcohol)
(4) Food Color
(5) Edible Cake Decors (Glitters, Pearls, Stones, Colored Sugar, Sprinkles, etc)
(6) Shortening (Crisco)
(7) Pearl Dusts (Gold and Silver)
(8) Melted White Chocolate as Glue
PROCEDURE:
Note: This process takes about 2 weeks. It cannot work for a last minute cake order. It cannot be hurried. You might need to properly seal and preserve leftover fondant for the whole duration of the process so as not to end up with different shades of fondant which might happen when you color new fondant.
(1) Making the heel. Grease the silicon heel mold with shortening. Knead your fondant and place it in the mold. I used grey fondant here. Use an offset spatula or blade to remove the excess fondant. Place the heel in the freezer for about 10 minutes to firm up.
(2) Unmold the heel unto your work surface and let it dry overnight or longer. I left mine to dry for 2 days.
(3) This step is optional. If you want to make the inner heel and sole a different color, say red, roll out the red fondant with a rolling pin, brush the fondant with some water, place the heel on the rolled out fondant and cut around it with a sharp blade or pizza cutter.
(4) Cut out some floral wires and use them to peg the heel at the back of the drying form. The floral wires will keep the heel in place.
(5) Making the sole. There are 2 or 3 parts to the sole, depending on whether or you want the under sole to be a different color. To create the main sole, roll out your fondant, place the template on the fondant and use a pizza wheel or blade to cut out the pattern. I used deep ivory fondant here.
(6) Making the under sole. Roll out red fondant. Brush it with some water. Place the sole on the fondant apart from the portion that will be attached to the heel. Use a pizza cutter to cut around the sole.
(7) Making the inner sole. This step is a bit tricky as the inner sole needs to be smaller than the main sole. You have two options here. The first option is to use the sole template to cut out the inner sole, trim it slightly all around and cut out the front of the inner sole. The second option, which is what I did, is to create a new template for the inner sole. I did this by tracing out the sole template on a sheet of paper, used a pen to make a smaller outline, cut out that new outline and used it as a template for the inner sole. The color of the inner soul should be different from that of the main sole. I used a lighter shade of ivory here.
(8) Run a fondant stitching wheel around the inner sole and stick it to the main sole with some water.
(9) Place the sole on the drying form, making sure that the back of the sole rests on the heel. It should not be glued to the heel, it should just rest on the heel. Leave the sole this way to dry properly for about a week.
Note: The greatest challenge faced by cake designers is leaving the sole alone. There is always the temptation to touch it and move it about while it is still drying. This however spells disaster as the sole almost always breaks and sticking it back together weakens the shoe structure. Do not touch the sole until it has dried completely.
(10) Making the heel and toe straps. The molds usually come with templates for these. You can also find templates online. These can also be made free hand like I did with the Chanel and Blue and Yellow shoe at the beginning of this post. To create the heel strap, roll out some grey fondant and use the template to cut it out.
(12) Place the cutout on rolled fondant of a different color and cut that out too. This will be the inner part of the heel strap. I used the same color of fondant that I used for the inner sole. Run a fondant stitching wheel around the inner edge of the heel strap.
(13) Cut out a string of deep ivory fondant, run the fondant stitching wheel on it and stick it to the outer top part of the heel strap. Use some water to stick the heel strap to the back of the shoe.
(14) Next, make the toe strap. Place the template on some grey fondant and cut out the toe strap. Repeat the same processes as with the heel strap.
(15) Stick the toe strap to the front of the shoe with some water. You will need to stuff the toe strap with some paper towels so it keeps it’s shape while drying. Leave these to dry overnight.
(16) Designing the shoe. The shoe can be left as it is. I however went a few steps further. I decided to fill the grep parts of the toe and heel straps with silver sprinkles. To do this, brush those parts with some water or vodka and sprinkle them with sprinkles. Allow these to dry.
