Well, I survived this week, but barely…I just finished catering a wedding for 200 people!!! I did the wedding cake and all the appetizers (pictures will be up soon). This was my first time catering a wedding for so many people and boy was it a lot of work. I was absolutely exhausted, but I thought that I owed my loyal blogger friends a good post and another giveaway, so here it is!!! For this tutorial I thought I would show you how to make easy sugar flowers that are simply gorgeous. You just need a few tools of the trade and your flowers will turn out beautifully. The giveaway book, Sweet & Simple Party Cakes, by May Clee Cadman has a lot of great photos and techniques for decorating cakes and I thought that this book in particular would be a great tool for any baker/cake decorator to have. So to enter the random drawing for the book just leave a comment before Wednesday night and you will be entered. Good luck!
So to start off making these flower decorations you need to mix together 50% fondant and 50% gumpaste. The fondant helps with the smoothness and the gumpaste helps you to be able to roll out the dough very thin and it also allows the dough to harden quicker.
Then you can color the dough any color you would like. Next roll the dough out on a flat surface with a little cornstarch to prevent sticking. You need to roll it out very thin so that you have nice, delicate petals…about 1/8″-1/16″. Then instead of using a petal cutter you can free hand some petals of your own. Just use a sharp small knife or an exacto knife and cut out some teardrop shapes about 3/4″-1″ tall.
Next you need to take each petal and use a balling tool to thin out the edges of the petals and give them a more realistic shape. You do this by placing the petal on a soft surface and gently rubbing the tool back and forth. (As you might notice in my pictures I didn’t have my balling tool with me, but this tool did the same job basically) Now if you don’t have this tool try using the back of a spoon to achieve the same effect.
Now you need to continue doing this to all five petals for the base layer. Place some plastic wrap or paper towels on a concave surface, like a tiny bowl, to create the forming shape for the petals. Lay each petal down, overlapping slightly and adhering them to one another with a dab of water. You can also use the aide of tiny pieces of paper towel or plastic wrap to help create the dips and curves of the petals while they are drying.
After the base five petals are down cut some more and thin them out too. Then place the next row of flowers on top. You can use your judgement with how many petals to add, but always do it in odd numbers…it makes the flower look more realistic. Again, use the aide of paper towels or plastic wrap to help give your flower realistic curves with it is drying.
To finish off the flower, cut a small round circle out and thin it out just as you would a petal. Place it in the center of your flower and as always adhere it with a little water. Now let you flower dry until it is completely hard…a couple hours or overnight.
Once the flower dried I used different colors of luster dust to give it a more realistic look and because Iike the shiny look of it. Just dust on the luster or petal dust however you want, but be minimal…you can always add more, but you can’t take it off. I then tried two different centers…for one center I brushed yellow luster dust and then added one single pink dragee. For the other center, I put one sugar pearl and added more yellow luster dust to make it look like it had pollen on it.
Now just place your flower decoration on top of a cute cupcake and enjoy your beautiful creation!
Tags: baking tutorials, cute cupcakes, decorating tutorials, dragees, easy sugar flower tutorial, flower cupcake decorations, how to decorate cupcakes
Great Directions! I have never tried gumpaste before and I am excited to try it now!
I really could have used this little tutorial when I was asked to make a wedding cake a few weeks ago! I had no idea it was so easy. When I get my kitchen back I am going to play!
Thanks for the wonderful tutorial! I can’t wait to give this a try. love to have the book as well!!
I have just recently tried my hand at fondant but now I will have to venture into gumpaste too! I would love this book!
Melody this flowers look so impressive, I love your tutorials! Did you caterer for the wedding all by yourself? Wow that sounds like a lot of work! Can’t waith to see the pictures! The book must be great, thanks!
Absolutely beautiful and looks rather easy!
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Beautiful flower Melody! And phew! That’s a BIG wedding! Great job! I know how much time and energy that is…. so great!
What lovely flowers! I am going to try these on my next batch of cupcakes! Yummy.
Beautiful flowers! can’t wait to try them out!
