this cake is perfect for bridal showers and other springtIme events, like Mother’s Day. Customize the bouquet by making the flowers in her favorite colors, or change up the design for Valentine’s Day and use only pink and red ribbon roses. After all, who wouldn’t love this gift? It’s flowers and dessert all in one!
for the cake
1 pound bright pink fondant
3 pounds pale pink fondant
1 pound purple fondant
6-inch-diameter dome-shaped cake, crumb-coated (filling optional)
2 standard-sized cupcakes, unfrosted
1 cup buttercream
2 pounds lime green fondant
1 pound each sage green and leaf green fondant
1 pound white or yellow fondant Piping gel
2 parchment-paper-lined cookie sheets
2 1⁄2-inch five-petal blossom cutter
1-inch butterfly cutter
Extruder (optional)
2-inch daisy cutter
1-inch leaf cutter
Accordion cutter (optional)
make ahead flowers and butterfly:
Note: Making what you can in advance will save you time the day of the event. In this cake, everything but the mums can be made ahead. If you prefer to make all of the flowers the same day, cover the cake with fondant first so you can place the flowers as you make them.
1. To make the ribbon roses, use the bright pink fondant and 1 pound of the pale pink fondant to make 20 large ribbon roses (10 of each color) and approximately 14 smaller ribbon roses (about 7 of each color). The larger roses should be 3 inches in diameter, which means the ribbon should be approximately 6 inches long. The smaller ribbon roses should be about 1⁄2 to 1 inch in diameter, so the ribbon should be approximately 2 inches long.
2. Set them on a parchment-paper-lined cookie sheet to dry while you make the other flowers.
3. To make the lisianthus, roll the purple fondant a little thicker than 1⁄8 inch thick. Cut 12 flower shapes using the fivepetal blossom cutter.
4. Use a small sharp knife to cut a slit between two of the petals. The slit should reach down to the center of the blossom.
5. Start at one of the cut ends and roll up the flower. Start off with a tighter roll that becomes more relaxed toward the other cut end.
6. Trim the pointed end flat so that the flower will sit nicely on the cake.
7. Dry the flowers on a parchment-paper-lined cookie sheet.
8. To make the butterfly, roll out a grape-sized amount of pale pink fondant until it’s a little more than 1⁄8 inch thick.
9. Cut out a butterfly and bend it slightly at the center.
10. Place the butterfly on a parchment-paper-lined cookie sheet with one wing up against a side, so that when the butterfly dries, its wings will be standing up and open.
To Decorate The Cake
1. Roll out 2 pounds of the pale pink fondant until it’s 1⁄4 inch thick, and cover the dome-shaped cake.
2. Create the stem bunch for the bouquet by placing two unwrapped cupcakes on their sides, bottom to bottom. Trim one side of both cupcakes so they lay flat on the cake plate. Use a small amount of buttercream to stick the cupcake bottoms together.
3. Place the top of one cupcake up against the side of the cake. Use buttercream to secure the cupcake to the cake and cake board.
4. Crumb-coat the cupcakes and chill the cake for an hour or so until firm.
5. Roll out 1⁄2 pound of the lime green fondant until it’s approximately 8 inches long by 5 inches wide and 1⁄4 inch thick. Cover the cupcake stem bunch with the fondant and trim it to remove the excess.
6. To make the individual stems to place on top of the stem bunch, use your hands (or an extruder) to roll pencil-sized ropes from the sage green fondant, leaf green fondant, and remaining lime green fondant. You will need approximately 20 ropes.
7. Brush the stem bunch with a small amount of water, and apply the green ropes in random color order. Trim the ropes at the edge of the stem bunch. Continue until the stem bunch is entirely covered.
8. To apply the roses, brush a small amount of water or piping gel to the dome-shaped surface of the cake. Start by placing the large ribbon roses, so that the smaller, fluffier flowers can be placed in around them.
9. Next, place the smaller ribbon roses randomly on the surface of the cake, the same way you applied the larger ones. These smaller roses mimic tea or spray roses, which are tiny and come on branches with clusters of three to four roses per stem. Cluster your small ribbon roses when placing them on your cake for a similar effect.
10. To apply the lisianthus, use a small amount of water or piping gel to randomly adhere them in a few of the open spots left around the cake.
11. To make the mums, roll out a golf-ball-sized amount of the white (or yellow) fondant until it’s a little thicker than 1⁄8 inch. Cut out flower shapes using the daisy cutter.
12. Pick up the cut flower and use your fingers to pinch together the base of the flower while bringing the petals in toward each other. Trim the bottom flat so the f lower can sit well on the cake. Make it or fake it! No time for fondant flower work? You can pick up premade fondant flowers at any cake decorating supply store. Most large craft stores now carry premade f lowers as well.
13. To apply the mums, use water or piping gel to adhere the mums in the remaining open spaces. Spread the petals to fill out the space.
14. Fill in little gaps with green leaves. To do so, roll out a golfball-sized amount of green fondant (any green will do) until it’s a little thicker than 1⁄8 inch. Cut out about 30 leaf shapes.
15. Pinch and bend the leaves to fit them into the small open spaces. Tuck them in to cover any gaps between flowers.
16. Add a fondant ribbon to the stems. Roll out a golf-ball-sized amount of light pink fondant until it’s 1⁄8 inch thick. Use a sharp knife or accordion cutter to cut three strips that are 4 inches long by 1 inch wide.
17. Apply the strips over the middle of the fondant stems in a crisscross fashion and trim the ribbons at the cake board to give the illusion of ribbon-wrapped bouquet stems.
18. Finish the bouquet cake by perching the little pink butterfly on one of the large ribbon roses. Use a dab of piping gel to hold it in place.
