Ideas for using Mandala Stencils on cakes and bakes

I adore using pretty mandala stencils, they are so easy and effective to use, yet therapeutic at the same time. I  believe I first became properly aware of mandala designs when I was researching my early doodle cakes.  This discovery, I am sure, influenced me when I created my Colourful Mandala Cake Design Project for Cake Decoration & Sugarcraft Magazine last year. As with all design, one idea leads to another.

Mandala stencils

After the magazine feature was published, I started experimenting with mandala stencils. Not everyone can create a mandala design from scratch, not everyone has the time. Everyone, however, can use stencils no matter who they are or what skills they have. Perfect! To illustrate this, the really pretty pink and blue biscuit below was decorated by my 11-year-old niece Sasha – isn’t it delightful!

Combining two techniques – stencilling and tiling

The simplest approach for using mandala stencils is to use them with coloured dusts straight onto sugarpaste, as Sasha has so beautifully illustrated above. I am, however, always looking for ways to develop an idea. I like to experiment, to enhance, to take an idea up a notch. To turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. I don’t remember exactly what gave me the inspiration to use my arabesque tile cutters with mandala stencils, but I know that last year these tile cutters were new designs in the Lindy’s Cakes cutter range. I guess the two just ended up on my workboard together. Sometimes some things are just meant to be!

 

What you need to get started

To create these beautiful tiled mandala patterns you will need:

• Round cookies or biscuits – digestive biscuits work a treat if you don’t have time to bake your own!
• Coloured sugarpaste
• Piping gel to stick the sugarpaste to the cookie or biscuit
• White modelling paste
• Coloured food dusts
• 1mm spacers
• Mandala stencil
• Paintbrushes
• Arabesque cutter
• Circle cutter

 

How to decorate your own mandala cookies

Firstly you’ll need to cover your cookies or biscuits with sugarpaste.  To do this, roll out your sugarpaste, ideally between 5mm spacers. Cut out sugarpaste circles the same size as your cookies. Stick your sugarpaste circles on top of your cookies using piping gel. Then place to one side to allow the sugarpaste to crust over.

Now for the decorating! Watch my video below, originally broadcast live on Facebook, to discover how you too can use mandala stencils to create beautifully decorated cookies or indeed cakes. I hope my examples and instructions inspire you…

Where can I buy Mandala stencils?

Whenever I create new work or come up with new designs, I am always asked the question ‘where can I buy…?’  I try and make this as simple for you as I am able. I do this by stocking most of the specialist products I use in the Lindy’s Cakes online shop. Over the years the shop has changed and developed, we no longer stock sugarpaste for example as this is now widely available elsewhere. We do however stock specialist quality items, some products are unique to us, they are part of the Lindy’s Cakes range, such as the arabesque cutter I used to decorate my mandala cookies. Other products we source from around the world, they are all products I love using and ones that you will probably not find in your average cake decorating shop!

To find out more about these beautiful top quality mandala stencils click on the image.

I have loved creating these examples for you so I hope you feel inspired. I leave you with this final thought which I think is very appropriate for cookie decorating

 “When you work on the little things big things happen” Roger Halston

Sweet wishes

Lindy Smith

Bringing world-class sugarcraft into your kitchen