Cherry Cakes · Decorating with Fresh Flowers

Flowers can be used to add really beautiful finishing touches to just about any cake. It’s important, however, to make sure flowers are attached properly, and that the right sort of flowers are used. Some plants have been treated with heavy sprays or can be poisonous, so it’s important to talk to a trusted florist about what’s safe to use and what’s not. I usually get my flowers for a Brunswick-based florist called Babylon Flowers, and they are always extremely helpful when it comes to recommendations.

The main reason you wire your flowers, apart from using the wire to hold the flowers in place, is to create a barrier between the cake and the stem of the flower. This means that the flower stems (which are often filled with sap) don’t actually come into contact with any of the cake.

The best time to insert your flowers is right before the cake goes on display, so that nothing wilts. It’s usually the last job I do before I take a cake to a wedding or a party.

Method

1. Cut the stem of your flower so there is only about half-a-centimetre left.

2. Take a piece of florist wire and poke it through the base of the flower bending it back towards the stem so that it is looped back (like the shape of a bobby pin)

3. Cut a small piece of florist tape. Stretch one end, and wrap it tightly around the start of the stem. Continue to pull the tape tightly and wind it around both the stem and wire, until you have wound past the stem.

4. Cut any extra tape and wire, leaving enough wire so that it can be inserted into the cake.

5. Right before your cake goes on display, poke your wired flowers into the cake. Voila!