(17) Next, remove the floral wires from the back of the form, melt some white chocolate and use it to attach the heel to the sole. You can use any other gluing agent of your choice. From my experience however, melted chocolate does a great job of attaching dried fondant pieces together.
(18) Placing a bow, ribbon, button, flower or other designs on the shoe. I first went with a floral design in front of the shoe. I later changed this to bows in front and behind the shoe.
(19) The final steps are to place a white tag on the inner sole and brush the shoe with pearl dust mixed with vodka. I brushed the grey heel with silver pearl dust and the deep ivory portions of the shoe with gold pearl dust.
For a tutorial on how to make cupcake shoe toppers, click here.
OTHER SHOES MADE THE SAME WAY:
(1) Emerald and Gold Stiletto
(2) Black Red Bottoms Stilettos
(3) Red Stiletto
(4) Pink Strap Stiletto
(5) Black and Pink Stiletto
(6) Peach Stiletto. Pictorial here.
(7) Red Stiletto
(8) Aqua and Yellow Stiletto
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Thank you so much Terry for d tutorial. I know with all dis ur wonderful tutorials I will b d cake Queen very soon. Wish I can show u my quilted cake. Got d inspiration from d quilted cake tutorial. Thank you so much and God bless u!
Thanks Susan. You can send a picture of the cake to my facebook page.
Well done Boss
Thanks Teniola.
Good work. Thanks 4 d tutorial.
Thanks Ope
Terry, my heart sends u a prayer for every thing I learn from you cos thank you does nt seem enough. U impacting lives. God bless you
Thanks Lola.
Thanks boss.
You are welcome.
I really love this tutorial! It is very informative and seems to cover all the reasons why people have trouble with making shoes. I am making one for my birthday and I will be using your tutorial. Thanks!
Thanks Marquisha. I’m sure your shoe is gonna turn out great.
Thank you terry . God bless you. Wana be patient enough like u to do this.
Thanks Ogey
I see,thanks.
Madam Chika. I see you.
Thanks Terry.
You are welcome Liz.
As usual I’m blown away. Thanks a million for impacting so much knowledge freely. God bless you really good.
Thanks Shade.
Thanks Terry u’ve shaded light on some areas I had difficulty.
I’m glad I could help Dorcas.
Thanks a million for this
You are welcome Buki.
thanks so much terry, God bless u for this wonderful tutorial, have been looking for a tutorial like this.
You are welcome Eunice.
Your type is very rare learning this from you,you have done well.You equipped and increased me with this as an upcoming cake baker.You will be more great in life.
Thanks Moji. I appreciate your message.
Thanks terry, I know that with dis tutorial I can make different women shoes. More grease to ur elbow nd God bless u.
Thanks Omoyisola.
Terry, pls where can I get the shoe foam as I have tried getting it several times but to no avail. Tnxs
You can find them online. I bought mine on Amazon.
Thanksss so much Terry.may d lord bless u real good.
Thanks Tee
Well done Terry, great work as usual, am greatly blessed and always inspired by your teachings . I have questions, does the heel needs to dry before attaching the sole ? Why, Did you buy the front and back template
Thanks Daby. (1) Yes the heel needs to be dry. (2) The whole template came as a set.
Oga Terry, I lack words to appreciate u sir. God will continue to increase u wt more wisdom n inspiration bcos u’re more dan a blessing to many of us. God bless ur efforts n reward u immeasurably. Tnx
Thanks Lynwabs. I appreciate your message.
I recently started going through your work and I luv them. it was from you dat I got to know about marshmallow fondant. thank you so much
You are welcome Stella.
Thank you so much God bless you and reward your kindness.
U re just too much. Thanks 4 d tutorial. Its helpful
I’m glad it was helpful. You are welcome.
U are too much bros. thanks for sharing ur talent, God bless.
You are welcome Kemi.
This is really cool.Thank u and weldone
You are welcome Bolanle.
Great job
Thanks.
He that waters shall be watered, may God bless u for this teaching.
Thanks Dolapo.
