Need A Tutorial On Using Fresh Flowers On Cakes, Please!
Decorating By tmterlaan Updated 7 Apr 2015 , 12:14am by mrsgreshcakes
I posted a reply in an earlier post, but I thought this would get more hits! I have 3 potetial orders for wedding cakes with fresh flowers, but I am afraid to accept them because I am not sure how to do the flowers. I know there are rules about the stems in the cake and so on, but I could really use a tutorial on how to do this with a flower cascade. It seems like you would need about 100 pics?? Help!
I dont' use pics. I cut the stem off as close to the head as possible, then use a blop of BC on the back of hte head to glue it in place. I build cascades from the bottom up, using the flowers on the bottom as a 'support' for the upper flowers.
Do you mean 100 flowers per cake or for all 3? Without knowing the design or size of cakes/flowers, 100 per cake sounds like a lot. I did a 4 tier with a cascade (used BC roses) and did it with about 3 dozen flowers. Some big full roses, most just rosebuds. (it's the one iwth the purple ribbon in my pics)
Wow that makes so much sense. I didn't even think of that. The flower total was just a guess, the bride for the first cake wants a 6 tier, with as many flowers as she could get on it. I was just going by what she was asking for. Anyway, it sounds like a much easier approach to the task than what I was thinking it would be. Thank you so, so much!
I do the same thing, snip them close to the head and stick them in a blob of icing. Most brides around here like lots of flowers too 
I also have it in my contract that flowers are an inedible addition and should be removed prior to cutting. And that I do not provide any flowers, therefore I cannot be responsible for anything they have come in contact with. The bride signs that by agreeing to put flowers on the cake, I am loosed from liability. Just in case
When you use fresh flowers on cakes it is important to make sure the flowers and plant materials you use aren't poisonous. For instance, ivy is poisonous, so it should never go directly on a cake. There are lists of edible flowers out there on the internet you can google and the list is long so you should be able to find enough materials to get creative. I also wrote a list in the forums about a year ago if you can find the thread. Also, make sure the flowers you use are organic or pesticide and herbicide free. If the flowers are provided by the florist ask if that is what is being used. Flowers imported from other countries don't always have the same restrictions in the use of these chemicals as the states do. I also remove any stamens so people with allergies don't have any issues with the pollen from them.
You can also get little clear plastic dishes that you put wetted oasis in, floral tape in place, then use that to stick your shortened stems in. That way, you can put a small amount of water in the bottom of the dish to keep the flowers hydrated if the cake will sit a while. Some flowers are fine without immediate hydration but others will wilt within an hour. The leaves and flower petals hide the dish. I had one of those 'ahhh-haaaa!!!' moments last spring when I did my brothers' wedding cake and another cake designer told me about this. It also gives you the opportunity to build a lot higher without the added weight of a huge blob of bc. HTH!
I'm resurrecting this post because I'm starting to panic!!
I've added fresh flowers to cakes before in bunches, but I have a three tier cake this weekend in which the bride wants a cascade of flowers similar to the style shown here (wedding cake with flower cascade). It's a 6-9-12, and I'll be using predominately roses, some peonies, and other smaller, less heavy flowers.
I've used flower spikes and straws filled with BC, but like I said, I've only done groupings of flowers, not an entire cascade. I know to start from the bottom and get a solid base, but my confusion come from with method to use to build up from there - water spikes, corsage bunches with florist tape, straws or snip off the heads and just use those. Here's the logistics:
Ceremony - 5:30pm
Set-up - starts at 3:30pm
Cake cutting - probably between 7 and 8pm
So here's what I'm hoping to get from the amazing CC community: specific instructions or tips for building this type of cascade that doesn't demolish the cake with too many things poking into it and a method that will keep the flowers as fresh as possible for as long as possible.
Thank you all so much!!!
Nicole
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