Some dark Irish beer with a slice of chocolate cake is a great way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. The perfect accompaniment is a simple sugar shamrock decoration. Choose between gum-paste four-leaf clovers, whichever feels luckiest to you.

Edibles:

• Gum paste: white or light green
• Petal dust: moss green and burgundy

Equipment:

• Heart-shaped cutter or dogwood petal cutter
• Nonstick board
• Nonstick rolling pin
• Fondant cutter tool or small scissors
• Floral wire: 20 or 22 and 30 or 32 gauge
• Ball tool
• Ranunculus or universal rose silicone veiner
• Crushed paper towels
• Paintbrushes
• Floral tape
• Tear-shaped petal cutter
• Long-line silicone veiner

Create the Heart-Shaped Clovers

1. Thinly roll out some white or light green gum paste on a nonstick surface and cut out 4 pieces with a heart-shaped cutter or 1 piece using a dogwood petal cutter. If using the dogwood petal cutter, use a fondant cutter or small scissors to cut the gum paste into 4 single heart shapes.
2. Insert 30- or 32-gauge wires into the petals. Place the petals on a foam pad and soften the edges with a ball tool, but do not frill them.
3. Use a ranunculus or universal rose silicone veiner to get a fine veined texture. (no pic)
4. Use a 20- or 22-gauge wire to create a vertical line in the middle of each petal between the 2 upper arches of the heart shape.
5. Fold the petals slightly with your fingers, then let the petals dry on a foam pad or crushed paper towels. (no pic)
6. Dust the petals fully on both sides with moss green petal dust. Apply burgundy petal dust on the top and bottom edges.
7. Tape the 4 petals together and apply some additional burgundy dust on the assembled clovers. Repeat the previous steps to create as many clovers as you wish.

Create the Striped-Leaf Clovers

1. Thinly roll out some white gum paste on a nonstick surface and cut out 4 pieces with a small tear-shaped cutter.
2. Insert 30- or 32-gauge wires into the petals. Place the petals on a foam pad and soften the edges with a ball tool, but do not frill them.
3. Use a long-line silicone veiner to get a vertical veined texture.
4. Use a 20- or 22-gauge wire to create a vertical line in the middle of each petal and fold the petals slightly with your fingers. Let the petals dry on a foam pad or crushed paper towels.
5. Dust the lower third of the petals with moss green petal dust, starting from the top and working downward. Leave white space in the middle and continue the moss green color on the upper edge.
6. Tape 4 petals together with floral tape. Repeat the previous steps to create more clovers.

This tutorial originally appeared in the March/April 2022 issue of American Cake Decorating.