Free Floral Meadow Wedding Cake Tutorial

Step 1a

Prepare the Flexique as directed. Place one sheet of wafer paper onto a Silpat mat and brush on a thin layer of Flexique.

Step 1b

Place wires onto the wet surface, spacing about an inch apart.

Step 1c

Place a second sheet of paper over the wires and brush with a second thin layer of Flexique. Leave to dry overnight.

Step 2

Prepare coconut in a small bowl. Add a few drops of yellow, one drop of green and one ivory. Mix or shake in a plastic bag until well coated.

Step 3a

Cut your dried wafer paper into long strips that taper towards the point.

Step 3b

Dip your strip in fresh Flexique, coating it evenly.

Step 3c

Coat the strip in the coconut, covering all sides.

Step 3d

Bend the wire and hook over the end of a tall drinking glass to leave to dry overnight.

Step 3e

When dry, wire your amaranth together in strips of three. Make sure you cover your wires with floral tape.

Step 4a

Prepare about 24 wires that are 7-8” long by making small hooks in the ends with needle nosed pliers. Colour about a marble sized piece of gum paste yellow. Take small pieces about half the size of a pea and thread over the wires.

Step 4b

Make a cross in the end with a modelling tool and set aside to dry.

Step 4c

Once dry, dust the ends with a little bit of green petal dust.

Step 5a

Roll out a small amount of white gum paste in a pasta roller to a thickness of 4 or 5. Cut out your petals with the cutter.

Step 5b

Thin the edges with a ball tool.

Step 5c

Place in the veiner and press gently. Remove the gum paste and thread over your dried centres. Hang upside down to dry.

Step 5d

Once the flowers are dry, wire together in clusters of three.

Step 5e

Wrap the base wires around a toothpick and cover all wires in floral tape.

Step 6a

Colour a small amount of gum paste greenish yellow. Roll out to a thickness of 4 or 5. Cut out your leaf with a thin cutter.

Step 6b

Thread a thin wire into the centre of the leaf.

Step 6c

Thin the edges with a ball tool.

Step 6d

Use a modelling tool to make a line down the centre.

Step 6e

Make several leaves and let dry overnight.

Step 6f

Once dry, wire the leaves together in an alternating pattern using one centre leaf with a long wire as the base.

Step 6g

Place one leaf lower than the first leaf and wrap with floral tape.

Step 6h

Continue placing leaves in this way until you have three leaves on either side of the centre leaf.

Step 6i

Finish with a toothpick and cover with floral tape.

Step 6j

I airbrushed some of my leaves a darker green for variation in colour and contrast.

Step 7a

Roll out a pea sized piece of gum paste and thread over a hooked piece of 26 gauge wire about 7” long.

Step 7b

Use needle nose pliers to pinch the end and make the poppy texture.

Step 7c

Make four centres. Leave to dry completely. Once dry, dust two with green food colour and paint the other two with black food colour.

Step 7d

Take a few of the centres and fold over a piece of 28 gauge wire. Twist to secure.

Step 7e

Wrap with a small amount of floral tape.

Step 7f

Make three per centre. Arrange around the centre and secure with floral tape.

Step 7g

Bend out the centres. Paint the tips black on the two with the black centres.

Step 8a

To make your petals, roll out a thin amount of your pink paste to a thickness of 4. Cut out five petals per centre.

Step 8b

Thin the edges and use a ball tool to ruffle the edges.

Step 8c

Use a silicone petal veiner and veining tool to create texture.

Step 8d

Place on a flower former or spoons until dry.

Step 8e

Once dry, dust the tips with pink petal dust.

Step 9a

Wrap a petal around your centre.

Step 9b

Continue until you have five petals around you centre.

Step 9c

Gently arrange your petals into the desired shape. Wrap wires around a toothpick.

Step 9d

Secure with floral tape.

Step 10a

Begin by colouring half your white fondant a light blue.

Step 10b

Get your desired shade.

Step 10c

Roll the white fondant and the blue fondant into two separate snakes about 7” long. Twist together.

Step 10d

Fold the twist in half and twist again.

Step 10e

Do this 2-3 times and then roll out.

