This delightful creation is a combination of elegance, fantasy and a bit of whimsy. The rose petals envelope each cake layer creating the lushness of a full blooming rose.
Connie Walker, of Elegant Perfection Simply Cake, wanted to create a design that showcased the beauty of rose petals, emphasizing their characteristic imperfections. We’re so delighted she agreed to share this tutorial with us!
Tools:
Cutting wheel
Cel sticks, small & medium size
Fondant cutting tool
Large balling tool
Paint brushes, #5 & #8
Petal dust
Corn syrup
Large rolling pin
Plastic wrap
Dowels
Components:
3 cake layers: 6 , 8”, 10”
Good quality fondant
Modeling chocolate
12” fondant-covered cake board
Modeling Chocolate Recipe:
1 pound white, milk, or dark chocolate (melted)
½ cup corn syrup (warm in microwave)
Melt chocolate in a large bowl in microwave at 50 percent power,
About 2-3 minutes, check every 30 seconds and stir until smooth.
Chocolate will take on a shiny appearance; stir in the corn syrup.
You will see a separation of the solids and the fats, stir until they are recombined. It will appear to have dull streaks going through the mixture. Pour your mixture onto plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for 12-24 hours.
DO NOT REFRIGERATE, it will make your clay grainy and hard to work with.
To use: cut or break into 4-6 pieces. Warm in your hands & knead until you achieve the consistency of modeling clay. Cover and let set for another 30 minutes. At this point you may add paste color to achieve your desired color. Allow to set for another couple of hours. Store covered in a cool place but do not refrigerate.
Directions:
1. Begin with a good quality fondant and cover and stack your cakes. Be sure you have dowels strategically placed because the cake will be very heavy. Start at the top layer of the cake working your way down each layer in the petal placement.
2. Roll out the chocolate into an oval shape. Cut into an oblong piece with your cutting wheel.
3. Laying the cel stick flat against the petal, thin a quarter of the way down, working across the petal gently thinning as you go. This will create the ruffling effect.
4. Using your ball tool, thin the outer edge of the petal.
5. With a brush, dab the corn syrup lightly at the base of the petal. Wrap the petals around the layer, creating the overlap. You don’t want the ends to show, so leave 1-2” on each end so that the rough edge of the previous petal is not exposed.
6. Work your way down the top layer with the petals.
Pay attention to placement of the petals. You want to place them high enough on the layer to allow the petal edge to roll and cover the exposed edge of the previous petal. You will continue this procedure for all the layers.
7. Once you have placed your petals, use your cel stick to roll the edges of the chocolate, continuing around the layer, adding petals until you reach the bottom of the layer.
In this photo you can see the detail of the ruffling. Notice the overlapping of the petals and the slight tear in the chocolate.
8. Lay plastic wrap over the bottom layers before starting to apply the petal dust to the edges of the petals on the top layer. This protects the bottom layers from the falling color. Notice the flaws on the tips of the petals? I like to refer to them as character. Use a little brown colored dust and dab into the crevice of the tear, then follow up with your chosen petal dust color which will create more depth and dimension to the petal.
9. Continue the process of coloring the edges of each petal and proceed on to the next layer.
10. The progress of each additional petal is a continual building on the previous petal. You will be able to fill in if needed. After you finish all the tiers, stand back and decide where or if you need additions.
This cake design was finished with fresh roses and a whimsical pair of owls as the bride’s cake topper. Each cake will be a little different depending on the cake designer. That’s the beauty of it!
Connie’s passion for chocolate work was developed after she took a class from Mari Senaga in Kent Washington. She absolutely fell in love! Connie likes to work with chocolate whenever she is able.
Note: The recipe for modeling chocolate included in this post is from Mari Senaga.
Connie Walker has been in the restaurant business for over 20 years and is following her passion for wedding cake designing and decorating.
She has been published in American Cake Decorating and Wedding Cake Magazine (United Kingdom) for western cake design. Connie is known for her western & elegant designs and decorating. But from western to elegant, she can custom design for each client a one-of-a-kind cake for that special day.
She has trained under Kathleen Lange in Lambeth-Lange design, Kathy Scott in blown, casted and pulled sugar, Lucinda Larson in piping designs, Lily Mathews in baking and pastries and Christine Flinn from the UK in Lambeth design.
Connie is also part of Icing Smiles, an organization that believes in Baking a Difference. Icing Smiles is a nonprofit organization that provides custom celebration cakes and other treats to families impacted by the critical illness of a child. Icing Smiles understands that the simple things, like a birthday cake, are luxuries to a family battling illness. Their goal is to create a custom cake for the ill child, or their sibling, that provides a temporary escape from worry and creates a positive memory during a difficult time.
Connie is a member of International Cake Exploration Societé (ICES) an international organization that serves over 4,000 registered members from around the world in an effort to preserve, advance and encourage exploration of the sugar arts.
