Pastillage (pronounced PAH-stee-YAZH) is a special fondant that can be modeled like clay. It dries very quickly so you have to work fast. The advantage of pastillage over fondant is it can be rolled paper thin and the finished pieces look like porcelain. But just like porcelain, they are fragile and will shatter if dropped. I made these pieces a bit thicker so they could be safely wrapped in bubble wrap for transportation.

I made this tea set for a cake for my sister a couple years ago. The teapot, creamer and sugar dish, cups and saucers, napkins, spoons, flowers and cake stand are all made of pastillage. The finished pieces were a cooperative effort; my other sister painted the delicate flowers with food color and my mom added the gilded trim using vodka and 14k gold powder.

I made the tiny sugar cubes by sawing larger sugar cubes into small pieces with a craft saw and then sanding any rough edges. The top of the cake pedestal was made from a clear plastic yogurt lid.

I was not able to travel to my sister’s party but a friend shared this picture of the finished cake. My mom did a beautiful job covering the cake with a fondant tablecloth.