Wedding Cake Flowers - What Are They Made Of?
Decorating By mrsmac888 Updated 14 Jul 2015 , 8:56pm by TheresaCarol
Here is a wedding cake that I've been asked to do...
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/217650594465486516/
The bride doesn't want the small flowers that show on the cake, she wants larger flowers similar to the flowers on this invitation:
Any idea what the flower is called and what would you make them out of so that they look more delicate, like on the invitation?
Thanks!
Christina
I would try doing gumpaste but thinning the petals out really thin. If I couldn't get the look I wanted, I might try using wafer paper or gelatin? I can't even pronounce the name of that flower. They are beautiful though.
The purple flowers in the link from Ms Mac are definitely HYDRANGEA. I bought a plunger cutter kit with 3 sizes of flowers complete with veining at my local full service cake supply store, it may have been CK brand? It came with instructions, and they were easy to make. I thinned the edges with a ball tool on foam, and pushed a stamen wire thru, letting the ball act as a stopper, and dried them upside down with very realistic results. In nature, these flowers change colors based on the Ph of their soil, and go from limey green to pink to deep blueish purple, and cluster in balls of many smaller blossoms. But, just FYI, if you're ending flowers to Madonna, DO NOT send hydrangeas, she HATES them...
Holy cow, I just looked at the invite. Those flowers look more like a pressed dried AFRICAN VIOLETS. Getting that thin translucent edge will be quite a challenge. Making enough on these for a wedding cake with wafer paper may require lots of extra time, and frankly, I'm not sure how you'd get those feathered water colorey edges.
Good luck, Ms Mac. If anyone can do it, you can!
I REALLY SHOULD LOOK AT EVERYTHING INVOLVED BEFORE I COMMENT......the flowers on the invite do not look like Bougainvillea. We have them growing like crazy all over here in Florida. They, too, come in many colors, but have distinctly pointy shaped petals, and the invite flowers don't. Google image some and you'll see. Maybe the bride wants Bougainvilleas, maybe she wants the flower in the picture from the invite, which to my knowledge doesn't exist in nature unless the flower is pressed and dried. And even then the closest I've seen would be a pressed dried African Violet. I've spent years obsessed with flowers, as a Master Gardener with both Rose & Orchid societies. My spouse calls me a Blooming Idiot, in jest, of course.
OK, I will step out now & let the comments flow......
Shasha,
Thank you for your reply! Once I found out that a Bougainvillea was an actual flower ... I know that is not what my bride is going for, like you said, it's too pointy. I looked around the net and found this flower made out of wafer paper
I think this is more what she is looking for.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/261631059576920144/
Can anyone tell me....
Can wafer paper sit directly on buttercream?
Where can wafer paper be bought?
How far in advance can the flowers be made and how do you store them?
Check with a florist and a nursery to see if you can access bougainvillea. I always buy the real thing when I am trying to duplicate in fondant or gumpaste. It makes it so much easier and this way you will be better able to see if you can access tools or if you may have to trace out the petals to duplicate. You get a better idea of structure and how the flowers behave.
Years ago I had an order for a daisy covered cake and the only cutters on the market didn't make daisies that looked realistic. So I bought a bunch and pulled them apart and traced the petal shape. I was able to better mimic how the flower head sits.
There are several photos on the internet if you do a google search.
Sorry, was typing while you were posting that you didn't want the bougainvillea.
The title on the invitation "soft bougainvilla" bears no relation to the real bougainvilla flower. The flowers on the invitation are highly stylized versions. Although I personally haven't tried wafer paper, that was my first thought.
You could airbrush to get the colors and shading, and looking at the invitation, they should be fairly easy to replicate since they are "flattish" (not a real word). You could use white chocolate or royal icing as the dots in the center to hold the petals together. The edges of the wafer paper petals could be frayed a little and you'd be able to get a nearly perfect match.
When I'm doing fondant or gumpaste flowers, sometimes I buy a stem of the silk version. You can take them apart, make patterns, etc. Often you can use the silk version to make an impression mold and get great veining, etc. You can make the mold using the 2 part silicone product, or sometimes even just polymer clay, which is very inexpensive. When the flowers have very delicate details, the silicone works better, but with polymer clay you can just manually enhance the detail. But maybe you could try the hydrangea cutter kit, I'm very happy with the one I got, and let the bride provide some input on how she'd refine the flower. Let her see how much thought, effort, expense, etc. goes into making her cake perfect & her happy. When I've let clients sit in and watch something like flowers being made, or let them have a go at it themselves, they usually gain some appreciation for the work. Most often they tell you "I'd never have the patience for this!"
Mrsmac888, I purchase my wafer paper here: http://www.countrykitchensa.com/shop/sprinkles-decorations-toppers/wafer-paper-8-x-11/50/749/1057/645675.
The flowers can be made as far in advance as you want, you just want to store them in a covered box to keep the dust off. As long as the area is dry, you will be fine. I have wafer paper flowers that I made last year that are still in very good condition.
The can be put directly on the buttercream after it has crusted. The only issue you may have is moisture (like rain or splattering water from a fountain).
Please post pictures when you are finished; I would love to see what you did.
I forgot to mention, you can use petal dust or airbrush to get the color you are needing. Just be careful with the airbrush not to get the gun too close and the paper too wet.
Theresa,
Thank you for your reply. You've eased my mind about placing wafer paper flowers directly on the cake. On the top tier will be 4 or 5 flowers like the picture that I posted post #9, but the second tier will have little wafer paper flowers on the sides of the cake. I was worried that they would bleed or fall off.
If you are concerned about bleeding at all, I would make a round base out of fondant to glue (using candy coating) the flower to. I normally cut a very thin piece of fondant/gum paste that has had time to dry hard then use the coating to adhere the flower to it. I then use piping gel or coating to adhere it to the cake. For your little flowers, I would use dots of royal icing to adhere. The piping gel may disfigure the flowers because of the moisture. Stiff royal icing may work better for you. If you have time, I would do a test run to make sure there is no problem. I look forward to seeing what your finished masterpiece is.
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