Gum Paste Roses Cake Tutorial
Today, I'm going to show you how to make gum paste roses in this cake decorating video tutorial!
These add such a touch of elegance and although they look difficult to master, I think that you'll find them to be one of the simpler flowers to learn.
When our site first began, I created a rose tutorial which will be replaced by this one. While some of the techniques are the same, I've adjusted my method over the years in favor of a much simpler, less rigid, and therefore less stressful approach.
However, the final outcome of this simpler method is every bit as elegant (and in my opinion, more elegant) than my past roses!
I'll demonstrate creating the roses using three different methods-- it's always good to have options! ;0)
1) Using a set of petal cutters
2) Using a couple of round cutters
3) Using a 5 petal rose/blossom cutter (JEM easy rose cutter)
I'll also demonstrate combing our white-chocolate ganache frosted tiers, and also how to attach your roses and a few filler flowers/leaves to your cake. I hope that you enjoy the tutorial!
Table of Contents
We have divided our Video into Two Parts:
PART ONE: Learn to create roses using the petal cutters and round cutters. I also demonstrate creating and wiring leaves, applying petal and pearl dusts.
PART TWO: The second half of our video focuses on the third method of building a rose-- with a 5 petal leaf cutter. I'll also demonstrate frosting/combing our ganached cake, & finally applying the roses, leaves, etc. to our cake for a stunning (if I do say so myself) design ;0) --
Materials for Gum Paste Roses:
I made three tiers of cake: 8 inch, 6inch, 4 inch
Frost or cover your tiers as desired. I used white chocolate ganache (3:1 ratio chocolate to heavy cream). I used 2,220g chocolate (I used White Ghirardelli Chips) to 740 g heavy whipping cream (or 78 oz chocolate to 25 oz cream)
Satin Ice Gum Paste (or your gum paste of choice.)
Your cutters of choice (I demonstrate with petal cutters, round cutters, and a 5 petal JEM easy rose cutter)
Ball Tool
Cel Pad aff. link (The yellow pad you'll see in the video)
Cel Board-aff link (This board has grooves to make wiring your leaves and petals easier)
Foam Pad (optional. Mine was Wilton)
Cup/bowl with foil to use a former (or flower former of your choice)
Styrofoam
20 gauge and 22 gauge floral wire
Floral Tape
Sugar/Tylose Glue (or your glue of choice)
Paint brushes and Petal Dusts (My dusts are: Watermelon, Moss Green, Buttercup, and Super Pearl Dust)
Cones for your centers (either plastic/store bought or gum paste)
Kitchen Rack for drying your roses
Cake Comb(s) - Optional--I used a Wilton set.
...and then everything else...A cake board for each tier to rest on, bubble tea straws or supports to support the tiers--(I used 4 bubble tea straws within the 8" tier, and 4 within the 6"), and pedestal or base of your choice.
** Whenever possible, work days in advance. As you saw in our tutorial, our gum paste dried very quickly but in some locations it will take several days for your flowers to firm up. It's best to work at least a few days in advance to be on the safe side...especially if you are new to making gum paste flowers and are not sure of the dry time to expect. Dry your flowers (and store any leftovers) out of direct sunlight or fluorescent lights to prevent fading. Also, store your flowers in a container that can breathe (like a bakery box for instance)
Enjoy the Tutorial!
Thank you so much Melissa! You guys are awesome!!! Can you ecplain a little more what you mean by glueing flowers to the cake. How is that done? Im trying to visualize but i dont get it. I have the flowers on the floral wires. Please explain. Thanks. Yes, the cake will have star gaze lilies, roses, daisies, and filler flowers. Do u suggest I use the sps method of stacking or hammer a long dowel thru the middle? Just in case I try to assemble before I arrive at venue. What would you do? Assemble at home or no? Venue is 35 mins from home. Buttercream cake. 150 ppl...thanks Melissa and Bebe!
Hi Terri-- As far as gluing goes, I pipe just a bit of buttercream to the back of the flowers as my glue when working with a buttercream frosted cake. Doing this will keep your very lightweight flowers in position (if they have no wires or anchors)...and then for your wired/anchored flowers, adding a bit of buttercream to the back just before pushing into the cake helps to keep them in place and less likely to pull away. (For fondant covered cakes, I use a little royal icing or melted candy melts, or sugar/tylose glue).
As far as stacking goes, I do like the sps system for peace of mind-- especially with 3 or more tiers. The system is designed to make it possible to safely travel with the stacked tiers. (Of course, you can always stack the top tier on site if you are nervous.) -
Hammering the center dowel through your tiers & into the board is a widely practiced option also...but sps is my favorite. I also like to chill my tiers before traveling whenever possible.
Let us know if you have any more questions!
Thank you so much Melissa! One more question: What is the best way to add shimmer (other than the pearl dust)? I have read that Crisco is a good option, and I have also read about spraying Pam and another type of shilac (but I cant remember the name of it -- I know it is one of CK's brands). What is the best thing I can use at this point? The flowers have already been made over a week ago, and even though they look fine, they are dull looking. Please let me know. Thanks Melissa!
