How to Add Outer Petals to a Rose | Sugar Flowers

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Learn how to add outer petals to a rose sugar paste flower from cake designer Amy Noelle in this Howcast cake decorating tutorial, part 5 of a 6-part series.


After we've allowed our flour to dry overnight we're ready to add the final two layers of petals. The important thing here is that we've switched sizes of cutters, so I had started with the small five-petal cutter, in order to create a flower of this size. Now in order to continue it, I'm going to use a large five-petal cutter. The technique though is exactly the same. We roll out our gum paste with the pasta machine. Cut it with the cutter. Have pinched and rolled the edges and then work around with the ball tool.

Now I do want to make sure that I create my petals so that they are wider instead of longer. Beginner sugar flower makers tend to make their petals a little bit too long, so try as your working with your ball tool to create the petals, so that they are nice and wide. Now in the same way that I did with the previous layers, I slide my piece all the way up to the base of my flower, attach a little tiny bit of glue and then I can add my petals. Again, finding that place where I overlap. Finding an overlap and line up the center of the petal with one of those spots.

Now this cutter depending on the sizes that you have, may be a little bit too tall. We don't too much space between the layers, so position your petal, just so that it's about the same height if not a little bit higher. Then at the end, once we get our petals all the way around, we can always pinch off. Sugar flowers are made from sugar, so it's a very forgiving material. So if you need to just pinch off anything at the bottom, you can just do so, if it gets too big.

Now we're ready to add our last layer of petals. So in the same way I've cut it out and I have ball tooled all of the edges. We'll slide that up and add the last layer. Now one important thing to know about sugar flowers it's that they do last forever. One cool thing about roses, the oldest rose bush is said to live in Germany, and it's about 1,000 years old. So I think those sugar flowers since they last forever, give real rose bushes a run for their money.

As I tuck the last petal, remember the last petal should always tuck underneath the first. I turn the flower over, so that I can make sure that everything is adhered into itself and that all the petals are the right height. Remember we want them just a little bit taller than the previous layer, but not too tall, so that there's a big gap. Now because these outer pedals are very heavy we do want to make sure that the flowers hung upside down. So I like to bend my wire and insert it into a foam block, so that it can hang straight down and have all of the petals stay exactly where they need to be. Our next step will be to paint them and finish it off with the calix.