Cake'n'Bake Wednesday: Quick Sugar Roses

Here's another post from our Valentine's themed Cake'n'Bake meeting in February 2012. A few of the other members seemed keen to learn how to make the little roses that featured on some of my cake pops (posted last week), so I wrote this quick and (hopefully) easy tutorial.

If you want to make large, fantastically detailed realistic looking roses, there are loads of really good tutorials on youtube, (like this, for instance!) However, if you're short on time and equipment but want some small roses to go on top of cupcakes or cakepops, and aren't too fussed about them looking perfect, then this is for you!

You will need some ready to roll/fondant icing in a colour of your choice, plus some icing sugar to powder your hands and prevent the roses from becoming too sticky.

1. Roll your fondant into a sausage shape around 75mm in thickness. 
2. Cut your sausage into 6 pieces, 5 of which are around 1cm long and the other which is 1.5cm long. place any remaining fondant to one side and use this to make other roses.
3. Roll your smaller pieces into balls, and then flatten each into a petal shape with you fingers, paying special attention to the edges, making sure these are as flat as possible. (It's probably best to put some icing sugar on your fingers for this to prevent the petals getting too sticky) The larger piece should also be flattened, but this is better as a long shape.
4. Take your long flat petal and roll this back on itself to make a small spiral. (You can finish here is you just want a rosebud!)
5. Take the smallest of your remaining petals, and press this onto your rosebud at the bottom and sides, but leave the top loose. You want to make sure that each petal overlaps, so place you petals in such a way that the "end" of the last petal you placed is in the centre of each new petal you place. 
6. Use your fingers to roll back the top of each petal, then add the next and repeat the process until all 5 petals are used.
7. You'll find that you have quite a large "handle" of icing where you've been adding/holding each petal. to remove this (and ensure your rose has a flat base so it's easier to stick to your cakes and pops) place a small sharp knife where you'd like to trim the base, then gently apply pressure whilst you turn the rose. You should be left with a pretty rose with a flat base perfect for adding to small cakes!

I hope you find that helpful...

Happy Thoughts
x