Dogwood icing flower

DOGWOOD WEDDING CAKE

THE CAKE: A very simple cake! Make your flowers and leaves ahead of time, ice the cake and add the flowers and leaves to it. Secure flowers to cake with a dab of buttercream icing. Serves about 150 guests (including top tier).

PRODUCTS NEEDED:

Dogwood cutter set with veiners

Fondant, Pre-made, any brand works as well (use half fondant if you want softer, more fragile flowers-otherwise, use all gumpaste if you want hard flowers that aren't so fragile).

Gumpaste, Pre-made, for the dogwood

Egg yellow petal dust for dogwood centers. You might like brown for the outer edges of the petals too. Or a suttle green with the yellow in the centers.

Lustre dust for glisten, or white petal dust to add realism and a finnished look.

Quick easy roller #1907-1202

Clear decorating bags for adding centers to dogwood and for the borders.

Decorating tips (for dogwood centers, use tip #2 -or for speed, tip 233), for bottom border, tip 32)

Flat Brush (for petal dust): set #A555/LJ900

Pans: 6, 10, 14" two-layer cakes. (6"=about 3/4 mix per 2 layers, 10"=1 mix per pan, 14"=1 1/2 mixes per pan).

18" Plateau silver cake stand (need stand 4" larger around, than the bottom cake). You could use a 16" base and cake borders will be right to the very edge. This set may no longer be available.

Cardboards for cakes (need one for each cake) - Cover each board with foil so they don't soak up icing grease.

Straws for support: drinking straws in the 2 bottom tiers for support. Straws should be cut to the heigth of the cake minus icing, but added AFTER cake is iced. Once dowels are in place, cut a circle of plastic-wrap and lay where the next cake goes. You can press a cardboard on to crease the icing once crusted, to tell exactly where to place the plastic wrap circle. This won't stick to icing and peels right off for cutting.

Instructions by Dolores at http://www.sugarcraft.com

DIRECTIONS:
About one week before the wedding, make the dogwood:

DOGWOOD

Use the quick easy Roller to roll out dough.
Use metal cutter to cut out the flower.
Press into silicone mold to shape and vein;
Let dry to crust well, overnight to 2-3 days, depending upon humiidity.
To help flowers hold their shape - place on soft surface, cottom balls work well.
When flowers are dry, brush with petal dust. NOTE: White or lustre dust is also shown. This adds lustre and realism to your flower.
Using the clear bag and buttercream icing, pipe and pull up tiny stamens in the center of each flower.

LEAVES

You could make the leaves and add directly to the cake, secure with buttercream icing. Or make leaves ahead using gumpaste/fondant half and half of each. Or just use gumpaste.
Gumpaste dries very hard. By using half fondant, they will remain softer.
Brush with white petal dust or lustre dust.

ASSEMBLY
Ice the cakes and place the flowers using dabs of buttercream icing to secure them.
*This cake should be made the day before. Let set all together overnight before delivering to the wedding reception.