What’s not to love about a concrete-effect fondant cake adorned with wild roses and foliage? Learn to create Bouchra Marir’s signature gum-paste wild rose with this quick and easy tutorial.

Edibles:

• Petal dust: yellow, vanilla, tangerine, nutkin brown, aubergine, dark peony, and foliage
• Gum paste: white and green
• Edible glue

Equipment:

• Stamens 
• Green floral tape
• Floral wire: 26 and 28-gauge
• Paintbrushes
• Rolling pin
• CelBoard
• Ball tool
• Foam pad
• Rose petal veiner
• Bumpy foam former
• Scissors

Create the Stamen

1. Bond the stamens together at the center using green floral tape.
2. Fold the group of stamens in the middle, insert a 26-gauge wire, and wrap around the stamen to secure them into place before taping the wire.
3. Dust the stamen with a fluffy brush. Use a mixture of yellow, vanilla, and tangerine petal dusts on the tip of the stamen. Dust a little nutkin brown and aubergine petal dusts upward to the tips of the stamen.

Make the Rose Petals

1. Roll out some white gum paste using the CelBoard. The paste should be thin enough that you can just see the board beneath.
2. Using the smaller rose petal cutter, cut out five petals cleanly and set aside.
3. Dip a length of 28-gauge floral wire into some gum glue and insert it into the petal.
4. Soften the edges of the petals with a ball tool. Place the petal on a foam pad, and with the ball tool half on the petal and half on the pad, run the tool around the perimeter while exerting gentle pressure.
5. Place the petal into the rose veiner and press both sides together to imprint the petal. 
6. Gently curl the edges of the petal back and leave to firm up on a foam former. Repeat to make 5 small petals and 5 medium petals. 

Color the Flower

1. Dust the petal quite heavily with dark peony petal dust.
2. Add some aubergine to the edges of each petal. Repeat for all the petals and set aside. The back of each petal should be paler than the front.

Assemble the Wild Rose

1. Tape the small petals around the stamens using light green floral tape. Continue to add other petals.
2. To form the calyx, condition a little pale green gum paste and create several small teardrop shapes. Place onto a board and flatten before snipping the edges with fine scissors to fray. Repeat to create 5 sections and attach to the base of the rose.
3. Dust the calyx with foliage petal dust. 

This tutorial originally appeared in the May/June 2019 of American Cake Decorating.