Lucks Edible Image ® Dena Designs Contest Dahlia Tutorial from Kara’s Couture Cakes

Learn to make striking dahlia flowers using edible images. Kara shows you how to make this light as air flower, embellished with pearls and gold gilding.

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Supplies

1 - Pin Cutter Disc-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

Roll out gumpaste to ⅛ inch thick and cut a disc approximately 2 ½ inches in diameter.

4 - Lucks Edible Image Strips-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

Choose any pattern you like of the Lucks Edible Image® designs. I only removed one sheet at a time to work with from the packaging because they dry very quickly, making them brittle. As you are working with pieces of this sheet, keep the remainder of the sheet in a Ziploc bag.

5 - Cut Strip-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

Cut a small portion of the Edible Image® sheet, placing the rest of the sheet in the bag. Use a small piece at first while getting used to its consistency and how it dries. As you become more comfortable with working with the sheets, you’ll be able to cut larger pieces and work more efficiently.

6 - Large Cutter-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

Starting with the larger petal cutter, press the cutter into the sheet (preferably on a cutting mat). I leave the end of the cutter empty, without any of the sheet as a slightly larger base makes shaping easier in the next step. You do not need to wiggle the cutter or pull it against the sheet. Once you remove the cutter you will be able to easily peel the petal away from the sheet.

7 - Applying Water 1-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

With a slightly wet brush, paint a small strip of water down the middle of the lower 3rd of the petal. If you use too much water, the sheet will disintegrate and become unusable.

8 - First Fold-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

Gently fold the first side over onto the wet area of the petal. Do not crease the fold along the length of the petal. It should gently curve and simply adhere itself to the center.

9 - Second Fold-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

Again, apply a scant amount of water to the folded area, and press the open side of the petal onto it, creating a fully curled petal.

10 - Ready For First layer-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

Once you have 16-20 petals (with a few extra, just in case) fully formed, you are ready to assemble the first layer around the gumpaste disc.

11 - Appying Water-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

Apply a light amount of water to the 12 o’clock position on the disc.

12 - Applying Frist Petal-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

Gently apply and press the petal. Don’t press too hard, or it may stick to your finger and tear when you lift up.

13 - 12 3 6 9-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

Repeat with 3 more petals placing them a 3, 6, and 9 o’clock to evenly divided the disc into 4 quadrants.

14 - First Quarter Petals-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

Between each set of petals you should be able to apply 3-4 petals to fill, depending on their width from folding.

15 - First Layer Completed-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

Continue adding petals to fill the first layer.

16 - Prepping Second Layer-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

Using the smaller petal cutter, cut and fold at least another 28 petals to create the next 2 layers. Paint another coating of water around the inside of the first set of petals.

17 - Offset Second Layer-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

When you begin to layer the next set of petals, they should be offset against the first, placing them in the middle of two of the larger layer.

18 - Completed Second Layer-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

Finish the second layer with as many petals as needed.

19 - Completed Thrid Layer-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

Repeat layering in an offset manner for the third and final layer.

21 - Rolling Center-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

Time to shape the center! Roll a small piece of gumpaste into a ball, and place it in the center of the flower to check and adjust size as necessary.

22 - Applying Center-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

Apply a small amount of water to the entire center, and gently press down the ball so it fills the center. The ball should remain higher in the center and slope down slightly towards the edges.

23 - Sugar Pearls-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

Time to apply the sugar pearls or dragees.

24 - Prepping Center For Pearls-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

Apply a moderate amount of water to the gumpaste ball, making sure it doesn’t run down the sides and onto the petals but enough to create a good sticky surface for the sugar pearls to adhere.

25 - Applying Pearls-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

Place the first sugar pearl in the center and press down lightly.

26 - First round Pearls-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

Begin to form rings of pearls around the first one to create an intentional looking pattern until full. You could apply the sugar pearls to the gumpaste before applying the gumpaste to the flower, but I find that the gumpaste ball becomes distorted and may crush some of the petals.

27 - Pearls Completed-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

You can leave your flower natural at this point and allow to dry, or you can embellish it a bit more.

28 - Gilding Supplies-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

I decided to gild the petals using a 192 proof grain alcohol, gold highlighter, and a number 0 paintbrush. Using a very high alcohol content spirit is necessary with the Edible Image® sheets. Even vodka has too high of a water content to safely apply without melting the petals.

29 - Gilding Edges-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

Carefully line just the edges of each petal. I tried to be less than perfect about the line width, and make it look a bit more random to create more interest.

30 - Gilded Edges Close Up-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

The gold highlighter adds just a bit of shimmer that brings out the pattern and rich colors in the sheets.

31 - Final-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

I allowed my flower to dry for 2 days before adding it to my floral spray. The petals were still soft and movable, making it easy to apply to a cake.

Lucks Competition-lucks-edible-image-dahlia

Comments (11)

on

Awesome! Thanks for the tutorial!

Just curious....and I know it varies by market/location, etc... but what would you charge for such embellishments? How long did the flower arrangement take you?

I am a new hobby baker, and fairly confident with my cake prices. But, pricing for figures, flowers, etc through me off! Any input would be appreciated. :-) Thanks!