hi- i apologize in advance if these questions have already been answered somewhere... if someone could point me in the right direction, i would greatly appreciate it! i have tried doing some searches, but am having trouble narrowing down the results. anyway, here is a cake that i would like to try to make (similar):

http://blog.pinkcakebox.com/bridal-shower-cupcakes-with-tower-2008-04-18.htm

i have already made michelle foster's fondant and am planning on covering the entire cake in pink buttercream and then add flower fondant pieces.

my questions/dilemmas:

FLOWERS: how long in advance do i need to make the flowers? do i need to let them dry? the picture shows them lifting off the cake, so they look brittle. at this point are they still edible?

STEMS: would i need to let the stems dry too?

how do i adhere everything to the buttercream?

will i need to worry about it bleeding? i am going to make hot pink flowers. i am planning on making the cake the day before the evenT, put the buttercream and decorations on the morning of the event.

thanks in advance for your help!!!

this will be my second time using fondant. first time was in a class. THANKS!

Very cute cake! I would make flowers (I would add tylose to the fondant so it dries harder) at least one week to two days before to let dry. I wouldn't let the stems dry but would just mold them and apply to the cake with a little water. I have not had any problems with bleeding between buttercream with fondant accents. Just let our buttercream crust well. Good luck.

The flowers you can do ahead of time, dry it in some type of former, to give it that curve--I suggest you use gumpaste instead or fondant with tylose like suggestd above. As for the edible part, yes they can be eaten but it will be too hard.

As for the stems, you can just stick it to the cake while it is dry--it will also give you the chance to vine it up to the top.

For the stems, I suggest you use tylose glue or just water to attach it to the cake. For the flowers, I suggest you use melted chocolate or royal icing to attach it for it will be too heavy and dry.

You do need to let the flowers dry if you want them to be raised up from the cake like that. They'll dry hard but not so hard they couldn't be eaten by someone really determined. They won't bleed into the buttercream.

The stems don't need to be made in advance.

To adhere it to the buttercream, put it on before the buttercream crusts or use a little extra buttercream on the undersides, or I think some people use piping gel.

thanks so much!!!

I agee with Rylan, I think you should make the flowers out of gumpaste.

ok, now i'm starting to get worried... i have already made the fondant. it is michele foster's fondant recipe- no tylose. i colored it last night. if i roll the flowers out today, do you think they will dry in time (party is saturday). if not, i guess i could just have them flat on the cake?? adhered with water?

also, i am using the buttercream dream recipe for buttercream. everyone suggested different ways to adhere the flowers to the cake. would melted chocolate candy things work? also, the flower cutter is smaller than the one pictured. they are going to be barely 2", so i don't think they're going to be that heavy.

thanks in advance for all of your help/advice! it is greatly appreciated!!!!

Like I said, melted chocolate would be fine (this would be great with hard and heavy flowers). If you just want to attach it while it is soft, your sugar glue would be okay.

I'm sure the flowers have time to dry--even with fondant. It may not be fully dry but I "personally" think there is enough time for the flowers to form a thick dry outershell that will help it keep its form if you decide to go with the cupped look.

hi everyone- just wanted to update you and let you know that the cake worked out!! it was really fun to put together and nothing fell off! the fondant dried well enough not to wilt. here is a pic of the finished product. this was my 2nd time using fondant.

thanks again for all of your advice and tips!!!

you did a wonderful job!

Nice job on the cakes!