Hello Sugar Friends!
I am so excited about this blog post. As you know, ranunculus are all the rage right now in the sugar world. And making them in sugarpaste can be quite time consuming and cumbersome. That’s why I am so thrilled that we have a guest blog post today by the amazingly talented Kara Andretta of Kara’s Couture Cakes. She is going to share with us her wonderful technique for making these beautiful flowers from wafer paper! Brilliant I tell you!
And to make it even sweeter, stay tuned to the end of this post for information on a great give-away of Kara’s wafer paper Ranunculus kit!!
Isn’t this cake just stunning? All of Kara’s cakes are.
And now I turn it over to Kara to share her wonderful technique for the wafer paper ranunculus:
I love the ranunculus. It’s like the mille-feuille of the botanical world, lush with impossibly delicate, silky petals. No matter how many different ways I’ve tried, I have never been content with the finished look of sugar paste for this beauty. Confectioner’s wafer lends the lightness, delicacy, and translucency that I find so essential to successfully imitate nature.
–Kara
Materials
1.5-inch foam ball
2 sheets wafer paper
Bright green petal dust
Coated foam or gumpaste flower center affixed to an 18- or 20-gauge floral wire
Cutting mat
Craft circle punches (1 inch and 1.5 inch)
Craft knife
Deep green petal dust
Large angled soft brush
Ruler or straight edge
Small bowl of water
Small and narrow soft brush
Small scissors
Soft round-tipped brush
Violet (or your choice color) petal dust
Instructions
1. Using the smaller circle punch, cut one circle as close to the corner of one sheet of wafer paper as possible.
2. Using the cut hole as a guide, line up your ruler or straight edge and cut a strip just larger than the hole. Use that strip as a guide to cut the remainder of the wafer sheet into equal strips.
3. Group 2-3 strips of wafer paper together. Turn your circle punch upside down, and punch holes down the length of the grouped strips of wafer paper. Having the punch upside down allows you to see that you have the paper properly centered in the cutting area and it reduces waste.
4. Repeat the process with the large craft circle punch and the second sheet of confectioner’s wafer paper.
5. The wafer circle now needs to be cut:
6. Cutting 2-3 circles at a time, cut from the edge straight towards the center, approximately ? of the diameter inward (? inch for the 1 inch round).
7. Dip your brush lightly into the water, only to dampen it slightly. Blot any excess water on the side or on a paper towel. Brush the water on the wafer just to the left of the cut. You shouldn’t see any visible moisture on the wafer; it doesn’t take much to create a sticky surface. Too much water will simply melt the wafer.
8. Fold the right side of the cut over top of the dampened left side and press gently together. You do not need to hold it or apply much pressure, it sticks almost instantly. This step should produce a slight cup to the wafer petal.
9. Repeat step 8 with all of the circles.
10. Paint a circle of water around the top third of the flower center. (You can use a bit more water in the following steps than you used in creating the cupped petals.)
11. Begin applying the small wafer petals in a circle, slightly overlapping each other, all meeting at the center top of the ball.
12. Use 4-5 petals to form your first and innermost layer.
13. Apply your second layer of petals about ? inch lower than the first set of petals. Overlap these as well. Use approximately 5 petals to complete this layer. (Each following layer should be applied slightly farther down than the previous layer, just as you did here.)
14. Before you add subsequent layers, you’ll notice that there are some pointed areas from the cupping of the petals and where they may overlap. Tamp down the points with the side of your slightly wet brush. Don’t get too close to the tops of the petals, but also don’t be afraid of using water at this point. The center does much to absorb excess moisture as does the layered petals.
15. The petals don’t have to be flush to the center. A little irregularity will create more volume and visual interest.
16. Once you are content with the look and quantity of the first smaller petal layers, you can begin using the larger petals.
17. These petals will overhang the ball a bit at first. Paint water at the edges of the petal.
18. Use your fingers to arrange the look of the petal and to pull the petals down and closer for the first few layers of the larger sized petals. This will help the flower to still look a bit tight rather than opening up too abruptly. Allow the last few layers of large petals to open more.
19. Once you’ve finished applying all of your petals, use a wet brush to secure the bottom visible layers of petals to the center and create a flush surface.
20. You can leave your petals as applied like in this picture. They have crisp, clean edges and look very refined. Or…
21. …You can use a lightly wet brush and run it around the edges of the outer side of the edges of the petals, as in this picture. The wafer will curl to the side you applied the water and create a more worn, shabby chic look. I find this look to be more natural, but each look has their place in design.
