Fondant is an incredibly versatile medium for cake decorating. It's pliable and moldable, like play dough, but is sweet and delicious. Make tasty homemade fondant or buy commercially prepared fondant from a cake decorating supply store or craft store and make these beautiful roses that will add elegance and professionalism to any cake.
Step One: The Center
Knead food coloring into fondant to achieve the desired shade. Pinch off a small amount (diameter approximately the size of a quarter) and roll into a ball in the palm of the hands. Pinch the ball until it forms a teardrop shape. Set teardrop aside. See image one, step one below.
Step Two: Create Petals
Pinch off another similarly sized chunk of fondant and again roll into a ball between the palms. Place the ball on a lightly greased surface, and use fingers to pat the ball into a flat disk. Use fingers to flatten and thin the edge on one half of the disk. Don't worry about getting the edges thin the entire way around, only the top half needs to be thinned. Don't worry about making the edge of the petal paper thin and completely realistic. Fondant needs to be a little thicker than a real rose petal. It still looks very realistic and beautiful, but if a perfectly realistic rose is desired, make a gumpaste rose. See image one, step two below.
Step Three: Apply the First Petal
Wrap the first petal around the teardrop shaped center, pressing lightly at the base so the petal stays in place. Don't worry about attaching it perfectly at this point, just get it to stay in place reasonably well. See image two, step three below.
Step Four: The Next Petal
Make a second petal and add it to the rosebud. Place it opposite of the first petal. Only make and then add one petal at a time. If more than one petal is made at a time, the petals may dry out too much and crack before they can be applied. See image two, step four below.
Step Five: The Rest of the Petals
Add the rest of the petals to the rose, working one at a time. Bend back each petal slightly to create a more open rose, or stand more vertically to create a tighter rose. Always add an odd number of petals to create a natural looking rose. Three petals make a lovely rosebud, five petals a normal rose, and seven petals a very large rose. See image three, step five below.
Step Six: Finishing the Flower
The fondant rose will look lovely at this point—from the top. Beneath with be an unsightly, large lump of fondant. Simply twist off the excess material from the bottom of the rose. This will eliminate the unsightly bulk and also serves to cement the petals of the rose together nicely. Use the excess material to make teardrops for the centers of more roses. Set rose aside and let dry, or add to a cake immediately.
Optional Touches
If extra depth and texture is desired, use a clean, dry paintbrush to dust on luster dust or petal dust. Use a little bit of yellow petal dust in the very center of the rose to mimic pollen. Brush petal dust of a deeper hue of the rose color at the base of each petal. Use a large, fluffy brush to dust super pearl luster dust over the entire rose to create a lovely shimmer.
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