I was going to try and do this cake decorating tutorial in one post, but it would be 27,000, 962 miles long    and load so slowly for you with all the pictures, that I am going to spread it over several days and do individual tutorials for each decorating step we tried, whether we used it in the final product or not.  I made many varieties of flowers, both for practice and for the actual wedding cake, in the process of learning these techniques.  Plus, the Jr. High Youth Group, from our church, recently did a fundraiser to help defray the costs of our upcoming summer mission trip.  The fundraiser was a dessert auction (Remind me to tell you about it later.  It was an absolutely fabulous and fun way to raise money for a great cause.)  My first fondant flowers were used on a couple cakes for that auction.

The two cakes I baked for the dessert auction. I did calla lilies and some little lavender spring flower on one and then did leaves and what reminded me of wild roses, on the second one.

Another view of the cakes for the auction. The fondant flowers on them were my very first attempts. As with each new thing I tried with fondant, I learned that rolling it thinner, produced a much more realistic product.

Let it be said, from the start, that I could never have accomplished these beautiful flowers without some great tools from Wilton.  Many were included in the Ultimate Decorating Set, I recently reviewed.  Others were part of

Wilton's Ultimate Decorating Set

My final confession, before showing you the easy steps for creating beautiful fondant roses is that I switched to a  different point and shoot camera, recently, and have had terrible problems with my photo quality, in our poorly lit (flourescent) kitchen; so I have to apologize from the outset that these photos are not as clear as I would like.  I will be switching back to my Canon Rebel for still shots I share with you AND I have decided that the only realistic way for me to do useful tutorials is to put my video camera on a tripod and have both hands free to work, instead of trying to snap one-handed photos with my left hand.    So, tonight I will use the photos I have to show you some of the ways I have used fondant flowers in the past few weeks and specifically how to create a fondant rose.  Then, over this coming weekend, I hope to video the simple steps to create other flower varieties and post those for you, along with the technique for creating lace on the surface of your cakes.

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Fondant Roses Tutorial

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• Step 1:You only need a few basic tools to make pretty roses for your cakes and desserts.  The fondant rolling pin, forming cup, angled paint brush, thin foam and modeling stick were all included in the Wilton Ultimate Decorating Set.  The small, medium and large petal cutters were from my own Wilton Floral Collection Gum Paste Flower Making Set.  And of course you will need a small amount of fondant.  I added a tiny container of clear water and that’s it!
  

  Tools for making fondant roses.

• Step 2:Roll the fondant until it is thin enough that the petals will resemble real flower petals.  I found that less than 1/8 inch is best.  Take care to try and make sure the fondant is rolled to a uniform thickness, so your petals will be consistent.  For a rose you will need to cut 4 small petals, 5 medium petals and 7 large petals.
  

  Fondant petals cut for making a rose.

• Step 3: Roll a small ball of fondant and then narrow one end into a rounded point, to form a cone. Set it aside for a bit while you work on petals.
  

  This cone of fondant is the base of your rose.

• Step 4: Using the side of the modeling stick, roll one half of each petal to thin and “ruffle” that side.
  

  Use the edge of the modeling stick and roll down one side of each petal, being careful to keep the end of the stick along the halfway point on the petal. This will create a thin ruffly edge and the other side will still be the original thickness.

  

  A rose petal pressed and ruffled. (I went over the halfway point on that one. It still worked fine.)

• Step 5:To attach the petals (start with the 4 small ones) and begin forming the flower, dip the paint brush in water.  Tap off most of the excess.  You want it damp, but not dripping.  Moisten the thick (unrolled) side of each petal.
  

  Attach each petal to the fondant cone. Place the first petal, point side down, against the cone (which is point side up) and gently press to seal it along the edge where you brushed the water.

• Step 6: Repeat this process with the other three small petals, until all are attached around the circumference of the cone.
  

  Start the second row using the medium petals.

  Step 7: Continue working around the flower, attaching each of the 5 medium petals.  I used the pointed end of the modeling stick to gently lift petals away from the bud if the were sticking down further than I wanted them and the rounded end of the modeling stick to curl the top edges of petals back a bit.

  

  The center bud with all 5 medium rose petals attached.

• Step 8: You will add the last row of petals around your flower, by attaching the 7 large petals you have prepared.  A few times, if the rose was not as full as I wanted, I added one or two extra petals.  Once all petals have been attached and you have used the modeling stick to shape them as you want them to lay, allow the rose to air dry in the forming cup.  The curved bottom and sides on the cup helps the rose to hold its shape.
  

  A few of my finished fondant roses. I did make one fondant rose for the final wedding cake that sat in the center of the calla lilies.

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