Gum paste Peony Leaves

Welcome to a bonus tutorial for my newsletter fans only. Yes, I save some special post as a thank you for those who subscribe to my newsletter!. Cool hanh?
Well, it's just a little thank you for showing me so much support.

You can also find the Gum paste Peony tutorial on my blog.

So, now how do we do the gum paste peony leaves. Really really simple.

These are the peony leaf cutters.

Roll and wire the peony leaves

You do them very similar to the way you do wired petals.

• Cut your 22 g wire into three and set aside.
• Roll your moss green gum paste / flower paste on your celboard.
• Dip end of wire in edible glue - wipe off excess then thread the wire into the leaf vein about ⅔ way up the entire leaf.
• Vein the leaves with your leaf vainer.
• Thin the edges with a ball tool.
• Pinch the paste where the wire meet the leaf so it will secure the leaf well.
• Dry on a foam pad.

Dusting the gum paste peony leaves

• Now it's time to dust the leaves.
• I use moss green petal dust and a little cornstarch to lighten it if needed.
• Use a soft bristle brush so you won't break your petals.
• Dust from the outside to the center of the petal. Front and back.
• Then dust a single line down the center of the petal in the front
  This will highlight the center.
• Once you have done all the leaves.
• Steam them and let them dry completely.

Now Glaze the leaves

You can stop at steaming the leaves or you can go one step further and glaze them with confectioners glaze. This give them that shiny waxy look that you usually get on leaves.
To glaze all you do is dip your brush in the glaze and dab the brush on the leaves. I prefer not to brush as it leaves the brush strokes.
Let dry completely.

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Note: Confectioners glaze is very sticky so it is almost impossible to clean. you can clean it with a high percentage alcohol but I'd rather throw then attempt that.
I use a cupcake wrapper and a disposable paint brush. Once done I throw them.

Making a Leaf Spray.

The picture is quite self explanatory here. You wrap the wires half way down with half width green floral wire. Take the large leaf, and a attach two smaller leaves below on each side to create a spray.

To make the Peony Flower Spray

You basically just attach the flower to the leaf spray with a full width green florist tape.

And you can see it here.
Notice the large spray is behind and the two spare leaves are on the side. This is how I will place them on the cake.

Placing flowers on the cake.

It is very important that you do not insert wires into your cake . I place a bubble straw into the cake and then add the wire into the bubble straw.  Sometimes I even brush the stems with melted chocolate to avoid any accidents.

Last but very important. Always make sure you tell your customers that these flowers are non edible due to the use of wires and that they are to be removed from the cake before cutting the cake. Ensure not kids touch these just to avoid any accidents with the wires.

Well I do hope you enjoy your bonus tutorial. Thank you so much for being on my newsletter and for all the support you have shown me both here and on my Facebook page.

Have a lovely day.