I received a lot of requests on how I made the gum paste strawberries for my Cath Kidston cake. So here is a tutorial on how to make them. I have used a store bought red rolled fondant, mixed with a little Tylo powder for the red strawberry. You can use the gum paste strawberries for decorations on your cakes and cupcakes.
This is what I use:
White gum paste
Red rolled fondant, mixed with a little Tylo powder (CMC)
Food gel colors: pink and leaf green
Pink non-pareils
Non-stick board
Rolling pin
Tylo glue
Corn starch, to prevent the gum paste from sticking to your work board or hands.
Small paint brush
Dresden and veining tool (JEM) or another pointy tool
Ball tool
Frill stick
Flower foam pad
Small 5 petal blossom cutter, 20mm (3/4″)
6 petal flower cutters
Strawberry Leaves & Calyxes/Set of 4 (JEM)(I did not use the calyxes for these strawberries)
Classic D/S multi purpose veiner (Sunflower Sugar Art)
Small plastic palette, to dry your flowers in
The strawberry flowers
Step 1:
Start with the white small flowers. Roll out the white gum paste thinly and cut out the flowers with the 5 petal blossom cutter. Place the flowers on the flower foam pad and thin the petals slightly by carefully pressing down the ball tool on every petal. Transfer the flowers to the plastic palette and set to dry.
Step 2:
When the white flowers are dry, brush a little tylo glue in the middel of the flowers and sprinkle with a little pink non-pareils in the center. Set aside.
The strawberry leaf
Step 1:
Roll out the leaf green gum paste thinly and cut out the leaves with the strawberry leaf cutter. If you are having trouble getting the leaf out of the cutter, then use a toothpick to release it.
Place the leaves in the multi purpose silicone veiner. Give it a light press with your hand to get them veined. Arrange the leaves in desired shape and let them dry.
The strawberries
Step 2:
To make the strawberries take some red or pink gum paste in the desired size and roll the gum paste into a ball. Make sure, that there are no cracks in the ball at this stage!. Model it into a strawberry shape.
Step 3:
Take the dresden/veining tool and make indentations like on a real strawberry with the dresden/veining tool.
Step 4:
Roll out some more of the leaf green gum paste and cut out “flowers” using the 6 petal cutter. Flatten the petals slightly with the frill stick and glue it on the the top of the strawberry. Make an indentation with the frill stick and brush a little glue in the hole. Take a small piece of leaf green gum paste and roll it into a little stem and put it into the hole. Let the strawberry dry thoroughly.
Happy Caking!
Louise
Thanks you Louise for the amazing webside. I learnt a lot from you.
You inspired me for making the ‘Strawberry shortcake’ cake for my niece. I used your strawberry tips & even used them as candle stands 😉 too. You can check out my cake here- https://www.facebook.com/welcomeback/requests/#!/photo.php?fbid=10150999156522096&set=a.10150951343492096.406991.634462095&type=1&theater
Thanks for sharing your great ideas. I’m happy that I found your website 🙂
I would loe to see but I can’t?? 🙁 It sounds sweet with the candle stands.
May I know where did you get that 5 petal & 6 petal cutters? Thanks!
They are from Orchard Products (UK brand)
its so nice and looks so simple to make
where can I buy all these tool for flowers and leaf?
Most well stocked cake decorating stores have them. Maybe I can help you further if you write where in the world you are located.
I myself truly enjoy your website. I am so glad that you are allowing us that are still learning how to create, bake and decorate cakes and cookies the ability to follow your tutorials. If you would please send me the information on how to purchase some of the leaf products also I would really appreciate it. Thank you
Do you mean the strawberry leaf cutters? Where do you live?
I am in Cambodia and I don’t know where I can buy all these stuff. Do u have any idea?
You will have to get it from cake decorating stores that ship worldwide I think. https://www.design-a-cake.co.uk/
Hi Louise,
I adore your website. Your works are mesmerizing! My question may sound stupid but I’m not so familiar with fondant and gum paste. What’s the difference between the two? Are they interchangeable in decorating a cake? Can a gumpaste be used instead of fondant in covering a cake? Thank you.
Gum paste and fondant are sort of the same thing. Only you would never use gum past to cover at cake. Gum paste is much more stretchy and will eventually dry up hard. Hope that was answer to your question?
Olivia: NO I have not tried it yet. But you can do it. It will also make the figurine much less heavy. I would brush the foam with clear piping gel before the fondant.
Have you ever made figures using foam balls covered in fondant, instead of using gum paste? I was thinking of making jungle figures such as a monkey- can I use the foam ball for his head and body? If you did use the foam do you have to cover it with buttercream or anything first?
fancypants: It can get confusing with all the different names for the same things.
Gum paste/tylo paste/modelling paste are all the same and contains a “gum agent” that thickens the paste, so that it dry faster and hold up the shape if making figurines, flowers ect.
What is the difference between gumpaste and fondant? I’ve noticed that gumpaste is called for when making little detail work…is that because it dries better?
I love everything in this site..thanks for those infos..
Felicia: Mix the leaf green with Kelly green? and add a tiny dot of yellow.
Hi Louise,
I love the strawberries! I was wondering how you got the colour for the strawberry leaves? I am using Wilton colours but I doubt they have this colour.
Alicia: I buy the red gum paste. I have given up on coloring it myself. If you cant get red gum paste, red fondant works as good only you have to knead in some tylo powder to make it hold its shape.
I am having so much trouble making my gum paste red. Because the gum paste is white and I use as much red colour gel as I can, it still doesn’t turn out brilliant red…just kinda reddish pink. What did you do to make yours so red? Or did you buy red gum paste?
Beth: I got mine from the UK. But any nonstick rolling board would do. You can do some thhings with a foampad that you cant do with a rolling board and vice versa. All cake decorating suppliers should stock pads & boards. I dont like rubber boards as you can not cut out with metal cutters and knives without cutting into the board.
These are soooo adorable!
I’m trying to find a good celpad/celboard/rolling board… mind sharing where you got yours? Does it make a dif. between the foam vs. rubber boards/pads? If so … can people provide sites pls!
Thanx for sharing your technique!
Jessica: The black one? that is from JEM. Global sugar art have them.
Hey Louise,
I was wonder where you got that ball tool from?
Thank you so much
GORGEOUS! I love your how-tos. I’ll be linking.
Wow, these are soooo pretty.
Thanks so much Louise! These are so darling!
That would look so cute on top of a cupcake flower pot! Thanks for the tutorial!
Mayura: My cutters are from Jem and Orchard products. I think that you can get some of it from both confectioners ware and global sugar art.
Carrie: the multi leaf veiner is from http://www.decoratethecake.com
majop: Tylo glue is an edible glue made by mixing some tylo powder or cmc with some boiled water. It is perfect when you are making decorations for cakes ect.
Jackie: Yes you can use store bought fondant. Pls go to my comment no.18 for more info. thx.
Shira: the blossom cutter is from Orchard products, the leaves is from JEM (it is a strawberry cutter set) and the daisy or 6 petal is also from orchard. You can get global sugar art.
CakeBunny: Well I would not serve small parts as a decoration for wee ones, I would have removed it first. But of course you have to be careful when serving. My kids never eats the decorations on my cakes ect. Because they know it is hard but if you like you can use only fondant. It may be a little soft to work with though. A field of strawberries sounds yum!
Hi Louise,
Just wanted to ask if these dry hard? I was wondering if they could be a choking hazard for wee ones…
Of course, my 7 year old wants a cake with a feild of strawberries on it now LOL!!!
CakeBunny
Thank you for sharing your skill’s, it has been a great help!!!
Louise,
Where did u buy those blossoms, leave and daisy cutters. Friend of mine want me to make some cupcakes for her with nice deco. The blossom cutter that I had is not as good as yours.
shira
can i use fondant as gum paste?
thanks louise!
Those are beautiful!! Thank you for the info. I would like to know what tylo glue is, please.
Thankyou so much for sharing your talent. I have learned so much from your posts. These are incredible!
By the way, where can you get the multi-leaf veiner?
Thanks again!!!
This is just SO SO PRETTY Lou, I love it!!!!
YOU MAKE IT LOOK VERY EASY, CAN’T WAIT TO TRY IT.
hi there! these strawbs are positively delightful! i love them
Thank you for sharing the method and gum paste recipe.
The pink strawberries are so lovely.
These are perfectly crafted and adorable! Thank you for the great tutorial (I posted a link on my column, ediblecrafts.craftgossip.com)
Your tutorials are great. Very well explained and simple to follow. Thanks for teaching us.
You are so kind to teach us these valuable skills for our projects. Thanks.
these are adorable and so simple. your work is so pretty and clean looking!
Louise, thank you so much for another wonderful tutorial, I love it!
amazing stuff, really cute!! hey by the way where can we get these cutters from???
Thank you so much, they look so real!
I loved these the first time I saw them. Now I have no excuse not to try and make them. Excellent work. Can’t wait to try my hands at this. Thanks for all you do.
Becky: I make the gum paste by mixing ready made fondant like Satin ice about 17 oz, knead it on a little bit of crisco, add 1 1/2 tsp gumtex or cmc and 1 tsp of egg white (pasturized)This makes a really good gum paste.
Andreea: Ohh that is JEM. I missed that out in the post but it is all fixed now. THX!
They look gorgeous! Thanks!
Lovely strawberries, thank you for sharing!!!
Thanks so much for sharing so pretty for tha cakes o cupcakes they look delicates and sweets
so cute and you make them so easy to make. thank you for taking time to write out and display instructions!
—it’s all about the details!
dawn
Thank you so much…who makes the leaf cutters you were using?
Wow! Those are so cute! Thank you for the great tutorial! =:D
Thanks for sharing Louise! I’ll definitely have a go one day!
Donatella
Great “how to” post. They look so delicate and sweet.
now all you need to do is dip them in chocolate!!
They are perfectly perfect for summer! You’re so creative. Love them 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing, these are fab. I was thinking what to do for my daughters birthday cake and now think I might do a strawberry shortcake style cake with these on!
Thank you for your tutorials. I always look forward to receiving your blog mail, its gorgeous and interesting!
These are awesome directions–I want to try them —thanks for the instruction!!
Whoa! SO pretty…going to the store to buy gum paste now…do you make yours?
That is so cute. Thanks for tutorial.
Nice work Louise! Very informative. I will have to try this out soon! Does fondant work too?
These are so cute! I think my kids would love these on cupcakes. Thank you!