Rainbow Ruffle Cake

  You will need: For the cake

• one 10x10cm (4x4in) round cake and one 15x10cm (6x4in) round cake, covered in white sugarpaste

To decorate:

• Sugarflair colours: Christmas Red, Fuchsia, Tangerine, Melon, Party Green, Ice Blue and Grape Violet
• flower/modelling paste
• edible glue

Equipment:

• 20cm (8in) cake drum
• ruler
• pizza cutter
• cornflour (to stop the paste from sticking to your work board)
• rolling pin
• ball tool
• cocktail sticks
• bow template
• small circle cutter

Method:

1. To make the ruffles I use flower/modelling paste. Take a walnut-sized ball for each colour and add in your gel colours. Work in your hands by pulling and folding the paste until combined.
2. Using the fuchsia paste first, roll out very thinly to approximately 1mm thick. Using a ruler and a pizza cutter, cut out strips.
3. Place the strips on a foam mat. Working with 2.5-5cm (1-2in) at a time, rub back and forth with your ball tool to create some soft ruffles. It's important to get the ball tool right on the edge of the paste to create the ruffles. Continue along all the strips until completed.
4. Add some glue around the top of the cake.
5. Stick this ruffled strip on around 1cm (½in) higher than the top of the cake.
6. Repeat the same process with orange, then yellow, green, blue, light purple and finally a darker purple.
7. For the bow, first cut out your template, then roll out some bright red florist paste to around 2-3mm thick (1/16-1/8in). Place your template over the top of the paste. Using a pizza cutter, cut around 2 of the largest strips, 1 small strip and 2 of the pointed strips. I chose to leave mine as diagonals but you can do this or the points. Go around the edge of the 4 larger pieces with a stitching tool to add some more detail. You can place these cut out pieces underneath some clingfilm or a food bag to stop them from drying out.
8. Take the 2 diagonal pieces for the tails of the bow. On the straight end, add a tiny amount of glue and fold up to create an ‘M’ shape. Making sure the bumps of the 'M' are on the same side as the stitching detail. This adds a lifelike look to the bow and stops it from sitting so flat on the cake. Repeat on the second piece.
9. Take the 2 largest strips, turn over and add a small strip of glue on a small end.
10. Fold over, being careful not to press down on the fold as this makes the loops. Repeat the same process as before, adding glue and folding to create the shape. Repeat on the other strip.
11. For the small piece, turn over and glue down the 2 longest sides. Carefully fold over all the way down the long sides a few mm to hide the cut edge.
12. Add some glue on the cake and position the 2 diagonal pieces on the cake so the tails of the bow are hanging over the edge.
13. Add glue all over the entire centre piece and position the 2 loops on the centre strip as shown. Wrap the centre piece around the loops, then glue this into place on top of the tails on the cake.
14. Roll out very thin white florist paste and, using a small circle plunger cutter, cut out circles for the polka dots.
15. Stick them on before they dry so they can take the natural folds and creases in the bow.
16. To finish the cake, add a thin strip of red ruffles around the base of the top tier.
17. Use the end of your paintbrush to tuck it in around the bottom to give a neat finish, then add some deep purple ribbon around the cake drum.