Cake! magazine by Australian Cake Decorating Network November 2018 Cake! Magazine | Page 18

Step 1:
Prep sugar flowers. Take
a heavy gauge wire, fold
in half and twist with pliers
to create a sturdy stem.
Poke a hole into a small
styrofoam ball, fill with low
temp hot glue and push in
wire to create the base of
a sugar protea. Step 2:
Step 3:
Step 11:
Paint the bottom half of
the ball in sugar glue
or water, then cover in
gumpaste. Smooth. Use a protea flower image
for reference. Cover the
top half in fondant. Add
texture using a veining
tool and a small knife,
starting at the centre and
working outwards. Step 4: Step 9:
Using small scissors, snip
at the fondant to create
more texture. Step 5: Step 6: Step 7: Thinly roll and cut out
gumpaste using a petal/
leaf cutter and store
in plastic bag while
prepping petals. You’ll
need approximately
seven. Refer to images 11 & 12
for reference to prepping
petals. Set aside on
gently curved surface
then dust with a little pink
and yellow petal dust. The first layer of petals
can be lightly brushed
with sugar glue on the
bottom half of the petals
and arranged around the
protea bud. I add royal
icing where I can to give
added strength. Hang
protea upside down to
dry. Remaining protea petals
are wired. Roll gumpaste
thinly on the cellpad. Peel gumpaste off
cellpad, turn over and
cut petals. Cut at least
21 petals. Dip a 24 gauge wire into
sugar glue, then thread
the wire into the vein of
the petal. Thin the edges
of the petal with a ball tool
on a firm flower pad. Roll ball tool into centre
of petal to cup the petal.
Lay on a gently curved
surface to dry.
Step 8: Step 13: Step 14: Step 15: Step 16:
You can dust the outside
of the petals or wait. The
remaining petals will be
wired to give more space,
flexibility and fullness to
the protea. Once petals are dry, dust
with pink petal dusts with
cornflour to soften the
colour and begin taping
to the protea bud with
floral tape. Alternate the
petals and give a bit of
space between petal
layers. This is a stylised version
of a pink protea – a little
green and yellow on the
outside of the bud is nice.
When finished, steam the
flower. A variety of the petal
dusts I used. Dusted foliage leaves.
I used white gumpaste so
I could play with shades
of green. Green gumpaste
would also work well.
Step 10:
Step 12: