How to Make Gumpaste Carnations
Whether you're an aspiring professional or simply want to exercise your artistic skill, cake decorating is one way to start. Gum paste provides the perfect medium for many of these decorations, especially delicate flowers like carnations. Since gum paste molds like clay and dries just as hard, you won't have to worry about your feathery carnations getting squashed either in transit or during cutting. This means your cake will be beautiful from your kitchen to the plate. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Gum paste
- Yellow or pink food coloring
- Confectioner's sugar
- Rolling pin
- Carnation cutter kit
- Toothpick
- Bamboo skewers
- Vase
Instructions
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1
Knead your gum paste into a ball and drizzle either pink or yellow food coloring over it. Knead the gum paste again until the color is evenly distributed. You can purchase gum paste and coloring at cake decorating shops.
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2
Sprinkle a flat, clean surface with confectioner's sugar and place your lump of gum paste on top. Dust a rolling pin with sugar also, and roll your gum paste out to a sheet about 1/8 inch thick. The sugar prevents the gum paste from sticking to the surface or the rolling pin.
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3
Cut out one 3-inch, one 2-inch and one 1-inch flower for each carnation you plan to make. Carnation cutter kits come with these three sizes of cutters and create flowers with little hatchmarks around the edges of the petals. These kits are available at kitchen and craft supply stores.
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4
Gently but firmly roll a toothpick over each petal of each flower. The rolling motion should cause the petals to curl up around the edges and "frill." If this doesn't happen, try pushing a little harder. If the gum paste sticks to the toothpick, dust it with confectioner's sugar.
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5
Pick up one of the smallest flowers and slide it onto the sharp end of a bamboo skewer. Push the flower up to the blunt end of the skewer. Gently press on the bottom of the flower to crumple it up around the end of the skewer and create the center of your flower.
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6
Add a medium and large flower to your skewer, gently crumpling each up around the flowers above them. Create all of your flowers this way, using one skewer per flower. Place the flowers in a vase to harden for several hours.
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References
- Photo Credit PhotoObjects.net/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
