How to make a Gum paste Bow

Cakes have come a long way. I'm not a professional cake decorator, but my daughter and I managed to create a tiered chocolate cake with gum paste and fondant accents. Here's the steps for making a gum paste bow.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Gumpaste mix
• Cutting tool
• Rolling pin
• Petal Dust
• Plastic wrap
• 1 pkg candy melts
• white vegetable oil

1. Mix gum paste according to package directions. You won't need a full can of gum paste mix to make a bow, so I would adjust the recipe and make only half of the can.

2. Thinly roll gum paste. I like my bows to appear as real as possible, so I roll my gum paste quite thin. While practicing, though, I roll it a bit thicker to make it easier to handle. Don't forget to use white vegetable oil to keep your gum paste from sticking to your table.

3. Cut three sets of five to seven gum paste strips:
   *The first set should be as long as your top tier is wide. For example, if your top tier has a six inch diameter, then your first set of loops should be six inches long.
   
   The second set should be five to seven strips cut 1/2 inch shorter than the first set.
   
   The third set should be five to seven strips cut 1/2 inch shorter than the second set.

4. As you complete each set of loops, paint them with dry petal dust then pinch both ends of each strip.
   
   Then form your loop and use crumpled plastic wrap to help your loops hold their shape. A couple of your strips in each set should lay on their sides so your bow will look more realistic.
   
   Let loops dry on wax paper for 24 hours.

5. Melt candy melts per package directions. You can find candy melts at any craft shop or even Walmart in the cake decorating section. The microwave melting method works fine. You'll use the chocolate as the base for your bow. When melted, pour chocolate onto the middle of a square of wax paper forming a mound where you can adhere your loops.

6. Place largest loops on the bottom, shaped into a circle, using the chocolate as glue. Your second set of loops goes on top and between each bottom loop. Your third set follows in the same manner.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't worry if your loops aren't perfect. It's takes practice to get them that way.
• I like painting with petal dust before forming my loops, except for the insides which i do after drying. Can be done either way.
• The ribbon tails in the picture are made from rolled marshmallow fondant and painted just like the loops. The fondant tastes much better than gum paste and adheres easily to the cake.