How To Make A Layered Petal Cake
I had quite a few cakesters ask how I made the Pretty & Petite petal cake, so I decided to make a tutorial to share. 
You may find along the way an easier method since this was my first attempt at this technique. I hope it helps!!
List of Materials
- Colored Fondant
- Small Rolling Pin
- 5 Petal Cutter (mine is made by Ateco)
- Sharp Cutting Tool
- Ball Sculpting Tool
- Foam Pad
- Paint Brush
- Water
- Fondant Covered Cake
Gather your materials. Your cake should have a base cover of fondant on it at this time.
Roll the fondant out fairly thin – the thinner the fondant the more “frill” you will get from the petal. Use your 5 petal cutter to cut out your petals. I rolled out enough fondant to do several flowers at once to save time. They will stay soft if you keep them under plastic wrap.
Use your sharp cutting tool to separate the petals. You can do this after you frill, but I found before to be easier.
I used the small end of my ball tool to run along the edge of the petal. If your tool is plastic and has a seam, be sure to use the side of the ball so it doesn’t tear the fondant. Running half of the ball on the petal and half on the foam pad will give you a great result. I used the pointed tip as a “handle” while I worked with each petal.
Cut the point of your petal away with your sharp tool so you can line them up along the cake more evenly.
Take your brush and water and run it around the area of the cake here you want to place your petal. Be sure to only wet where the top of your petal will go so the whole thing doesn’t stick to the cake. If this happens, you won’t get the airy result you’re looking for. Think of a Post-it notepad. Only the top of the page is sticky.
Place your petals along the side of the cake, being sure you try to keep your line straight. You can use a toothpick to lift the petals up here and there for a pretty effect.
Wet the area above the row you just placed, being sure again to only wet the area where the top of the petal will touch.
Start your second row of petals above the first. Be sure to position this row so that the petals cover the seams of the first set. The way you would stack bricks.
I’ve used to different color petals here so you can see the brick effect. Practicing on a glass or bowl is a great way to work on your technique before using it on a cake. Thank you for looking and good luck!!
71 Responses to “How To Make A Layered Petal Cake”
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What a stunning creation…..great tutorial, am planning on trying this very soon.
One question, what shade of colors did you use for your petals?
TiffanyY -I don’t see why you couldn’t use this technique on a nice, stiff butter cream. You would have to make sure the cake didn’t get too warm, though, or your petals would most likely shift around.
fchin – Thank you so much!! No secret in the color 
I used straight out of the bottle Wilton BLACK gel color. I always use a whitener in my fondant, though. Believe it or not, it makes a big difference in the appearance. I have used both the one made by Wilton, and the one made by Americolor. No preference as they seem to do an equal job. I whiten my fondant first, then gradually add small amounts of black fondant. Once I get midway, I start to add small amounts of white to to the black fondant. Hope I’ve helped you out!!
I see some people have asked…what size 5 petal cutter did you use? This cake is BEAUTIFUL. Thank you for sharing.
Awesome! Huge help, thank you so much!
This is great! Thank you SO much! I’m making this cake for someone who wants buttercream. I made my flower with the petal cutter. I did a little practice run with BC and placed the petals on with gum glue. Worked fine. My questions is…..the delicate flower, which I made from gumpaste. I’m not sure how to attach it to the side of the cake. Should I just put a huge slab of BC and stick it on? I’m so afraid it’s going to fall off.
Thanks!
I would attach it with a stiffened buttercream. I only attached this one with water and held it for a bit – it stayed with no problems
Can’t wait to see your cake!!
I used the smaller 5 petal cutter from the 2 piece Ateco set, which it 3.2″
Hi! This is soooo beautiful! Thank you! Would this technique work on a square cake as well? I am still learning and was wondering about it?
I think the technique would work fine on a square cake, as long as you know how you want your corners to look, and carefully space and place the petals so it all comes together for you
Do you have a tutorial on how to make that flower ? I would loved to know ….Gorgeous cake !
Thank you for the lesson. I can’t wait to try this out.
Gorgeous cake!!!
Thank you for the great tutorial! I am hoping to replicate your design on a 3-tier 16th birthday cake. Due to the amount of petals needed for the job, do you suppose it would be all right to prepare the petals about 4 to 5 days in advance before the final application on the cake? Thanks again so much!
Thanks have been looking every where for this.Beautiful. Is there a tutorial for the flower anywhere. Thanks again
Thanks for this!!! Very helpful! Cant wait to try it out!
Thank you for the tutorial! I didn’t have any 5 petal cutters so I used circle cutters and then cut them in half, then balled the edges. I had fun making my first layered petal cake! Here it is: http://cakecentral.com/gallery/2354916/pink-layered-petal-cake
Thanks a lot for this. I have no formal education in pastry but I’m really passionate about it. I’ve learned a lot from your tutorial. Thank you for inspiring
Awesome,thanks for sharing
What a great tutorial, thanks! There is a cake I am dying to try and this tutorial has helped me with the petal method.
Thank you so so much for the well-written tutorial! Your cake is elegant and I can’t wait to try this technique. Bravo.
Thank you for sharing! Can’t wait to try this.
Thank you for the great tutorial. I am going to make one this weekend and will upload on this page by Monday.
God bless you!