Instructions

1. Roll a piece of light brown fondant into a ball. Roll the ball a little more at one end to make an egg shape. The amount of fondant you need depends on the size acorns you wish to make. A life-size acorn requires only about a quarter-sized amount, but you can also make a large acorn as a cake topper.

2. Push the wider end of the egg-shaped fondant onto a flat work surface to flatten the end. Pinch the opposite, narrow end to form the pointed tip of the acorn. Set this piece aside.

3. Roll a piece of dark brown fondant into a small ball. Roll the ball into a flat circle with a fondant roller or press it with the palm of your hand. You'll need about one-third the amount of dark brown fondant as the amount of light brown fondant you used for the other piece of the acorn.

4. Push a piece of plastic canvas onto the fondant circle to create the crosshatch pattern typical on acorn caps. Plastic canvas is the material used for cross-stitch projects, but you can substitute any materials with a similar grid pattern. Alternatively, you can use a small fondant knife to carve small rows of scallops.

5. Brush a thin layer of water over the non-textured side of the dark brown circle. Use a small artist's paintbrush reserved only for use in cake decorating.

6. Place the dark brown fondant circle over the wide, flat end of the light brown acorn base. Press down gently on the edges of the circle so they stick to the sides of the acorn base. Avoid pressing on the fondant too much so you don't press out the crosshatch pattern.

7. Poke a hole in the top of the acorn cap with a toothpick. Roll out a short, thin piece of dark brown fondant for the stem. Brush the end of the stem piece with water and insert it in the hole on top of the cap. Press gently where the stem meets the cap to smooth the two pieces together.

8. Carve out the crosshatch pattern in the cap with a toothpick if the marks are faded. Simply scrape the toothpick along the original lines.