A beautiful way to add height and texture to your design, the floral separator isn’t only reserved for the grandest of wedding cakes. This pretty little project is a great way to practice the construction process and work on arranging smaller flowers with fillers, buds and leaves. The band of flowers is gorgeous on its own, or you can create an additional arrangement as shown here.
1. To make the separator, use a small amount of glue to attach the 4in (10cm) cardboard cake boards to the 4in (10cm) styrofoam disc, making sure the center holes line up. Allow to dry.
2. Roll a strip of fondant 3in (7.5cm) wide x 14in (35.5cm) long x 1⁄8in (3mm) thick. Apply a small amount of sugar glue or water to the fondant and wrap it around the separator, covering both the styrofoam and the edges of the cardboard. Trim off excess with a craft knife.
3. Center the fondant-covered separator between the two 7in (18cm) cardboard cake boards and place on top of the extra 7in (18cm) dummy. Push the 3⁄8in (8mm) dowel down through the center holes just far enough to secure it to the dummy. The two cardboards will act as a guide for positioning the flowers so they don’t break when the cake tiers are stacked.
4. Gather your sugar flowers, buds and leaves, and begin arranging them in the separator by sticking the wires into the styrofoam. Use a toothpick or needle tool to pre-poke holes if needed.
5. Continue adding roses, cherry blossoms, hydrangea and buds as you work around the separator, and then layering over the small gaps between them with filler flowers.
6. Continue working between the cardboard guides to fill the separator completely with roses, cherry blossoms, hydrangea and buds.
7. Secure the center dowel into the cake board with glue. Stack and secure the bottom 7 x 5in (18 x 13cm) tier over the center dowel. Gently remove the cardboard guides from the floral separator and carefully add it on top of the bottom tier. Stack and secure the remaining two cake tiers on top of the separator, sliding them down over the center dowel. Add a few more flowers, buds and leaves around the lower edge of the separator to fill any gaps, letting some of the flowers and leaves spill down over the top edge of the bottom cake tier.
8. Measure and attach the ribbon to the base of each cake tier and the cake board (see Finishing Touches).
9. With the ribbon in place, now go back to fill in any gaps along the top edge of the separator with additional small flowers and buds.
10. Create a small offset arrangment on the top cake tier by securing a few of the roses in the cake and surrounding them with a few small balls of fondant. Insert the wires for the remaining flowers, buds and leaves into the fondant to create a nice arrangement.