Yes, you’ve just finished these flowers. And if you’re accustomed to working with sugarpaste you may move on to a different task, have a cup of coffee, or call it a day. We’re used to allowing the sugar to dry for at least 24 hours (in general) before we apply the finishing touches. No need with these wafer flowers! You can begin dusting right away! Just be sure your edges have dried if you applied water to curl them.
22. To dust them and add life, I used three shades of green petal dust: Holly, Moss Green, and Apple Green for the center.
23. First start with the Apple Green, applying your largest diameter coating of color with the small, soft, narrow brush.
24. Add the Moss Green and Holly to the center to gradually deepen the shading towards the center.
25. Using your large, soft, angled brush, load a very light amount of violet (or your chosen accent color) onto it, tapping the excess off.
26. Hold the brush at an angle to the petals and make short downward motions to gently apply the color to just the edges of the petals. I used a bit more color on the outermost petals.
27. The accent color is very, very gentle (and very difficult to reproduce on camera!) but it highlights the edges and gives the flower life and dimension.
This flower took 20 minutes, from punching the wafer paper to finishing dusting!
About the Author
I am a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and have studied under some of the best pastry chefs and cake decorators in the world. I specialize in fondant covered cakes, gourmet cupcakes and cookies, custom designed to perfectly fit each client’s unique occasion. The only thing better than how my cakes look, is how they taste! Ask me about cake!
Kara’s Couture Cakes
making the world sweeter, one cake at a time.
————————————————————————————————–
AND NOW FOR THE GIVE-AWAY!
Kara has been so kind as to donate three of her wafer paper ranunculus kits (available in her Facebook shop here) as prizes!
TO ENTER:
One entry into the raffle will be given for each of the following actions: (the more you do, the more chances you have to win)
1) Leave a comment under this post
2) Subscribe to our blog via email using the box on the right hand side of this page
3) Sign up for the SugarEd Newsletter via the box on our homepage here: www.sugaredproductions.com
4) Enter via Facebook for more even chances to win using the tab on our Facebook page here: SugarEd Facebook Page
Winners:
Three winners will be chosen by random draw from all entries. Deadline November 26, 2013 midnight central time.
(Open to USA and Canada only please.)
GOOD LUCK!
Sharon
www.sugaredproductions.com
love this!
I would love to learn how to make your beautiful ranunculus
Partecipo anch’io dall’Italia a questo Giveway
I like your cakes and now your products. Thanks for sharing your talent.
Oh my goodness…would LOVE LOVE on top of LOVE the kit for this GORGEOUS ranunculus! And this tutorial is BRILLIANT! Thank you for taking the time to do it for us!
I would LOVE to win! 🙂
I am so excited to attempt to copy this wonderful tutorial. Awesome and wondering if it could be done with other flowers.
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing your talents 🙂
One of my absolute favorite flowers and have been frightened to try this with gumpaste. Thanks so much.
these are beautiful.. can’t wait to try them.
I love these! Hope I win!
Loved this tutorial. Thanks so much!
This would be awesome to win, learn and make!!
Luv these flowers, fantastico!!
These are gorgeous! Definitely must try these! Thanks for sharing 🙂
What a awesome technique thanks for sharing
This would be awesome to win, learn and make!!
These are beautiful!!!
Brilliance is right! They’re stunning!
just beautiful , thanks for sharing
Oooh! Thank you for sharing! Can’t wait to try these out 🙂
Love it thank you for sharing
How gorgeous! I love it!
These are so incredibly gorgeous!!
Thank you for sharing this wonderful tutorial.
So pretty!! Thank you for sharing.
Love This Clean Realistic Flower! Can’t Wait To Try It Out!
Lovely, and your tutorial was easy to follow. I’ll try these.
So beautiful – wonderful job!
It looks easy enough but anytime I think it’s easy it never is not for me anyway.i would really like to try this and I think I might
Thank you for sharing looks so easy
Beautiful flower and awesome tutorial.
Would love to win, thank you for the tutorial.
Would love to make this beautiful project!
This is going to be a must try to do project
I love this idea of using wafer paper! So smart I have to try it! Would love to win this!
I would love to make these they are so beautiful
Fantastic tutorial… Definitely gonna try it!!! :o)
Absolutely stunning,and so easy! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
I have been wanting to learn to do this for a LONG time!!!! I am so excited to see this here and the giveaway!
These are gorgeous! LOVE!!! Thank you so much for sharing how to make them.
Thanks ladies! The wafer Ranunculus is beautiful and brilliant!!
These are beautiful! can’t wait to try.
These are some of my favorite flowers and this is a great tutorial! Thank you for sharing!