Beautiful creations!! Weddings are tough to do! I think you need an assistant!
Beautiful job! Thank you for sharing your tutorial, you make it look so easy!
Love your blog! Beautiful creations as always. What a lovely give away as well, very generous and appriciated. Please consider this my entry.
I HEART MY SWEET AND SAUCY!!! Your work is great, Melody, and I get so excited each time you update your blog just so I can get a small glimpse of your talent! Thanks for your willingness to share your techniques and for your generosity with the giveaways!!!
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wow, love your site! have you ever been to smittenkitchen.com? the author of that one just baked a wedding cake – cooking for weddings seems to be a common theme.
Thanks for the tutorial! I am looking forward to trying out this flower.
Absolutely gorgeous flower! Though many don’t like the taste of fondant, I’m an absolute lover. I can’t get enough sugar!
The flower looks lovely. Thanks for tutorial, it’s really helpful!
thanks for the how-to! looking forward to giving it a try
yay for a give-a-way too!
Wow, what gorgeous results! It does sound easy, but I imagine it’s slow going. I think I’d have the patience to do about one cupcake before just breaking out the piping bag on the rest…lol!
thanks for the inspiration… your amazing!
I love you blog, it’s so interesting and very inspiring!
I’m so impressed. You make it look so easy.
I’m taking my first cake decorating class in two weeks. So exciting!
(second attempt from different computer)
This is so beautiful. Thank you for sharing. I learn something new every time I come around.
i want your job!
The flower looks beautiful and you make it look incredibly easy!
The Cupcakes are divine!!! I love the color.
Your step-by-step almost makes me believe I could make something as beautiful!
hi! i came via tastespotting and thanks for posting step-by-step, great for beginner like me.
you must have a ton of patience for such gorgeous cupcake details…
definitely need that book… pick me pick me!
OK, so I was pretty fed up with sugar and icing and cakes and all that after my last wedding cake, but this has renewed my interest once again! Bravo! Thanks, Melody, you are a born teacher. The visual is super helpful and I NEED that cookbook!
Gorgeous cupcakes! Thanks for the tutorial and giveaway!
Beautiful flower! Thanks for the lesson. Please enter me for the giveaway!! I would love to take my baking to the next level!
Love your site! Beautiful work!!!
Those are absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!! I am so inspired! Thank you.
How cute is that! Thanks for the tutorial!
Love the flower! Great tutorial. Would love to win the book!
Thanks for sharing so many tips with us! Your website is a must-read everyday! =)
Thanks for sharing that — I have to try it soon. The flower looks adorable!
Thank you for the lovely tutorial! I’m just getting started with teaching myself decorating techniques and this helps so much!
The flowers are gorgeous! I’ve made something similar using a chocolate clay.
It is also similar to making millinery roses from silk organza!
Thank you for the tutorial.
Beautiful! Oh, to be so talented! Can’t wait to see the wedding photos! Thanks for sharing! Lisa
Oh my those are beautiful cupcakes! I need to learn to how to be as talented as you…it is my one dream. I try and try, but keep failing!
Lovely! The pollen is a great touch
great tutorial! and so generous to be giving out a cookbook again! you rock!
That flower looks amazing! Thanks for the tutorial and I can not wait to try to make them! You rock!
Thanks for making this seem actually possible for me to do! I am making a bridal shower cake in a few weeks… maybe I’ll be brave enough to attempt something this pretty! Thanks for sharing all the decorating goodness!
Great tutorial! I love how you used the luster dust to create pollen. Thanks for always posting such creative ideas!
I discovered your website about a month ago and absolutely love it. Thanks for sharing all your recipes, ideas and tips. So many professional bakers keep it all a secret. Thanks for the inspiration!
What a great tutorial! I think I could actually do this. Seeing it on a cake would intimidate me; however, seeing it step-by-step makes me think I could do it!
Oh how I would love to win this book! I found you on Food Gawker…thank you for the tutorial! I always wondered how bakers did that
I am in fact somewhat bad at frosting/decorating cakes, but I still try every time someone has a birthday 