Whether to top a birthday cake for somebody very fond of these breeds or as part of a country scene, fondant collies are usually straightforward to make, although short haired breeds, such as the Border collie, are considerably easier than the long haired ones. Even if you aren’t especially adept at making fondant figurines, you should be able to create something passable on your first go.

Print out a picture of the dog you wish to copy. If the figurine is for a friend’s gift, use a picture of his/her own collie; otherwise just find a good, clear image of the breed you have in mind. A picture forms a useful reference when moulding the basic shape and is even handier when it comes to painting the figure.

  • Whether to top a birthday cake for somebody very fond of these breeds or as part of a country scene, fondant collies are usually straightforward to make, although short haired breeds, such as the Border collie, are considerably easier than the long haired ones.
  • If the figurine is for a friend’s gift, use a picture of his/her own collie; otherwise just find a good, clear image of the breed you have in mind.

Shake icing sugar over your work surface to prevent the fondant sticking.

Scoop out two balls of fondant, one about twice the size of the other.

Roll the larger shape into a fat sausage. This is the basic shape of the body.

Mould the smaller shape into a squat cone. This is the basic shape of a collie’s head.

  • Roll the larger shape into a fat sausage.
  • This is the basic shape of a collie’s head.

Perfect the two shapes, bearing in mind whether you want the figure to be standing, sitting or lying, and attach them together using a piece of cocktail stick. Alternatively, “glue” them by painting the side of one piece with water and pressing together. This tends to only work well on small pieces.

Roll out four small sausages to be the legs and attach to the body in the same manner. Note that a sitting dog is a studier shape than a standing one. Use a smaller piece of fondant for the tail.

  • Roll out four small sausages to be the legs and attach to the body in the same manner.

Create ears with two small triangles of fondant and glue them to the sides of the head. Check your picture while making and positioning the ears as collie breeds vary. Border collies, for example, have proportionally large ears to the side, not right on top, and they have a slight fold.

Rake a clean comb over the body and around the head and ears to create the impression of fur.

Place the figurine somewhere warm and dry and leave it overnight. This lets it dry and harden.

Paint the figurine with food colouring, using your picture as a guide to the markings. For a border collie, you will only need black colouring. For other collie breeds, you may also need orange.

TIP

If you only need a generic collie and it doesn’t matter which specific breed, go for a border collie, not the really fluffy ones, such as rough collies. Creating a miniature Lassie would be challenging for those new to fondant crafts.

Collies look great with sheep, which are the same basic shape but somewhat simpler. Note that sheep are bigger than collies, if you are attempting to keep a sense of scale in your scene.

WARNING

If you used pieces of cocktail stick in the figurine, remember to warn the person eating it. If this person is likely to be a small child, it is safest to avoid using sticks at all.

Giving a fondant collie to a collie during your celebrations is not a great idea. Apart from the stick risk, high-sugar treats are not good for dogs.