just wondering if anyone can advise me ? Am making a giant Cupcake for a Baby Girls christening in a week's time. All fondant and gum-paste decorations are done and ready to go, including some little flowers and hearts that I've wired using cake wire. Have never  done this before but love the effect of a 'spray' on top of the cake. i plan to twist them together and insert them into a drinking straw filled with royal icing to hold them in place.

Just wondered -how long should the straw be that I push into the cake? The 'top' and 'bottom' of the Giant cupcake will be buttercreamed together so not a problem to push a straw all the way into both - if I need to? any advice is very welcome. 

The further the better. It will only be anchored in snugger the further down the straw goes.

that's great, thanks , that makes sense of course - would you insert it and then do your  piping of buttercream roses:  or decorate the cake, insert the star with wired decorations and then tidy up the 'hole'. am thinking the first one.