I can’t tank u enogh boss, may God continue 2 bless u wit longlife, strenth n more knowledge
Thanks Comfort.
God will replenish ur knowledge as u pour out what u know to us all free of charge and may He(God) bless the work of ur hands. Please,in the absence of that sole and inner sole drier,what can we improvise it with?
Thanks. I would suggest buying a cheap shoe, taking out the top and using the sole attached to the heel to dry them.
Very luvly shoes. I luv al ur works. Tnx 4 sharing. Pls wich of d companies did u gt ur shoe mould cos I’m seeing a lot on amazon n I’m nt getting positive feedback 4rm users.
Thanks. L.Y. CAKE by Lisa Mansour.
Thanks vry much. I’l check it out
Sori bt Wat I saw was NY cakes, is dt it?
Yup.
Mr Terry, infact u are so wonderful, a man’s wealth is not measure in d the amount of money he has, but in d lives he has affected positively. thanks for the tutorial. God bless u.
You are welcome Mercy.
Am glad I stumbled on your blog…very inspiring. Will request ur frndship on FB….tnx so much
Glad to have you around Gbenga.
I was looking for tutorials on how to make shoe topper as my birthday is coming up soon.I then stumbled on ur site.I must say ur tutorials gave me step by step instruction of how to go about it.Thanks so much.You have no idea,how happy I am.I know with this tutorial I will be able to make a nice stilleto on top of my cake.
You are welcome Nafeesah.I am glad I was able to help. All the best with your cake.
Wonderful tutorial. Thanks
You are welcome Vera.
Amazing tutorial!!!! God Bless you and increase you Tery Adido. Thank you so much! i cannot wait to try this out!
Thanks Tolu. All the best!
sir pls can’t find yoyr tutorials on how the red stiletto shoe was made.
This is the only stiletto tutorial I have. You are supposed to use the knowledge you acquire here and apply it to other shoes.
Thanks Terry, you are a blessing to your generation. May God increase your skills.
Thanks Gloria.
Thanks so much, more grace.
My pleasure.
Ur works are really great dear….i love them..so amazing..wish to learn more from you. Tnks alot
Thanks Emily.
Thank you so much. This will really help me as a beginner. May God bless you abundantly.
I am glad to hear that Oyin.
Hi , thanks for you nice and very much helping tutorial , I have a question that how I can securely place stiletto shoes in standing position on the top of the cake ? What are the delivery precautions ? Please help
Hi Ikan. First, place a dowel in the cake where the heel will be. This will prevent the heel from sinking into the cake when placed on the cake. Second, brush underneath the heel and front part of the sole with melted white chocolate before placing the shoe on the cake. The melted chocolate should stick the shoe firmly on the cake. If in doubt, transport the shoe separately stuck on a care board and place it on the cake after set up.
I just ran into your page and I have been stuck on it for the past 2hours..God bless you for this awesome tutorials..
You are welcome Oby.
Nice1 boss. Thank u for d tutorial
You are welcome Christy.
Thanks, God bless you
Thanks.
Wow! wow! wow! Terry God bless you immensely. Your hands are truly gifted and you are also blessed with a big heart. Thanks for sharing
Thanks Ruth.
A hundred thousand thank you.Will check you out on facebook.
You are welcome.
Amazing work. Thanks for the taking time to do the tutorial. Known they are a lot of work but we really appreciate it. 2 quick questions…
On the patent leather blue shoe and bag…how did you create the shine on the fondant. Brushing it with corn syrup?
You recommended attaching heel to shoe at the end. Why don’t you attach it with water while drying on the mold?
Hi. Thanks Mandy. (1) I use corn syrup mixed with vodka. (2) You can also do it that way.
hi terry thanks for your tutorial on making shoe cakes. it really helped. I appreciate your efforts.
You are welcome Ije.
Terry, you are an amazing artist. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Thanks Chioma.
like your blog.thanks for sharing this with us
You are welcome Deborah.
Waoh I love this thanks Terry
You are welcome Trendy.