I want to make a cake for a church event with a crown of thorns on top, if possible. Any ideas on how to accomplish that? It doesn't even necessarily have to be entirely edible though I would like for it to look edible (be covered with edible materials, maybe?).
Any and all suggestions are welcome. Thanks so much!
You could certainly approach this much the same way one does branches on cakes... start out with floral wire and begin molding the overall look. Wrap in floral tape. Then, I'd finish with thin gumpaste overlay and paint either by air brush method or hand paint with food coloring and vodka or lemon extract. I'd probably hand paint it myself. HTH!
I will atempt the same thing this Spring but I will use royal icing, like making the tiara, and try to form spikes as thorns. It may need to be stiffer than the crown icing to stand. Not sure if I will color the royal or airbrush finished product. Still thinking about it. What think?
I will attempt the same thing this Spring but I will use royal icing, like making the tiara, and try to form spikes as thorns. It may need to be stiffer than the crown icing to stand.
I think this will be not impossible but less successful. I think there will be a lot of breakage if you use royal icing, and if you plan to make it stiffer, then I would think you lose the "sharp" quality of the thorns therefore losing the significance of the crown itself. The Crown of Thorns has thorns on the bottom and top ...the bottom ones would have pierced the brow of Jesus so I think that one would want them to look sharply pointed which would be easier achieved by using gumpaste. Please know, this is just my humble opinion, and certainly there is no right or wrong way of doing it. 
thank you so much for your replies! i have not used gumpaste before, but i have used fondant. how different in gumpaste? can i add gum-tex to fondant (how much?) or how do i make gumpaste (can it be bought like fondant?)? Sorry for all the questions. Thank you so much for the ideas so far!
I apologize for not posting this earlier.
Thanks for everyone's help and suggestions!! I was very pleased and my cake got first place!
Here is the link to my finished product--thorns and cake and all!
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1321731.html
Anjoli, I left a photo comment on your cake back when you posted it and thought about you much on Saturday night as I fashioned a (albeit quick) Crown of Thorns from gumpaste. This was a last-minute request so I didn't get to do as much as I would have liked with it, but our previous discussions and your success inspired me to try one myself. I hope your cake went on to do well in competition --it certainly deserved a blue ribbon in my opinion!
Thanks for the inspiration...
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1331408
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