Nothing looks more elegant than a rose or roses on a cake. Follow the simple step-by-step instructions to create a gorgeous topper for any occasion cake or cupcakes.
This tutorial is from Quick and Easy Cake Toppers. There's a handy tools and techniques section at the start of the book, followed by 100 fabulous projects covering a wide variety of themes – from Christmas decorations, dogs, brides and grooms, to flowers, shoes, bags and animals. If you love this project you can get the book from our online shop WITH an automatic 10% off just for being you, PLUS free UK P+P!
Edible roses tutorial
You will need
Materials
- Mexican (flower/gum) paste in white, ivory & green
- Powdered food colour – yellow & green
- Paintbrushes – size 2/0 round, 12mm (½in)
Tools
- Extremely large five-petal blossom cutter – 75mm (3in)
- Extremely large calyx cutter – 60mm (23⁄8in)
- 20g wires – green (cut into quarter lengths)
- Paintbrushes – size 2/0 round, 12mm (½in) flat
- Stem tape – green
- Mexican foam balling pad
- Ball or bone tool
- Dresden tool
- Rose leaf plunger cutter – 25mm (1in)
Method
1. With long-nosed pliers, bend a hook on the end of a 20g wire. Roll a small marble-sized ball of white paste, moisten the hook with sugar glue, then pull the wire down through the centre of the ball of paste.
2. With your fingers, roll the top of the ball of paste to form a pointed cone shape. Leave to dry.
3. On a non-stick surface, roll out some ivory paste quite thinly. Cut out a five-petal blossom shape using the extremely large cutter. Place the shape on a Mexican foam balling pad then soften and shape the edges of the petals by rubbing a ball or bone tool around the outer edge of each petal.
4. Use a round paintbrush to paint the centre of the blossom shape with sugar glue. Pull the wired cone down through the centre of the flower and stick one petal tightly around the cone.
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5. Select a pair of petals opposite one another and apply sugar glue three-quarters of the way up the sides of the petals. Stick each petal in turn to the side of the cone, starting with the right-hand side of each petal, then sticking the left-hand side of each petal down so that it overlaps the edge of the opposite petal.
6. Select the remaining two petals and stick around the bud in the same way as before, spiralling the petals around – this forms the bud stage of a rose. Roll a tiny ball of green paste, thread on to the wire and stick it at the base of the rose.
7. To make a medium-sized rose, cut out and prepare another set of petals, this time cupping each petal with a ball tool. Thread them on to the wire and move them behind the bud. Glue each petal on in turn so that they spiral around, with the right-hand side of each petal stuck down first, and the left-hand side of each subsequent petal overlapping the previous one. Add a green ball of paste as before.
8. Cut out a calyx shape from green paste, place it on a foam pad and soften the edges with a ball tool. Moisten it with sugar glue and stick it to the base of the rose, using a Dresden tool to tuck the paste in around the little green ball of paste that was previously added to the base of the flower.
9. A larger rose can be achieved by adding a further set of petals in the same way before adding on the calyx.
10. Once dry, use a flat brush to dust the edges and down in between some of the petals with a little yellow powdered food colour and add in a little green colouring. Assemble by taping the stems together with stem tape. Make some rose leaves with a rose leaf plunger cutter and add these to the arrangement.
Top tip! Additional curl can be added to the top edges of the rose petals by rolling them backwards with a mini modelling tool. Secure to a sugar plaque with royal icing for a beautiful cake topper.
If you enjoyed making these gorgeous roses, you can find lots more amazing projects and inspiration from Quick and Easy Cake Toppers! Or for more cake decorating projects, check out our blog where you'll find how to make wild petunias using gumpaste and lots more!