These are absolutely beautiful…a showstopper! Thank you so much for the tutorial! Would love to win a kit!
The Ranunculus are beautiful. Would be so much fun to make. Thank you for sharing.
Absolutely gorgeous. Would love to learn how to learn this tutorial.
Beautiful
I would love to give this a try!
So beautiful! Would love to win one of your kits to make these beautiful flowers! I’ve been wanting to try one for a long time. Thank you for sharing the tutorial!
Beautiful, thanks for sharing
It looks like so much fun! I would love to try these beautiful flowers!
How kind on sharing not only this amazing tutorial but to have a giveaway!!! thank U very much!
Thank U soooo muuuuch!
This is amazing! thank U
I wish I’ll win!!! thnks for sharing!
I love these! Such amazing talent!!
These are beautiful and so delicate looking. Thank you for sharing the tutorial!
Sorry, about the typo on my name.
Absolutely stunning i would love to win one of these kits
These are just beautiful! Would love to win this set!
These flowers are awesome. Gotta get some paper soon!!
Love this tutorial. I’ve always been intimidated by ranunculus flowers. Thanks for sharing it with us.
What a comprehensive tutorial KARA! I will save this and use it …Thanks so much. Melody
Love this idea… can’t wait to try it!
Wafer is fun to work with. Different medium, but great possibilities.
Lovely flower
Simply beautiful!
Beautiful, I just love this flower! Thank you
So beautiful, thank you so much for sharing!
Just fantastic, my most favorite flower, would love to win this kit.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE these flowers!!!
Beautiful work! The pictures are great too, with the step by step instructions.
You’re a really great teacher, Kara!
I have a birthday coming up for my 1 year old granddaughter and this would look gorgeous on her 1st cake!
Absolutely stunning.
I would love to win! Thank you for sharing this tutorial 🙂
Love this tutorial!!! Wish I had seen it a month ago when I had to self teach myself how to make this flower using gum paste. Definitely will use this method from now on!!
Thank you!
Thank you for sharing. Would love a kit!!!
Just saw this the other day on the web. Nice to be able to find it in one place now.
I maybe missed this but is the wafer paper edible, and if so would it make more sense to make the styrofoam ball out of gumpaste like we do with the roses?
The most beautiful version of a ranunculus I have seen. Would love to win and be able to make them!
Wow! So pretty and nice.
What beautiful work! Thanks for sharing the tutorial! I’d LOVE to give these a try…
Thank you for this tutorial. I have been wanting to try these beautiful flowers.
Love this thank you for a great tutorial
Beautiful flowers!!
I can’t wait to try to make this flower
I would love to win this. I have always wanted to try one of these flowers.
Thanks for generously sharing your ranunculus tutorial! So clear, easy to understand and the chance to win your kit? Much appreciated! Thanks so much! Deb
I can’t wait to order a kit and give making these beautiful flowers a go! Thanks so much for sharing with all of us!
That is absolutely beautiful! I can’t stop looking at it. Thank you for sharing your talent!
Thanks for the great tutorial. I can’t wait to try these flowers!
These are gorgeous. Thank you for the tutorial.
Gorgeous!! And so much lighter than gumpaste ones!
That looks beautiful, Can’t wait to try them…
As a student of the Art, I’m always impressed with your work and ideas! You inspire me to learn more. Thank You.
What a great way to make the ranunculus. Having tried it in gumpaste this is so much better, and no weight…
Thanks for sharing….
Thank you for the tutorial! I’ve always wanted to see how to make a rice paper flower! 🙂
Gorgeous!!!!
Fun!
Awesome!
These are absolutely beautiful. I had eye surgery 6 days ago and should not be on the internet but I couldn’t resist looking at this tutorial. I can’t wait until I am better and can try to make these. Thanks for a great tutorial.
Thank you for a wonderful tutorial. Can’t wait to try this beautiful flower.
Absolutely beautiful! Great tutorial! Thanks for sharing…Such a talent God has truly blessed you!
Great tutorial! I love these!
Absolutely stunning!!
Thank you, for this contribution to cake art.
Thank you for your contribution to cake art.
Wow this is an awesome tutorial, I would love
to try my hand at making one of these lovely
wafer paper ranunculus flowers.
Wow,such ingenuity. I’ve tried butterflies before with wafer & rice papers on chocolates & cookies but never nothing like this. Such a time saver & so delicate, Great intricate piece for a wedding cake. Thanks so much for sharing!
This is stunning! Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful flower! Need to get the supplies to try!
So beautiful!! Thanks so much for sharing!
Great info site!
Beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
Gorgeous technique! Excellent giveaway! Thank you!
