Fondant Magnolia Flower Tutorial

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a tutorial on how to make a fondant magnolia flower. I made this flower for a wedding cake. It is very easy to make and quite impressive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

TOOLS/INGREDIENTS

(1) Magnolia Flower Petal Cutters (I Used a Rose Petal Cutters)

(2) Rolling Pin

(3) Floral Tape

(4) Floral Wire

(5) Scissors

(6) Paint Brush

(7) Fondant

(8) Pearl/Color Dust

(9) Water

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOTE:

Although magnolia flowers typically come in white, you can make this flower in any color of your choice. In the cake below, I made it in pastel green.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROCEDURE:

(1) Shape fondant into bulbs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2) Curve the edge of thick floral wire. This locks the wire in place and prevents it from coming out of the bulb. I used an 18 gauge floral wire here.

NOTE: Floral wires have different gauges. The larger the number, the smaller the gauge. Thus a 26 gauge floral wire will be thinner than an 18 gauge floral wire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3) Insert the curved ends into the base of the bulb.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(4) using a pair of scissors, make cut outs around the top half of the bulb. Also make vertical markings on the bottom half of the bulb. Allow bulb to dry before using.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(5) Once bulb has dried, color the top with green color/pearl dust. You have the choice of setting the color now or waiting until you have made the complete flower. Point 17 below shows how to set color/pearl dust with steam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(6) For the petals, roll fondant out until it is very thin. I did not use a ball roller here, thus the fondant has to be paper thin.

(7) Cut out thin floral wires into 3 inch lengths. These will be used for the petals. I used 26 gauge floral wires here.

(8) Cut out petals using your petal cutter. You will need to cut out petals of two sizes. You will need a total of 9 to 10 petals per flower. Divide the petals evenly between the two sizes. Cut out more petals just in case. Some petals will always break or become loose. Its always better to have extras than to fall short. Cover petals when not in use so they do not dry up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(8) Working one petal at a time, flip the petal to the back, brush the bottom part of the petal with a little water and press a floral wire into the petal. Be careful not to press the wire all the way  through the petal so as not to expose it in front of the petal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(9) Roll out a thin string of fondant and use it to cover the floral wire at the back of the petal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOTE: There are certain petal rolling boards that come with vainer. If you have this rolling board, roll out your fondant on it before cutting petals out. This will provide nature grooves in which you can insert your floral wire.

(10) Pinch the ends of the petal and fondant string together. This will hold the floral wire in place. If you do not do this, the wire will be loose and rotate within the petal. This will make the flower formation impossible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(11) Place the petal front side up on your petal dryer, bending the floral wire to take on the shape of the petal dryer. You an use petal cups in place of the dryer. You can also use empty apple crates or whatever petal drying tool you have.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(12) Repeat the above steps for all the petals and allow them to dry for about a day before using.

(13) Once petals have dried, you have the option of brushing the tips and bottoms with green color/pearl dust before forming the flower or doing so after the flower has been formed.

(14) To form flower, stretch out your floral tape to activate the glue.

(15) Starting with the smaller petals, tie the petals around the floral wire holding the bulb. Work with one petal at a time spacing them accordingly. You might need to bend the petal floral wires a bit to make tying possible. Keep stretching the floral tape as you tie each petal. Do not be scared of spreading out your petals to form a beautiful bloom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(16) When you are done tying the petals, cut off the excess tape and thick floral wire at the base. If you did not color the ends and tips of your petals before, do so now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(17) To set the color/pearl dust and give the flower a bit of shine, steam the flower. This can be done using a hand steamer or dangling the flower over a pot of steaming water or kettle of boiling water. This takes less than 10 seconds. Be careful not to soak your flower with steam as it would ruin it.

(18) Allow the flower to dry properly before inserting it into the cake.