How to Make Fondant Seashell Decorations

I’m all about that salt life. I have a weakness for seashells, coral, and everything ocean. So, I was super excited to get these seashell molds for my mermaid themed birthday cake this year. Originally I was going to make seashells out of white chocolate (but… I accidentally burned the white chocolate). So, instead, I decided to make them out of fondant. I used the fondant made by Satin Ice. Their fondant is pretty tasty and an excellent store-bought substitute for days you don’t want to make it yourself.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE

Easy to make
Creates fun and realistic sea shells for cakes

WHERE TO FIND SEASHELL MOLDS, GEL FOOD COLORING, AND EDIBLE DUST

Most crafts stores such as Michaels, JOANN, and Hobby Lobby have molds and fondant to get you started. You can also find molds and fondant on Etsy and Amazon. A very popular one comes in a kit of Mermaid Theme Cake Silicone Molds from Baking World on Amazon. I am using this one to create sea shells.

I decided to keep my sea shells white, but if you would like to color them, I recommend using DecoPac Premium Gel Food Color. This is my favorite food coloring to use because it is highly concentrated and mixes well with nearly any icing.

These fondant decorations do take some time to prep. I suggest making them at least two days in advanced so that they have time to dry and set. Larger decorations will not stay on a cake if they do not set and smaller ones are easy to squish by accident. I made these decorations two days in advanced, and gave them plenty of time to dry.

MORE RECIPES LIKE THIS

Vanilla Cake

Vanilla Cupcakes

Vanilla Buttercream

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Mermaid Tail Pull-A-Part Cupcakes

Cakes of Interest: Dolphin Sheet Cake

Cakes of Interest: Neon Sea Shell Cupcakes

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INGREDIENTS

Plain Fondant
Optional: Gel Food Coloring
Optional: Edible Luster Dust
Optional: Vodka or Lemon Juice
Optional: Powdered Sugar for dusting

TOOLS

Silicone seashell mold

Bench scraper or knife

Optional: Paint brush

PREP TIME

48 Hours

INSTRUCTIONS

Create the sea shells

Very lightly dust the mold with powdered sugar. After you do this once, you don’t have to dust much again. Rub a light amount of powdered sugar on your hands to help keep the fondant from sticking to your hands. If you don’t like the fondant on your bare hands, you can also work with latex gloves.
Press the fondant into the mold, being sure to fill each and every crevice.
Use a bench scraper or knife to scrape off excess fondant from the top of the mold. Use your hands to take off excess stuck to the mold.
Gently release the sea shells from the mold. It should come out easily. These decorations are delicate, so handle them gently.
Place the finished seashells onto a silicone baking sheet or parchment paper and allow the decorations to dry for 24 hours.

Paint the sea shells

In small mixing bowls, mix 1 tsp of vodka with 1 drop of food coloring.

Using a paintbrush, paint the seashells in any color you like.

Be sure to allow the food coloring to dry completely. This may take at least 8 hours.

If you are using luster dust, mix 1/4 tsp of luster dust with 1/2 tsp vodka. Paint a layer of luster dust over the seashells only after they have dried completely.

Do not air brush the sea shells unless they are already on the cake. Doing so will only blow them away and right off your table!

FINISHED SEASHELLS

Stick your finished seashells onto cakes or cupcakes!