Hi Terri--
When I want to just liven things up a little, I've had good results with straight vodka. Just lightly dampen a piece of cotton or small piece of viva and go over your petals here and there for a semi-shine that is a little longer lasting than what Crisco will give you (at least in my experience.) - I haven't tried spraying anything with Pam...not sure how well it will dry and so I would do a test run if you go that route.
I haven't tried the store-bought glaze/shine although I think I have it in a cabinet somewhere! That may give you more shine than you had planned anyway. -- The edible shine in our recipes section is another popular choice for a homemade shine (light corn syrup + vodka)..but I would do a test patch first. Again, it's very shiny.. probably more shine than you are going for and so if you use it, I would just do it here and there. --
https://www.mycakeschool.com/recipes-tutorials/edible-shine/
I would just try out a little straight vodka here and there on a scrap piece and see if you like the look. If your flowers have been dusted, be very careful because vodka + dust = paint ;0)
Let us know how it goes!
Thank you so much for guiding me through all of this Melissa. The cake is due on July 18th. So far I am almost finished making all of the gumpaste flowers. Tomorrow I would like to begin baking the cakes. Can you tell me how you would approach that step? I plan to make 12, 10, 8 and 6 inch cakes. I plan to make 3 layers of each tier. I will start baking largest layer first. So after I bake and cool it, I will wrap with saran really good and put in freezer until the day before the wedding. But I need to know how to properly freeze. Do I saran wrap the layers then put back inside cake pans so that it keeps it shape? Or do I just wrap all 3 layers individually and place in freezer...or do I frost between each layer and then freeze? My problem is I dont know the steps after I bake it. I need to know the freezing steps...or should I bake the cakes a few days before the wedding and just keep in fridge before I frost? I dont know if to frost and freeze or what! It will be a bc cake with gumpaste flowers...thanks again for helping walk me through this. Its my first wedding cake! Im so nervous!
Hi Terri! It will be fine! Working ahead will give you some peace of mind to have that step already taken care of. We wrap and freeze our layers individually. We place each layer on it's own board, wrap with plastic wrap and then foil. (You can wrap your individual cake boards with foil if you want to be able to reuse some of them later.) -
Here's a little video that I made several years ago if you need it! ;0)
This helps ALOT Melissa! Thank you so much!!! Now, if the wedding is on a Friday, do I take the individual layers out on Thursday and crumbcoat/frost? Do I need to cover the buttercream frosted cake overnight with some sort of wrap, or do I leave it out on the counter? Also, when I see pearls around a cake, are they always piped on, or is there a place that I can purchase edible pearls to wrap around cake? If I wanted to put a gold ribbon around the bottom of each tier and then pipe pearls around it, would the buttercream piping stain the gold ribbon? I thank you so much, Melissa! I'm glad that you are very patient with your students, and you guys never give us the impression that we are asking "dumb" questions. Again, this is my first wedding cake, and I am SO SO nervous! I want to be able to pull it off. So if I seem like I'm asking too many questions, I am so sorry! You just don't know how many times I daydream about you and BeBe being right there next to me coaching me along the way. When I think of that...I'm NEVER nervous!! :)
Hi Terri- No problem! -
Yes, it would be fine to crumb coat and frost on Thursday for a Friday wedding. For your peace of mind, it would be best to have the cake finished the day before. I would settle the filled cake layers on Wednesday night or at least for a good few hours on Thursday morning beneath a weight of some sort. I wrap my filled layers (unfrosted tiers) with plastic wrap and then lay a thick magazine or thin book on top as my weight. All cakes settle a bit and it's best to let the cake get the settling out of it's system before adding the final layer of frosting ;0) - There is more info on this in our Cake Decorating FAQs if you need it! :
I usually refrigerate my frosted tiers in bakery boxes. This will keep the circulating air in the fridge from drying out your frosting.
As far as wrapping pearls around the cake, you can use sugar pearls.. but using a silicone bead former for fondant would be my first choice. It is quick and easy. You could use a former similar to this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Pearl-Bead-8mm-Mold-CK/dp/B00CK56R1O/ref=sr_sp-btf_title_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1404872459&sr=8-8&keywords=pearl+bead+mold+and+fondant+8mm
As for your ribbon question, I like to "grease" my ribbons with a light coating of vegetable shortening. This may alter the shade slightly, but it does so in a way that is nice and even but discoloring everything equally. Therefore, no worries of grease marks! Do a test snippet of ribbon first just to make sure that you are okay with everything. You can wrap you fondant pearls around the base if you'd like...or your can pipe pearls as you mentioned.
Let us know if you have any more questions!
I love this cake!!! Where can I purchase the cake stand you used?
Hi Barbara, I bought that locally at Macy's. It is from the Martha Stewart collection.
Hi Melissa, the cake is due Friday!!! I have the cakes in the freezer. I baked 2 layers for each tier. Please tell me pros and cons of baking both, 2 layers between each tier or 3 layers. 3 layers would make it a taller wedding cake but would cutting it make it more unstable? I think I read that somewhere. But it seems like 2 layers would look too short. What would you do? Thanks Melissa!!!!
Hi Melissa,
I wrote to you on the 13th, and you didn't reply back which isn't like you..I'm inclined to think that the email somehow is caught in cyberspace! :)