
Happy Monday!! This is a fun and easy project that will be perfect for the beach themed cakes this summer!! It only takes a handful of materials and you can make these pretty quickly. The only thing that takes time is letting the leaves dry!
Here's what you'll need:
- Green fondant or gum paste
- Lily or narrow leaf cutter
- Flower form or curved surface for the leaves to dry
- Sugar glue
- Small paint brush
- Covered wires (I use 22 gauge, 6″ long wires)
- Coffee Straws
- Pirouettes
Step 1: Roll out your green fondant and cut out at least six leaves. I used this Lily Cutter from the Wilton Gum Paste flowers set:
Step 2: Place the leaves on a curved form to dry. I like to dust the form with corn starch or powdered sugar to prevent sticking.
Let them dry for at least 24 hours - you may need more time depending on the softness of your fondant and the humidity where you live.
Wrap up your leftover green fondant and save it - you'll need it for more steps later!
Step 3: Once the leaves are dry, you'll need to cut out 6 more leaves. You'll also need to bend a 6" wire to fit the curve of the leaf, then use sugar glue to attach it.
Step 4: While it's still wet, place another (fresh) leaf underneath the bottom - sandwiching the wire in between. Again, let the leaves dry for at least 24 hours. You can align the bottom and top perfectly, or have them offset a little so you'll have some variation. You can see some of mine offset in the final picture.
Step 5: Push a coffee straw into the soft center of a pirouette, then insert all of the wires of the leaves. Arrange them to make a balanced tree!
Step 7: Push the tree into a cake and you're done!
If the pirouette is off balance, you can push a bamboo skewer into the bottom of it, then push that into the cake to have more leverage and help it stand up!
Wanna get the details for the whole cake? Click HERE to read them all and see more pics!!
If you have any y questions about this tutorial, ask me in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer if I can! Happy Caking!
Kim
Rose, is that brown sugar for the sand? The Pirouette tree trunk = Brilliant!
Rose
I think it was actually crushed graham crackers for this cake, but I have used brown sugar too and they both work well! xx
christine Alpert
Hi there, just letting you know that I’ve nominated you for the sunshine award! Acceptance is optional. But if you’re interested, please come check out this post!: http://sweettablescapes.wordpress.com/2014/05/09/sunshine-award/
Pam
The palm tree is great, but I don't think you could call it edible because of the hidden wires and straw. Many states do not allow hidden wires in food items.
Betty
HI, I am still in Indiana an reading your blog everyday. I still love it. YOU are great with what you teach.
Your friend in Shelbyville, IN.
Betty C.
Rose
Thanks Betty!
Kim~madeinaday
Another fabulous cake! Thank you for sharing on Merry Monday! Hope to see ya next week!
Kim