How to Make Sugarpaste Flowers

Flowers are one of the most commonly used sugarpaste decorations.

Sugarpaste, also known as fondant, is a type of sugar dough used primarily to frost cover dessert items like cakes and cupcakes. Bakers often use sugarpaste to add detailed elements to a cake for a special occasion such as a wedding. Flowers are one of the most commonly used sugarpaste decorations. Sugarpaste flowers lend an elegant and festive touch that can be created at home with both practice and patience.

Things You'll Need

• Sugarpaste
• Marble
• Rolling pin
• Scissors
• Pastry cutter

Instructions

1. Purchase sugarpaste rather than trying to make it at home. Even many experienced professional bakers do not make their own sugarpaste. Sugarpaste can be found in small, medium and large quantities at bakery supply stores. Sugarpaste is also called gum paste. Read the package directions carefully: you may be required to add water to activate the paste before using.

2. Allow enough time for the sugarpaste to settle before you begin. This will make it more pliable. Let the paste sit at least overnight in a jar in a cool, damp place. The paste should have the consistency of modeling clay to create an ideal shape.

3. Start the flower-making process by rolling out the sugarpaste very thinly. This is best done on a slab of slightly chilled marble using a rolling pin. Roll out the paste as thinly as possible. If you don't have a slab of marble use a chilled metal pan.

4. Cut the sugerpaste into the desired shape using a pastry cutter or a small pair of scissors that have been cleaned carefully in hot water. If possible, use a picture of a real flower as a guide. To make roses, roll out eight thin pieces of sugarpaste.

5. Shape the flower. For roses, wrap each each petal around the other petals. Pull out the ends of each petal to make the rose look open and full. Pinch the ends of the flower to keep each end attached.

6. Add detail. Roll out a long line of green sugarpaste to make a stem for the rose. Roll out leaves for the stem and attach to the stem with water.

Tips & Warnings

• Practice beforehand. Getting used to the texture of sugarpaste takes time.

References

• Working With Sugarpaste
• Sugarpaste Resource