How to Decorate a Rose-Shaped Cake

Surround the rose-shaped cake with fondant leaves.

Bake a cake in a three-dimensional rose-shaped cake pan and cover the cake with a flavored and colored glaze icing that allows the texture of the cake to shine through. Use the color of your choice to make the cake match the party's color scheme, but consider sticking to colors of real roses, such as red, pink or yellow, for a more realistic edible replica of the rose. Surround the cake with fondant leaves for added embellishment.

Things You'll Need

• Confectioner's sugar
• Lemon juice
• Corn syrup
• Food coloring
• Fondant
• Rolling pin
• Leaf-shaped cookie cutter
• Thin foam padding
• Fondant veining tool
• Paper towel roll
• Wax paper

Instructions

1. Combine 1 cup of confectioner's sugar with 6 tbsp. of fresh lemon juice. Pour in ¼ cup of corn syrup and stir until the mixture reaches a smooth consistency. Add a few drops of the food coloring of your choice, mix and then add more coloring if necessary.

2. Pour the mixture over top of the rose-shaped cake and place the cake in the refrigerator for the glaze to firm.

3. Roll out a package of fondant in the leaf color of your choice. Roll the fondant to a thickness of approximately 1/8-inch.

4. Use a leaf-shaped cookie cutter to cut leaves from the fondant. Cut two or three leaves for a simple decoration or embellish the cake with leaves all the way around.

5. Place each leaf shape on a piece of foam padding and make grooves in the leaves for a more realistic embellishment. Gently slide a fondant veining tool down the center of each leaf. If you do not have the tool, glide over top of the fondant with a butter knife.

6. Add veins across the width of the leaf. Press the veining tool against the center groove you just made and gently sweep the tool outward toward the edge of the leaf. Repeat all the way down each side of the leaf.

7. Shape the leaf. Cut a paper towel roll in half lengthwise and fold down the bowed sides until there is only a slight curve left. Cover the cut roll with wax paper and place each leaf on the paper to dry for 24 hours.

8. Place the leaves at the base of the cake. If you have made two or three leaves, place them on opposite sides of the cake. When you have made plenty of leaves, arrange the leaves side-by-side all the way around.

Tips & Warnings

• Instead of a lemon-flavored glaze, make an almond-flavored glaze by replacing the lemon juice with 3 tablespoons of almond extract and 3 tablespoons of vanilla extract.

References

• "Cake Decorating Step-by-Step"; Angela Nilsen; 2008
• Wilton: Fondant Leaves