How to:
Sculpting Flowers on Wire
This technique is used to create a flower with petals that lay directly around the center and that can be layered with more petals to create a fuller look. Sizes vary from small flowers, such as these daisies, to larger flowers, such as roses.
USE THIS TECHNIQUE TO MAKE:
- Sweet peas, Sweet Peas and Ferns cake, page 195
- Ranunculus, Posies cake, page 209
- Thistles, Gold in Chaos cake, page 290
- Abstract flowers, Mod Earth cake, page 293
- Daisies
- Vintage Tin cake, page 309
TOOLS:
- Sugar Paste (page 59)
- 20-gauge wire, trimmed to 8-inch lengths
- 1:1 mixture of water and corn syrup
- flower center mold
- cornstarch in muslin bag for dusting
- cake dummy
- silicone rolling pin
- daisy cutter
- damp tea towel wrapped in plastic wrap (see page 134)
- foam pad
- small-medium ball tool
- paintbrushes
- green floral tape
- green powder dye
For each flower, to make the center,
roll a small amount of sugar paste (here, yellow) into a smooth
ball.
Taper one side of the flower center
into a cone shape.
Bend one end of the wire into a hook
shape to better secure it to the sugar paste. Dip the hooked end
into the water–corn syrup mixture. Insert the hooked end of the
wire into the tapered end of the sugar paste ball.
Further taper the end of the cone
around the wire, removing excess sugar paste.
Flatten the rounded top of the
flower center.
Dust a flower center mold with
cornstarch.
Gently press the sugar paste center
onto the mold to make an impression.
With your fingers, soften and smooth
out the edges of the flower center. Insert the center into a cake
dummy and let dry for 48 hours to 1 week before continuing with the
next step.
To make the petals, roll out sugar
paste (here, white) on a cornstarch-dusted nonstick surface to a
thickness of ¹⁄16
inch.
Use a flower cutter, such as a
daisy, to cut out flowers. Smooth off any rough edges with your
fingers.
Place the sugar paste flowers in a
plastic-wrapped tea towel and cover them while you work.
Working with one flower at a time,
place the flower on a cornstarch-dusted foam pad. Use a
small-medium ball tool to round, shape, and thin the petals.
Use the ball tool to gently curl a
few petals inward.
With a paintbrush, wet the bottom
of the flower center with the water–corn syrup mixture.
Insert the flower center through
the shaped petals.
Press the underside gently to
adhere the petals to the center. Insert the flowers into a cake
dummy, then bend the wires so that the flowers are drying upside
down so the petals keep their rounded shape while drying. Let dry
for 48 hours to 1 week before continuing with the next steps.
Once the flowers are dry, wrap
green floral tape around the wires, starting from the underside of
the flower and ending at the bottom of the wire.
To finish each flower, use a dry
paintbrush and green powder dye to dry-dust the underside of the
flower.