The Autumn Fairy Cake
Prepare the cake board for the cake by covering it with sugarpaste. Texture with the Varipin in a circular action. Sugarpaste the cake separately and position carefully onto the coated board.
Flowers (see Illustration 6).
1. Take 1 long and 6 shorter stamens (made by folding 3 stamens in half) and wrap a piece of rose wire around the base. Cut off the base of the stamens at an angle. Tape down on to a 26 gauge wire with half width Brown florist tape.
2. Roll out White flowerpaste and cut out one carnation (CIM). Put cornflour on the board and frill with the plain frilling tool. While still soft, place on some kitchen roll paper and dust the centre Canary and Lime Green. Dust the edges Burgundy.
3. Glue the base of the stamens and thread the wire through the centre of the carnation. Squeeze the base of the carnation to fit snugly just underneath the stamens.
4. Roll out White flowerpaste and cut out 2 calyxes (R11C). Vein each sepal with a central vein from the tip to the centre. Dust the calyxes Chocolate and the tips Burgundy. Glue the centre and lay the second on top. interleaving the sepals. Press down in the centre.
5. Cut out 2 - Lace Flowers LF4. Remove the centres with the tip of the veining tool. Dust the centre of the flower and part of the petals Orange merging to Canary and the tips Burgundy. Glue the centre of one and lay the second on top, interleaving the sepals (see Illustration 6).
6. Glue the centre of the calyx from Step 4 and lay the flowers on top, interleaving the sepals. Remove the flower to the Orchard flowerstand (S1) and place the centre of the flower over a large hole - (see Illustration 7).
7. Glue the base of the centre from Step 3 and thread through the centre of the flower. Prop the petals and sepals with cloud drift (acrylic fibre) and leave to dry thoroughly. Dust the back Orange with Burgundy tips.
8. Steam the flowers for a few seconds over the spout of a boiling kettle or run a non-drip steam iron above the flowers to allow the dusts to merge for that natural appearance. Then paint the stamens Yellow.
9. Bud. Hook the end of a 26 gauge wire. Roll a small ball of Green paste. Burn the hook with a lighter and press into the ball of Green paste. Roll into a cone. (Because the heat melts the paste and seals the cone, you can work on this item straight away and do not have to wait for it to dry).
10. Cut out 4 Lace Leaves (LL4) from Yellow flowerpaste for each bud. Remove the centres. Glue the green cone and wrap the first leaf around the cone. Glue the base and wrap the second leaf opposite the first. Add two more leaves opposite to leaves 1 and 2. Press in at the base.
11. For a more open bud. press in about a third of the way up from the base. Dust the base and the bud randomly with Cosmos colouring. Hang on the flowerstand upsidedown to dry.
12. The Leaves. Roll out White paste on the grooved board (to give a thicker stem) then texture by rolling across the width with the Varipin. Cut out a Lace Leaf. Insert a 33 gauge wire into the base of the leaf and then remove the centre pieces. Allow to dry with a little curve. Dust to choice.
The Bow
1. Roll out paste 'A' with a smooth rolling pin thicker than normal. Then roll it with the veined 'Varipin' pressing down firmly. Cut a rectangle (half the bow) approx. 8 x 2.5cm (311 x 1"). Turn the paste over and fold and glue a little "hem" down each side. Turn the paste right side up.
2. Dust the paste with a Lustre dust. To make a fold (or ruffle) in the bow, place a Slimpin pin longitudinally in the centre under the paste. Squeeze the ends of paste inwards and stick in place with glue. Double over to form the half bow. Support with "cloud drift". Leave to dry.
3. Repeat the previous steps for the other half of the bow.
4. For the two ties, repeat Steps 1 & 2 above, but make each piece approximately 15 x 2.5cm (6" x 1") long. Trim the ends to suit. Drape them over the cake and prop with "cloud drift" to give a flowing look.
5. Stick the two half bows onto the cake with paste glue where the ties meet. Prepare a small piece of paste as in Steps 1 & 2 and wrap over the join of the half bows to make the knot.
For a neat finish, twirl a ribbon around the base and secure with a bow before assembling the fairy flowers and the paste bow onto the cake.