Step 10f

You should have nice even marbling.

Step 10g

Cover your board in a thin layer of vegetable shortening or piping gel. Roll your fondant onto the board and cut off the excess.

Step 10h

Place an 8” cake board in the centre and trace a line.

Step 10i

Remove the cardboard.

Step 10j

Melt your isomalt in the microwave according to the directions. Colour with a very small amount of blue with a toothpick. Place a turntable over a Silpat mat or a large cake pan to catch the dripping isomalt.

Step 10k

Place a small wedge under the turntable’s back side so that the board slants towards the Silpat mat. Carefully pour the isomalt onto the board using the line you traced as a guide. Let the excess drip off the board and onto the mat, rotating your board slowly and working in 5-6” increments until the entire outer edge is covered.

Step 10l

Let cool. Lightly torch the tips with a blowtorch and shave off the drips with a small knife. Clean up any rough edges with the torch.

Step 10m

Cover the edge with white ribbon to finish.

Step 11

Prepare an 8” double barrel cake for the bottom tier. You may use any cake recipe that you like. Cover with fondant and chill until firm before painting. For the gingham top tier, you will need: two dark pink 6” layers; one 6” medium pink layer; one 4” medium pink layer; one 4” white layer.

Step 12a

Once your layers are cool to the touch, chill for at least an hour or until completely chilled. Trim off any dark surfaces from the sides and bottom of the cake. Measure with a ruler and mark at 1” tall.

Step 12b

Place toothpicks all around and trim the cakes so they are all 1” tall.

Step 12c

Use a circle cutter or a glass that is 4” wide as a guide for your first circle.

Step 12d

Use a small knife to cut straight down. I used a 2” cutter for the centre circle. Prepare all your cakes in the same way.

Step 13a

Rearrange the cut pieces of cake to form the following layers: layer 1 - Dark pink, med pink, dark pink; layer 2 - Med pink, white, med pink; layer 3 - Dark Pink, med pink, dark pink.

Step 13b

This is what it should look like once rearranged.

Step 14a

Place Layer 1 onto the 6” cake board. Spread on a thin layer of white chocolate ganache, slightly softened so it spreads easily.

Step 14b

Place Layer 2 on top. Add another layer of ganache and then Layer 3.

Step 14c

Ice in more ganache, smooth with bench scraper until the sides and top are flat and then cover with fondant.

Step 15

Let the Everclear and gel colours sit for an hour. Strain.

Step 16a

Turn your chilled double barrel cake upside down by sandwiching between two cake boards.

Step 16b

Gently drip your green food colour along the base all the way around.

Step 16c

Wipe away any strong drip marks.

Step 16d

Leave it to dry for five minutes then flip the tier back over.

Step 17

Gently brush the 6” gingham layer with some blue and green in a sweeping motion from side to side. Insert four straws into the 8” double barrel and trim until they are flush with the top. Place the 6” tier on top.

Step 18a

To paint the flowers, dip in pink food colour and make rough marks that will be your base layer.

Step 18b

You can make some flowers that are more like blobs and some where the petals are more separated.

Step 18c

Layer more colour over some flowers to make them darker.

Step 18d

Go over some areas with the blue water colour to add in stamens or details on the petals.

Step 18e

Paint in small blue leaves for variety. Leave to dry.

Step 19a

Place a small amount of melted chocolate on your board.

Step 19b

Affix the double barrel on top.

Step 19c

Repeat for the next layer.

Step 19d

Spray the board with the cold spray to make the isomalt crack and then seal with a little spray vegetable oil to stop it from getting clouded.

Step 20a

Insert your flowers into a straw and trim off the excess. Insert into your cake with a long pair of needle nosed pliers.

Step 20b

I started with the amaranth on the far left, then jasmine leaves, clusters of hydrangea, poppies and small clusters of jasmine leaves.

Step 20c

I did the same on the other side. You can also add in more variations of leaves, berries, pods and small flowers to make your spray even more impressive!

Step 21

Lightly spray your dusted flowers with water or a steamer to lock in the colour.

Step 22

Your gingham spring cake is now complete! To show off your gingham layer, make sure you cut the cake while it is chilled and make slices that are straight down.