Like most Midwesterners, I spent the majority of the past week inside bundled in scarves and slippers. (Aside from a brief sojourn to the front lawn for photography purposes.)

I decided to make use of the time and create this cake because, well, I have to be honest: my advisor/manager, aka my brother, has informed me that my twitter page is bordering on ridiculous. (https://twitter.com/MelodiaCakes) After spending half an hour showing me “good” twitter pages, he has advised me to make a cake that incorporated the same colors as my website, and this cake would serve as the background for the twitter page.

With this in mind, I set to work creating some nice gum paste flowers to sit atop the cake. Here are the steps I used:

1. Color gum paste and cut petals to desired shape. Drape petals over things to get a shape that suggests movement and fluidity.

2. Use a knife or other straight edge to texturize the petal.

3. Use luster dust to add color to the edges of the petals. (first, use a paintbrush to dust on the dry luster dust. Then, mix a little lemon extract with some luster dust. The more lemon extract you have, the lighter the color will be. More luster dust = more color.)

       

Once the leaves are dry (gum paste dries quickly!), attach wires to the backsides. I let these dry overnight. In the morning, I wound all the petals together with floral tape and they evolved into pseudo-orchids!

      

And now, a preview of my next post: “What? You Don’t Iron Outside in -50°?”