How To Make Edible Roses PART ONE: Large Roses

Are you guilty of spending a small fortune buying those prepackaged icing roses? I know I am.
Truth be told, making your own roses is unbelievably simple and it doesn't take some flashy pastry chef diploma either.

With a few simple ingredients and tools, and some spare time on a dull rainy day, I will have you making pretty edible flowers in no time at all. You can make a whole lot in one go to keep on hand for those special occasions or you can make two or three for a cake you are making this week. Just keep in mind they will take a day or two to dry out (size dependant).

Today I will show you how to make large roses, and small or mini roses will follow next week!

What you will need: 
Fondant icing
An egg carton (the bigger, the more flowers you can make!)
Water
Baking paper cut into little squares
Icing sugar or cornstarch for dusting


Optional for experts:  
A small piece of rubber foam mat
Teaspoon
Rolling Pin - for rolling out fondant evenly
A balling tool - for adding shape and texture to the petals (avalible from Divine Cakes, The Homestore, Total Food Equipment, Spotlight and the internet)
A circular cutter, or even better a petal shaped cutter
Kids paint brush (new - only ever use it for food!)
Vegetable Shortening (rub onto your hands to stop them going dry and crumby from the sugar)
Tylose powder (this powder helps the fondant from cracking, making it more gummy. Most professional cakes makers will use in in their fondant. Only ever use a pinch or two. You can buy it from Spotlight or Divine Cakes or the internet - keep in mind it is quite expensive though.)

THE FONDANT
For fondant, I recommend Satin Ice (from Divine Cakes or Spotlight) or Pettinice (easily found at supermarkets). Do not buy the King's stuff you find in a box at supermarkets. It will not produce the right results. You can also make your own if you know how, but I find it's much easier to buy it.

ADDING COLOUR
To save you some time you can buy different coloured fondants from Spotlight and Divine Cakes if you'd like more than a plain white rose. You can also colour your own fondant (using gel colours only, not liquid! - Gel colours available from Divine Cakes, The Homestore, Total Food Equipment, Spotlight and the internet). Use a toothpick to slowly add colour to your fondant and knead it in slowly. You can wear disposable rubber gloves if you don't want coloured hands. Keep in mind the gel is a dye, so the colour will darken over time. Some people like to let their fondant sit for an hour to darken before rolling it out.

Remember, if you are not using your fondant, (even if just for 10 minutes) cover it tightly with cling wrap and where possible store it in an air tight container. It will stay good for months and months! 


LARGE ROSES
These are the show stoppers. They take longer to make and are a little more fiddly than mini ones, but still pretty straight forward for the beginner.

Start by rolling a piece of fondant into a ball about 1cm round. With the tip of your finger, taper off one end of the circle forming a cone (with rounded bottom) I find it easiest to roll it in my hand. This forms the centre of the rose. Make as many as you'd like to.

 Take a slightly larger piece of fondant and flatten it in your hand evenly.

Or if you prefer, roll out the fondant to about 3-5mm thick and cut petals out. The petals stay the same size for the whole rose. I'd recommend cutting out and working with three at a time, otherwise they start to dry and crack before ever making it onto the rose.

Add a thin layer of water to half of the petal or if you have tylose powder make yourself an edible glue from a pinch of the powder mixed with splash of water. It is much stronger.
Begin to wrap the damp part of the petal around the cone, leaving the dry side unstuck.

Add a touch more water or edible glue and slip the next petal inside the last one. These first two petals should completely hide the cone in the middle. Make sure you leave some of the last petal open each time to slip the new petal underneth.

The next few petals can begin gradually opening up at the top. So only add water/glue to the base of the petal. Use your fingers to start pulling out the tops of the petals. Look at a picture of a real rose if it helps you see the gradual unfurling of the petals. Try to use an uneven amount of petals to go once around the roses ie 3, 5, etc - this gives it a more natural look.

Keep adding petals until you feel there is enough or you are happy with the size. If you want to make full life-sized roses you will need to dry the rose at this point and continue adding petals once it has been dried out.  The bottom of your rose may have some excess, which you can choose to pull or cut off - remember to round off the rose again afterwards unless you want it to sit flat on the cake (Usually they are placed on angles). If you have used too much water or glue your rose petals are likely to start coming off at this point. Try again with less glue :)

Line your egg carton with a small square of baking paper and pop the rose inside. This will ensure it holds its shape while drying. Take this opportunity to pinch and bend the petals into interesting shapes. This will the the roses character and make them look more realistic - something supermarket bought ones never can look like. I'd recommend storing the finished roses like this too - simply find an airtight container that fits the egg carton inside it. otherwise wrap them in paper towels or thin mattress-like foam.

Make as many different roses in as many different colours as you'd like. Try make some roses more open and some more closed. This will give a good variation of styles which looks more natural. However, there is one more step to getting your roses to look realistic...


EXTRA FOR WANNABE EXPERTS
You can either buy a mould to shape an vein your petals - which is how most cake stores would do it.
Or you can go and buy a set of fondant tools, specifically the balling tool. The sets are quite affordable. Mine was around $10 or under from Spotlight.  You will also need a piece of foam rubber. I'm not sure where to get this, I was lucky enough to have some lying around the house. You could always cut up a cheap camping roll if you're feeling sneaky.

Place one of the fondant circles on the foam. Take your balling tool and firmly run it along the edges of the fondant (half on and half off it). It will create a wavy effect on your petal. If it breaks it is possible your foam isn't thick enough or is too hard. Practice makes perfect!

Next place the petal onto a teaspoon and press your thumb into it. This gives the bulb shape for the base of the flower. Gently bend the rest of the petal around the teaspoon adding more shape and character.

Let the roses fully dry - depending on how big they are it can take from 1-3 days.

Volia! You now have a collection of beautiful, edible roses for decorating your cakes.

Enjoy your Tuesday. I am busy organising a big garage sale, with lots of craft stuff, material, books and clothes for Saturday. Check out the event if you are in Chch and are keen for crafty bargins and donating to my travel fund!

x

Coming soon

PART TWO: How to make quick mini edible roses.