Before you begin making beautiful flowers and arrangements for your cakes, please take a moment to review the general information and techniques listed here, as you will be using them frequently in your flower making.
Create small hooks in your wires to help pieces of paste to stick to the ends of the wires (1). Making the perfect hooked wires takes just a few steps. For an open hook, grab the top of the wire with pliers and bend the top over without closing. To make a closed hook, squeeze the open hook closed with the pliers.
To attach a ball of paste to a wire, dab a small amount of sugar glue on the hook and wipe off the excess so it is just damp. Insert the hook into the center of the ball of paste. Pinch a small amount of paste out of the bottom of the ball, turning the wire and pinching until the extra paste below the ball is quite thin. Hold on to the paste with your fingers and twist the wire quickly to break off the extra paste. For a longer bud shape, begin the same way, inserting the hook into the widest part of the bud. Gently roll the paste back and forth between your fingers to taper the paste down the wire until the desired length is reached. Twist the wire to break off any extra paste and gently roll the end between your fingers to smooth (2 and 3).
There are a lot of different methods for wiring petals and leaves. I prefer using the groove board because you can create a lot of petals and leaves quickly, neatly and consistently. Once you have rolled your paste and cut your petal or leaf shape, dip your wire end into sugar glue and wipe off the excess so it is just damp. Hold the base of the petal or leaf between your thumb and finger with the groove facing up towards you. Gently insert the wire into the groove to get it started, and then continue a bit at a time, using your thumb over the top to feel the wire (4). Once the wire is in the groove, gently pinch where the paste and wire come together to secure (5). If this does not work for you, lay the petal or leaf on the foam pad with the groove side up and the base at the edge of the pad. Place your finger gently on the groove, and insert the wire a bit at a time. Secure the wire as described above.
Floral tape comes in a variety of colors and widths. A nice moss green or yellow-green color will probably be the most useful, but you may also want to use white tape if you are making an all white or light colored arrangement or it’s difficult to hide the green stems. You can also dust floral tape to create custom colors as desired. Half-width tape is what we use most frequently, but use what you are most comfortable handling. Try to use as little tape as possible to avoid bulkiness on stems. There are some wonderful tape cutters available that easily cut tape into halves, thirds, and even fourths. To use the tape, cut it to the desired length and stretch it a bit to release the gums in the tape. Wrap the tape tightly and firmly to keep wired petals secure. To wrap down a stem, hold the tape at a slight downward angle and turn the flower as you wrap tightly down the wire (1).
For best dusting results, I recommend a mix of both flat and round brushes. Flat, firm brushes are great in sizes 1⁄8in (3mm) up to 3⁄4in (2cm) and are perfect for edging petals and leaves, and applying color in small or specific areas. Round, soft brushes 1⁄2in (1cm) up to 1in (2.5cm) are great for applying a soft blush of color and blending shades on petals, or adding color across large petals quickly.
Begin dusting your flowers with colors lightened with cornstarch (cornflour) or white petal dust, and use a light touch with your brush. You can always add and layer more color, but you can’t take it away if you start heavy-handed. With pastel colored petals, simply edging them with a slightly darker shade makes the petals and finished flowers look airy and delicate without having to use much color. When possible, practice any new color combinations on extra dried pieces of paste. For leaves, we use most of our favorite green dusts full strength to create fresh, saturated color.
“Pollen” is used to dust the ends of stamens in some flowers, adding a realistic touch. It can be created with unflavored gelatin mixed with petal dust. Mix in the dust half a teaspoon at a time until the desired color is achieved (2 and 3).
Gently steam your flowers and leaves to set the dust colors and prevent color from transferring to your cake surfaces. The dryness of the dust will disappear, and colors will blend together a bit like watercolor. Dust colors will deepen a bit after steaming, so keep this in mind when creating dust shades for your flowers. Hold flowers at least 6in (15cm) away from the steam and move them around constantly to make sure no part of the flower absorbs too much moisture (4). Steam for a few seconds at a time, just until the flower no longer looks dry, but not so long that it looks shiny. Steaming too long can cause flowers to become soft and then wilt or fall apart. Allow steamed flowers and leaves to dry completely before using.
Confectioner’s glaze and leaf glaze are great for giving your leaves a shiny finish. Use the glaze in very small quantities, and apply it with a brush in a very thin layer on leaves that have been dusted, steamed and are completely dry (5). The glaze can also be thinned to a 50/50 ratio with alcohol or glaze thinner if you want less shine. Drying time varies in different weather conditions, with longer drying time occurring in more humid and wet weather. There are several versions of glaze on the market, and some may require more than one coat to get the desired finish. If a matte or velvet finish is desired for leaves, then steaming will suffice.
