How to... make a Sugarpaste Rose for Valentine's Day

I made mine with the help of Celia from the Bath Cake Company in one of her lovely Valentine's Day cupcake decorating classes. I thought it was such a great technique to know that I've shared a step-by-step tutorial below – there are 10 steps to follow to make it simple and easy! How to make a sugarpaste rose STEP ONE First roll a chunk of ready-to-roll sugarpaste into a thick sausage shape. It should be about the thickness of a roll of pound coins. Place it on a clean board with a plastic laminate top – if you don't have one of these you can use a regular board and a lay plastic wallet over. Don't dust the board with icing sugar. Cut six pound coin-sized chunks. STEP TWO Place your chunks of sugarpaste in two rows on the board, then flip the plastic laminate over the top to cover them. STEP THREE Press down on one side of each chunk with the palm of your hand. You want it to be thinner at one end so that you can roll your petals into a flower, so aim to make a sloping shape. STEP FOUR Now go over each petal using a circular motion with your thumb. They need to be thin enough to look like petals, but don't make them too thin or they will break. About 3mm is right. STEP FIVE Unroll the plastic laminate – they might stick to the top but just gently peel them away. Start to make your rose by placing the first petal on your finger, thin end outwards and the thicker end towards you. STEP SIX Roll the first petal up into a curl to make the centre of the rose. Place the second petal on your finger in the same way as the first, then gently roll it around the centre. STEP SEVEN Now do the same for the third petal, attaching to the other side. You should now have the beginning of a rose shape with one of your pieces in the middle and two at the sides. Lightly curl the edges out with your fingertips. STEP EIGHT For the final layer of petals, place the next petal on your finger in the same way again, thin edge out, and roll it around your rose – but this time stop before the very end of the petal. You need to leave it open so you can attach the final two. Pop your rose down on the board, then place the final two petals on your finger, slightly overlapping. Pick your rose up again, then slot the petals into the gap that you left and roll up the rose. STEP NINE Lightly press together the base of the rose to bring it all together. It doesn't matter what this bit looks like – cut away the bottom of the rose to give it a neat finish. Curl out and arrange the petals to make it look more realistic. STEP TEN For the final touch, use a small dry paintbrush and dust a tiny amount of gold lustre dust on the very edges of the petals to highlight them. Allow your rose to dry slightly if you can, then attach to a plain circle topper with a little edible glue. Pipe a swirl of buttercream, then gently press down your topper. And you're done!