Fondant

This week I learned to cover a cake base with fondant. I chose to tint the fondant green and use the Star Power imprint mat to make it fancier. I like the way it turned out. Plus it would be a great way to present a cake!

On top of the base are the flowers I also learned. The orange mum is one of my favorites. Perfect for a Fall cake. The other two are daisies. One is just flatter than the other and has a sparkle to the center to add a twist on the pretty flower…

The flowers are made of gum paste. Check back soon for my final project from my fondant class!

Gum Paste Flowers

So if you were tuned in last week, you will know that I am learning to work with fondant and gum paste. This week I learned to make a few flowers. First the rose. It is so delicate looking but so very easy to make. It’s like working with play dough!

The only thing is that when you are finished working with the fondant or gum paste, you can leave it to dry and it dries hard.

Next was the calla lily. The stamen is gum paste tinted yellow and rolled in yellow sugar crystals.

 
The outside is dusted with green pearl dust to blend the calyx and make the flower shimmer.
Last but not least is the carnation. This flower, I think, I my favorite so far. It looks so much more involved than it really is and look so real.

More to come…

Roses and Bows

I wanted to see what the Wilton rose would look like with buttercream icing. Since it is a softer icing and the flower is a heavy flower, I wasn’t sure it would work. Being pleasantly surprised, it did turn out. So I decided to decorate a lemon cake with white buttercream icing and yellow roses.

I also am working on learning how to use fondant and gum paste a little better. My first attempt at a bow wasn’t too bad…

While I’m not a fan of the flavor of fondant, it is easy to work with and there are so many possiblities with creating things for decorating cakes.
Here is a bonus for those of you who like the look of fondant but not the flavor…my instructor tells me that as a cake sits with fondant on it, the fondant takes on the flavor of the buttercream icing underneath. Also you can flavor fondant with flavoring oils. So I may have to give that a try and see if fondant isn’t that bad after all!
Be sure to check back for more fondant and gum paste creations!

A Few More…

These violets are so dainty and perfect for filler in a bouquet on a cake or topping for a cupcake…

The yellow daffodils are fun for a cake as well. Check out the height on these and the delicate nature of the petals. These were made using Royal icing and dry hard.

 
Lilies are my favorite flower. I love making these because they are so pretty.
 
 
And here is the famous Wilton rose. So precious and full. Similar to the ribbon rose but this one has petals which make it a fuller flower.
 
Just to show the differences in height and size between the flowers…
Flowers make cakes happy!

Rose Buds

Today my daughter and I tested for our next belts in taekwondo. So as a treat for doing well, I typically make a fun dessert to celebrate all of our hard work. It gets a little tricky coming up with new ideas for all the different colors of belts but this one was fun.

I made triple chocolate brownies (read…they are very gooey!). The brown represented my new belt. The I added a white rose bud that was sprayed red to represent my daughter’s new belt.

I used royal icing for the rose bud but it can also be made with buttercream for those who want the softer icing.

More Flowers!

Apple Blossoms and the Primrose are some of the most delicate flowers I’ve learned to make. The Apple Blossom (the larger of the two) has a heart shaped petal with a center to the flower. The Primrose is a lot smaller, almost a quarter of the size of the larger.

 

These were made using Royal Icing. This is the icing that hardens to a crisp. The flowers are like candy. Edible flowers that can be stored for months after they dry.

Button Flowers and Pansies

Gum paste is a fun thing to work with when you know you are making something that will look so cute you will want to eat it for sure! Check out these cute-as-a-button button flowers.

I had yellow on hand but these flowers can be any combination of colors.

With striping on the largest flower and dots on the middle flower, it adds texture to whatever you are decorating.

And the button middle holds it all together. These are great for cupcakes or a fun summery cake!

The pansies are just as cute but a little more delicate looking.

Again, pink and purple are what I had on hand but the combination of colors are endless. The petals are rubbed to make them look frail but really these pretty flowers are perfect for a cupcake or cake that will be setting out for a long period of time.

I’m having fun learning all these new flowers. Check back for more!

Flowers

I’ve learned to make ribbon roses. When I made this cake, I decided to make it colorful and to kind of represent my family in colors.

My oldest daughter loves pink. My second daughter is very fond of purple, but specifically violet. My husband favors blue and my favorite flower is a yellow rose. The green leaves are for my son who insists that no one else can like green because it is his favorite color!

Then with the addition of swirl drop flowers in the same colors, I thought it made a fun summery cake.
What do you think?

Cupcakes

Need a sugar rush? How about trying some swirly cupcakes? Check out the height on these…

I made some cupcakes for campers at my daughters’ taekwondo camp last week. I know the campers didn’t really need any more sugar but they were sure fun to make.

 

I used Wilton coloring spray to color the swirly tops. I had fun playing with the flowers too.

 

 The swirl drop flower and drop flowers are the pink flowers. The yellow is called a shaggy mum and the blue flower is a pompom flower.