Hi guy's,

I have seen some awesome looking round ruffled gumpaste/fondant flowers pop up lately and i just cant do it.

I bought my 1st large ball tool, a foam pad, ive tried looking on you tube, asking people on cakecentral but i just cant get my round cut out to ruffle.

This is what i do: I cut out a round circle with my circle cookie cutter, I place this on my foam pad and start to go around the edges of my fondant cut out with my ball tool, i do this for some time with no luck.

If some could please give me step by step instructions of maybe a link to a tutorial i would be sooooo sooo gratefull.

Thanks so much for looking.

There are links to lots of tutorials if you do a forum search. Go to the forums tab, then click on search (from the purple title line). In the search terms section type in flower tutorial. Select "all words", then to limit results select "Topic Titles Only". This gave me 8 results. If you can't find what you need from that - then do the same search but have the search include the titles and text. The largest one I found with my test search was:

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-654803-flower.html+tutorial

You may get some YouTube results or Google results using "gumpaste flower tutorial"

Hope this helps.

Try rolling a toothpick on the edges

When you're using your ball tool, make sure half of the ball is on your fondant/gumpaste, and the other half is on your foam, as you go around the edge. Then you can either rub or roll the ball tool around the edge and you should get the effect you are looking for.

Good luck!

@tbeanz... are you rolling all the way around each petal applying the same pressure or varying at different points? Also check how you slide your ball... is it a roll (spin over the ball's edge) or a flat move?

Try doing partial "strokes" on the edge of your shape, let's say that you plan doing it on 3 sections. I don't mean you mark the sections, just do it mentally. Start each section and roll your ball firm over the edge, when you approach the middle put a little more pressure and release towards the end. Continue the same way with the second and third sections. By doing this you make the "ripple". Then roll from what will be the center of your flower towards the outer edge with a soft constant pressure to thin the petal an give a curved inner surface.

This wrote step by step sound much more complex than actually doing it... the first attemps you may be very aware of each move but soon you'll be doing it automatically.


hope it helps

I havent really tried too much to make flowers yet but I have a book and in it it says to roll The tool in a forward motion a bit applying pressure, then roll it back to you not applying pressure, and to slightly further back than where you started, then roll forward again with the pressure but not going as far then rolling back again without pressure. Each time you roll back you should be going a bit further back than where that roll started and each roll forward shouldn't go as far as the last. I hope that makes sense lol. Eventually you get all the way round although I have to admit when I had a go at this I didn't do very well.

Jenny

Hi T-

Just a quick suggestion- when making flowers with fondant alone (not mixed with tylose or gumpaste) it can be very soft- I have found that if I let it dry/sit for a few miutes - not too long though- the edges will ruffle.

Arrange the petals in some type of former (from Wilton, in a cup, bowl, egg carton... etc) I prop mine up with with paper towels and balled up aluminum foil (don't use cotton balls on fresh fondant- it tends to stick). I have also found that the piping gel works better than water when making fondant flowers-

Fondant flowers do not dry as hard as gumpaste ones, so leave yourself enough time if using them on a cake.

Hope that helped- Post pics would love to see how you are making out

Mo

Hi T-

Just a quick suggestion- when making flowers with fondant alone (not mixed with tylose or gumpaste) it can be very soft- I have found that if I let it dry/sit for a few miutes - not too long though- the edges will ruffle.

Arrange the petals in some type of former (from Wilton, in a cup, bowl, egg carton... etc) I prop mine up with with paper towels and balled up aluminum foil (don't use cotton balls on fresh fondant- it tends to stick). I have also found that the piping gel works better than water when making fondant flowers-

Fondant flowers do not dry as hard as gumpaste ones, so leave yourself enough time if using them on a cake.

Hope that helped- Post pics, would love to see how you are making out

Mo

Hi T-

Just a quick suggestion- when making flowers with fondant alone (not mixed with tylose or gumpaste) it can be very soft- I have found that if I let it dry/sit for a few miutes - not too long though- the edges will ruffle.

Arrange the petals in some type of former (from Wilton, in a cup, bowl, egg carton... etc) I prop mine up with with paper towels and balled up aluminum foil (don't use cotton balls on fresh fondant- it tends to stick). I have also found that the piping gel works better than water when making fondant flowers-

Fondant flowers do not dry as hard as gumpaste ones, so leave yourself enough time if using them on a cake.

Thank you so much for asking this because I am having the exact same problem. Hoping to take in all your suggetions and get it to work for me too.

sorry for the multiple posts- it kept coming up error- so I resent.

hope you guys are making out ok- I LOVE doing flowers- I am so much better at them then I am at covering, leveling, torting, baking etc- well, almost everything else (ha). Once you get the hang of them you will want to try all of them-

Try to post pics when your done!

Hi guy's,

Thanks so much for you help and tips etc, they really have helped.

I played around all weekend trying to get it, then BOOM....it happended and all your tips and suggestions came to light. So excited, it is definately an art and will take alot more practice but i am excited i am on my way.

Hi Mo - I have posted a pic of a little cake i did (just so i could try out my flowers) i used 3 -4 round cutters to get the flower look i wanted. They can definately look better but in time im sure they will.

Thanks again guy's.

Tina.

The toothpick method of ruffling works miracles! I use it on my carnation flowers! Be patient and practice. Just make sure your surface is well dusted with half-half corn starch and powdered sugar and you dust your toothpick with it to prevent sticking and ripping.

Have fun!

Yes, what Jeff said I was ready to post htat bit of info when I came across this post.