YOU WILL NEED

FOR THE CAKE• 1 x pre-iced 2-tier cake on board.

Sizes: top tier 15cm (6in) round, bottom tier 20cm (8in) high x 15cm (6in) round

• 25cm (10in) and 30cm (12in) drumsTO DECORATE• 2 x 55ml bottle of gold metallic

airbrush colour• 2 x food grade acetate sheets • cocktail sticks • water brush• small amount of royal icing in a bag

D E C O R A T I N G T H E C A K E

1 First make sure you have everything to hand: the airbrush gold, food grade acetate sheet and a cocktail stick. Make sure you’re working on a flat surface before starting.2 Shake the bottle well, then pour the gold onto the acetate sheet liberally. Using the cocktail stick, spread the gold over the sheet and leave to dry. 3 When completely dry you will be able to easily peel the gold away from the sheet and break it into smaller pieces to make simple but amazing gold leaf.4 Using royal icing in a small bag, pipe onto the cake and attach the gold leaf; I find it easier to attach all the larger pieces first.5 Using a water brush, gently brush over the sides of the gold leaf to make sure it is fully attached and add smaller pieces of gold leaf where needed. The water will make the gold melt, so be careful not to add too much. 6 You can add as much gold leaf as you wish, following a pattern if you like.

M A K I N G T H E C H I L L I E S

7 Cut 24 gauge white wire in half, then bend

T E C H N I Q U E S AIRBRUSHING, MODELLING, HOMEMADE GOLD LEAF, MOULD MAKING

3

2

1

S K I L L L E V E L

a hook into one end of the wire. I used 38 cut wires.8 Add a little Trex to your flower paste to help soften it, then roll into a sausage shape, gently making one end more pointed and thinner. You may need to thin the base a little too as they should be thin and elegant, not too chunky. 9 Push the hooked end of the wire into the thicker end of the paste and push up just over half way, then gently squeeze the paste around the wire and tweak to create the correct shape. Leave to dry before airbrushing.10 Put some old paper on your work surface, ready to airbrush. Pour the red airbrush colour into the colour well of your airbrush, press down to release the air and pull back the trigger to release the colour. Hold the chilli up slightly from the paper and spray the colour all over. Leave upright in a piece of polystyrene to dry.11 Once dry, dip the chillies into confectioner’s glaze, making sure they are completely covered. Get rid of any excess glaze by spinning the chilli in an old cardboard box, then leave to dry standing upright again.12 Roll a small ball of green flower paste and push up the wire, pushing it against the bottom of the chilli – use a little water to help it stick. Using the scalpel, indent little lines on the green paste and leave to dry.13 Using half-width florist tape, tape up all of the chillies individually first then group them together and tape to create the two ends of the spray.

M A K I N G T H E V E I N E R

14 To make the mould you will need your petal, and equal amounts of white and green silli putty. I create my moulds on the lid of the silli paste.15 Mix the green and white pastes together (this will start the drying process), then place onto the lid of the container and gently press the petal into the paste.16 Put a barrier of Trex around the edge of the petal, then mix a little more paste and gently push on top of the petal to create a double-sided veiner. If you don’t use the Trex, the silli paste will stick to itself and you will need to cut

it out. Leave to dry for about 2 hours.17 The silli is dry when it is smooth and not tacky to touch. The top layer of silli should peel away very easily to reveal your petal. Remove the petal and you are left with a beautiful mould. I like to trim around the edge of the mould to get a nice clean edge. They are now ready to use.

M A K I N G T H E H Y D R A N G E A

18 Roll out a small amount of flower paste, but leave a small ridge in one end (it needs to be thin).19 Push a 30 gauge white wire into the paste but don’t put a hook in the wire as the petal is very fine. Dust your moulds with cornflour.20 Carefully line up your petal so the centre vein is in the middle, then place the second mould on top and push down. Open the mould to reveal the beautiful petal, then gently take it out of the mould.21 Using a fine pair of scissors or a suitable cutter, cut around the petal to make a nice neat edge.22 Place onto a CelPad and using the rounded end of a Celpin, place half on the petal and half off the petal, and gently press down. This creates a soft movement around the petal.23 Using the airbrush, gently spray each petal pink, making sure you spray the back and front of the petals too.24 Bend all of the four petals at the top of the wire, then put together to create the hydrangea flower. Using half-width florist tape, tape the petals together.25 Add a small dot of royal icing to the centre of the flower to finish it off. You could use a very small ball of flower paste if you wish.26 Tape about 6 single flower heads together to create one hydrangea bunch; I have made two of these for this cake. 27 Tape the two hydrangea bunches together, then put one chilli spray either side and tape the stems together. Add separate chillies as desired, then push the spray into the posy pick and insert into the side of the cake, tweaking slightly to suit your design.

FOR THE CHILLIES• white flower paste• red airbrush colour• CD66 airbrush by Cassie Brown

Cakecraft• apple green dust added to a small

amount of flower paste• scalpel• piece of polystyrene, to put your

flowers in • 24 gauge white wire• confectioner’s glaze • wire cutters

• ½ width florist tapeFOR THE HYDRANGEA• hydrangea flower to dissect• silli mould making set• scissors• non-stick board• hard foam• CelPad• thin rolling pin or Celpin• 30 gauge white wire• cornflour • Trex or other vegetable shortening• posy pick

This simple homemade gold leaf technique by Create and Craft ambassador Cassie Brown adds a glamorous touch to any cake design

Gold leaf with CHILLI PEPPERS

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Everything you need, plus lots of amazing discountscreateandcraft.tv

A

B

C

D

FOR 10% OFF EVERYTHING Join the Create and Craft club todayVisit createcraft.tv/join-the-club

Code 358816 - Cassie Brown Airbrush Kit with DVD £99.99

Code 327114 - Food Safe Baking Sheets £12.99

Code 358873 - Cassie Brown’s 5-In-1 Rolling Pin £9.99

Code 351248 - Wilton Royal Icing Mix £5.99

Code 358848 - Red Airbrush Colour £2.99

* All prices, information and availability of stock may be subject to changeTo find all the products mentioned on this page please visit createandcraft.tv

To find all the products mentioned on this page please visit createandcraft.tv

Live demos and tutorials on Freesat 813, Virgin 748, Freeview 23, Sky 674