3D & Hand-Painted Poppies

3D & Hand painted Poppies

PART I

3D POPPIES

For the Poppies

red, black, green sugar florist paste

To decorate

edible glue

few drops of lemon juice

liquorice black paste edible food colour

red food colour dust (optional)

Special Equipment

rolling pin

small round cutter (diameter: approx. 12-15mm)

very small round cutter (diameter: approx. 8-10mm)

bone modelling tool

rose petal cutter (medium size)

very fine brush

sugar flowers sponge pad

sugar flowers drying foam or an avocado tray (or apple tray)

small white double ended flower stamens

colour mixing palette tray

angled tweezers

PART II

HAND-PAINTED POPPIES

To decorate

white sugar paste

liquorice black paste edible food colour

red food colour dust

few drops of lemon juice

green paste edible food colour (or green food colour dust)

Special Equipment

rolling pin

colour mixing palette tray

kitchen towel

very fine brush

medium size dusting brush

clean sponge

PART I

1. Start by rolling out a medium size ball of red sugar florist paste. The layer of the paste must be quite thin (don’t worry, it won’t break).

2. With your rose petal cutter (medium size) cut out 4 petals.

3. Position each petal on your sponge pad and with your bone modelling tool press firmly against the whole external part of each petal as to give the petal a wave effect.

4. Leave the petals to dry out a little bit on your sponge pad.

5. Now roll out a little piece of black sugar florist paste – it must be quite thick – and cut out a round circle using your small size round cutter (diameter approx. 12-15mm).

6. Attach one petal to the black circle with some edible glue. Make sure to attach only the very end of the petal and position it in the centre of the black circle.

7. Attach the second petal as shown in the picture, placing the end of the second petal on top of the first petal.

8. Repeat the same process with the other two petals.

9. If you don’t have a sugar flower drying foam you can easily re-use your avocado tray (or apple tray) as I did with my poppies. Put your poppy inside the tray hole and leave it there to dry out a bit. At this stage, if you wish to give your poppy a brighter colour, brush the petals with some red food colour dust.

10. Roll out a little piece of black sugar florist paste and cut out a round circle using your very small size round cutter (diameter approx. 8-10mm).

11. Now attach your black round circle in the middle of your poppy.

12. Prepare a bunch of white double ended flower stamens.

13. Put some black liquorice paste colour in your colour mixing palette tray and mix it with few drops of lemon juice.

14. Using a very fine brush, paint some black lines around the black centre of the poppy.

15. Roll out another small piece of black sugar florist paste and with your very small round cutter (diameter approx. 8-10mm) cut out a round circle exactly the same measure as the one attached in the centre of the poppy. Attach it on top of the first black circle in the centre of the poppy.

16. Cut your stamens in order to make them shorter. While the black centre of the poppy is still soft, put a little bit of glue on it and insert the stamens.

17. The result should be like the one shown in the picture.

18. With your bone modelling tool press gently in the middle of the black centre.

19. Now that you have completed the centre, start colouring the lower part of the stamens (the one growing out from the centre) with the black colour using your fine brush.

20. Be careful not to colour the upper part of the stamens, which must remain white.

21. Create now a small ball using the green sugar florist paste. With your angled tweezers pinch the ball gently giving the ball the effect of the poppy’s real centre.

22. The effect you wish to obtain is like the one shown in the picture.

23. Attach the green ball in the centre of your poppy with some edible glue.

24. Now make a little ball with the green sugar florist paste and attach it in the middle of the green centre.

Your poppy is completed! Remember to leave it to dry before placing it onto your cake.

TIPS:

Once you put the poppy inside your avocado tray remember not to grab it but instead try to work on it without moving it too much until it is dry.

Once the poppy is dried and ready, attach it to your cake by using a good bubble of royal icing, which could be put onto the black back part of your poppy.