So beautiful! Thanks Kara for sharing your talent & thanks to Sharon for recognizing how much we love learning!! Keep it going!
These are stunning. I’ve made a few sugar varieties, but the wafer paper make them look so light and airy..just beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing.
I am a self taught baker, decorator, and use home-made marshmellow fondant for flowers, which is really fun! But I am ready to learn the latest, and newest techique for flower creating. I always look forward to the new information you put out, and will look forward to learning these wafer flower techniques.
Flowers look amazing, can’t wait to try this technique.
So clever!
Absolutely gorgeous – hope I have a chance to try this!!!
Thank you.
These flowers are beautiful. I am glad there is a kit.
Love it… what a great idea!
would love to win and try this
Would live to learn to make these !! And win
Thanks for the tutorial, can’t wait to make one!
I am going to try this flower today! You are truly amazing and do beautiful work. I would love to be able to do this half as good as you!
These look amazing, I would love to win!
Love your tutorials and would love to win the kit
Beautiful work, would love to learn to make the flowers!
That is amazing…she make it look so easy
These flowers are absolutley beautiful!
Would be thrilled to win this!
You make it look so easy!!!
You make it look so easy! Would love to try a kit.
This is beautiful. Thankyou
Absolutely beautiful! Thanks for sharing your talent!
Thank u for the lovely tutorial , the roses are so beautiful. Waiting to give a try 🙂
Love this idea thank you so much for sharing how to make them. I would love to win the kit!
This is a great idea and tutorial. I, too, will be trying this out, but I’m sure the kit would make it a lot easier. (Hope I win!) Thanks for passing along this tip and technique. All in the love of Sugar Arts.
Beautiful thanks for sharing
Simply beautiful and stunning! Makes me believe I could make one myself! Thank you for sharing.
I love this flower!. I cannot wait to make it.
Wonderful tutorial…and stunning flowers,and cake!!
I think I just found the flowers for my sister in laws’ wedding cake. Love it, thank you.
One of my favorite flowers as well. Thank you for sharing. Now to find wafer paper.
Love this!!! Great way to achieve a natural look!
what a great way to achieve a natural look!
Beautiful! Looking forward to trying this!
<3
Beautiful!!! I purchased some wafer paper 6 mths ago, finally found a GREAT tutorial on wafer paper…Thanx, just wish it was in video… 😉
These are beautiful!! Will have to try!!
Great tutorial. I am going to experiment with tissue paper. would love to try your waffer paper kit. If i win will need to hide them from my hubby he loves waffers. Ranunculus cokkies any one? Ummmmm.
What a beautiful flower! Can’t wait to try it!
Holy cow! They are magnificent! If I could ever find out where to get wafer paper, I would try to make some !!!
Love the use of the wafer paper can not wait to try and make one using the tutorial.
Wonderful tutorial..will try it soon
Lovely
Beautiful!!!!
Gorgeous flower, would love to give this a go. Thank you for sharing
thankyou for such a beautiful tutorial. I wish your give away was world wide, as I live in Denmark 🙂
I would love to learn how to make this flower!!
This is so beautiful! 😉
Thanks for the wonderful tutorial. Simply beautiful flowers.
This is a great tutorial, I will try it.
love this, can’t wait to try it.
OOOH, I’d love to win this kit and give them a try!!
They look so beautiful, amazing!
I definitely want to try this. They are really beautiful!!!!
Amazing, thanks for sharing.
I’ve always wanted to learn how to make these!!! So pretty done in wafer paper!!
Love it! Want one!
Love it! I made one last night (Nov. 21), and it is so easy and beautiful. Took me about 90 minutes instead of her 20, but I am sure I’ll get faster.
I love these! You are so talented!
These are elegant and just plain beautiful. Can’t wait to try them.
I have grown these flowers in my garden for years and now I can make one for my cakes.Thank you for the tutorial.
Gorgeous!!!I will love to learn how to make this flowers
Gorgeous!!!I will love to learn how to make this flowers
I’ve been dying to try these! Thanks for the great tutorial!
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Beautiful flowers, thanks for sharing
Great tutorial and insight. Love it!
This is very creative!
Gorgeous! Absolutely lovely! Consider me entered!
beautiful! would love to win the kit.
Beautiful, thanks for the tutorial and giveaway!
I am a Wilton Method Instructor and I have never seen these before. I absolutely love them and would like to know where I could buy the wafers! They would be a great addition to my other flowers. I can’t wait to join your blog and learn more. fun, fun, fun 🙂
Karen you can buy the wafer paper sheets at Country Kitchen Sweet Art online 🙂