make gum paste hydrangeas
It's interesting:"Now, I think you'll agree, after seeing the amount of free booze available at this wedding, that it's a good job it's a Bank Holiday this weekend. And if you do ..."
Ornament a cake for that special occasion with beautiful gum paste hydrangeas. Hydrangeas are delicate flowers that can be used as single flowers or assembled in clusters. Make gum paste hydrangeas easily with the use of basic gum paste supplies (also known as fondant supplies) and a hydrangea cutout tool. These supplies as well as pre-made gum paste can be obtained from cake decorating suppliers. Homemade gum paste can also be made (see Resources for recipe). This basic process for making hydrangeas can be creatively expanded on to make your own one-of-a-kind cake flowers.
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Things You'll Need
- Gum paste
- Gum paste food coloring
- Fondant mat
- Vegetable shortening
- Rolling pin
- Hydrangea cutout
- Fondant foam pad
- Fondant ball tool
- Butter knife
- Light-yellow luster dust
- Small paintbrush
- Cookie sheet
Instructions
1
Dye a batch of gum paste to the color that you want your hydrangeas to be. Hydrangeas can be blue, pink, purple or yellow.
2
Roll out a thin layer of gum paste with a rolling pin on a fondant mat. Pre-coat the mat with vegetable shortening.
3
Cut out your flowers with the hydrangea cutout tool. This is just like using a cookie cutter. Remove the excess gum paste from around the cutter after pressing it into the gum paste, and lift out the flower.
4
Lay the flowers on a fondant foam pad. Roll along the edges of the flowers with a fondant ball tool. Apply just enough pressure to smooth down the edges of the petals.
5
Roll out little balls of white gum paste to make the centers of the flowers. Use the back of a butter knife to score an X shape in the ball to suggest the flower center buds. Dust the balls with a light-yellow gum paste luster dust.
6
Press into the center of the flowers with the ball tool to make the cupped shape of the flowers.
7
Glue the flower centers to the flowers. Make a gum paste glue by dissolving together 1/4 tsp. gum paste and 1 tbsp. water. Apply with a small paintbrush.
8
Pick up the flowers and continue forming as needed to create realistic flower shapes. Further decorations or tinting can also be done at this point. The centers of the flowers can be touched up with a slightly darker color of the same shade as the flowers to add extra dimension. The flowers could also be dusted with a glitter luster dust to give them some sparkle. Gum paste flower wires can also be added. Simply poke the wire slightly into the bottom and pinch the gum paste around the wire.
9
Set the flowers on cookie sheets or extra foam pads to dry. If wire was used, the flowers can be hung upside down from a rack for drying. Place in a cool, dry location and allow flowers to dry for two to three days.
Tags: paste hydrangeas, ball tool, centers flowers, flowers with, luster dust, cutout toolSource: www.ehow.com
