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I have to share with you the free eBook I got from CleverDough Cakes. It’s the same Amanda that has the awesome funcakes ebook. This one has a great marshmallow fondant recipe that’s really silky and easy to work with. It also has less fat than my fondant recipe. It dries a bit faster, rips less and has a nice sheen to it, too.
In this eBook, she shows the recipe for her fondant with step-by-step photo instructions, plus a nice description of the tools she uses for each step. She makes several kinds of flowers, leaves, roses and sweet peas, plus a moulded chocolate bride & groom.
To download her ebook and subscribe to helpful newsletters, use the secure email form on the left side of the FunCakes screen (click here)
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I am so proud of myself- I made the coolest balloon archway for the entrance to the bubble party. I had a lot of clear balloons floating around everywhere, and I made giant play bubble wands with cardboard (it was so easy) the kids had a great time. I thought it was going to be easy to figure out, i had some nylon ribbon and I was just tying the balloons to it, but they were awkward and didn’t sit right and it was taking forever because I was using directions I’d found on like wikiHow or something. So then I downloaded the Balloon Decor Secrets ebook and it was so much easier. Plus, she has so many ideas for different balloon things you can make. The book is intended to help you make a business of balloon things. i imagine if you already had a catering company or a florist company, adding balloon stuff would be a good way to make more money with catering or with flower arrangements- wedding planning, party planning, etc. But the eBook is priced low enough that even I (the lady with 6 kids) could afford it.
I adapted this chart from one published by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service – Basically theirs had several more flowers listed, but these are the only ones that would be suitable for cake. I mean,you don’t want to put onion flowers on your cake, or something whose taste is described as bitter, or strong. I eliminated all the ones that weren’t sweet. At the bottom of the chart is a list of books that the University recommends, to learn more about edible flowers.
| Common name |
Scientific name |
Flavor |
Color |
Comments |
| Anise hyssop |
Agastache foeniculum |
Anise |
Lilac |
Self seeding perennial |
| Apple |
Malus spp. |
Floral |
White to pink |
Eat in moderation since flowers contain cyanide precursors |
| Bee balm |
Monarda didyma |
Minty, sweet, hot |
Wide range |
Perennial |
| Chamomile |
Chamaemelum noblis |
Sweet apple |
White |
Perennial; drink tea in moderation — contains thuaone; ragweed sufferers may be allergic to chamomile |
| Dandelion |
Taraxacum officinale |
Sweet, honey-like |
Yellow |
Perennial; use young flowers, mature flowers become bitter; flowers close after picking |
| Daylily |
Hemerocallis spp. |
Vegetal, sweet |
Wide range |
Perennial; may act as a diuretic or laxative; eat in moderation |
| Dianthus |
Dianthus spp. |
Sweet clove flavor |
Wide range |
Perennial; remove the narrow base of the petals (bitter) |
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| Elderberry |
Sambucus canadensis |
Sweet |
White |
Perennial; do not wash flowers since it removes much of the flavor |
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| Fennel |
Foeniculum vulgare |
Mildly anise |
Yellow-green |
Normally grown as an annual |
| Hibiscus |
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis |
Mildly citrus |
Rose, red |
Showy edible garnish |
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| Honeysuckle |
Lonicera japonica |
Sweet |
White to pale yellow |
Perennial; do not use other honeysuckle flowers |
| Johnny-jump-up |
Viola tricolor |
Wintergreen |
Purple and yellow |
Annual; the petals have little flavor unless the green sepals are included; contain saponins and may be toxic in large amounts |
| Lavender |
Lavendula spp. |
Sweet, perfumed flavor |
Lavender |
Perennial; use sparingly due to intense flavor; lavender oil may be poisonous |
| Lilac |
Syringa vulgaris |
Varies |
Lavender |
Wide variation in flavor — from no flavor to green and herbaceous to lilac |
| Linden |
Tilia spp. |
Honey-like |
White |
Frequent consumption of linden flower tea can cause heart damage |
| Mint |
Mentha spp. |
Minty |
Purple |
Perennial; each type of mint has its own unique flavor |
| Pineapple sage |
Salvia elegans |
Sweet, fruity |
Red |
Perennial; flavor has a hint of mint and spice |
| Red clover |
Trifolium pratense |
Sweet |
Red |
Annual; raw clover flowers are not easily digestible |
| Rose |
Rosa spp. |
Perfumed |
Wide range |
Perennial: remove the white, bitter base of the petal |
| Sweet woodruff |
Galium odoratum |
Sweet, nutty, vanilla |
White |
Can have a blood thinning effect if eaten in large amounts |
| Violet |
Viola odorata |
Sweet, perfumed |
Purple, white |
Perennial; use candied or fresh |
We made Tinker Bell Birthday Party invitations. It was so fun and easy. We cut two large two skeets of pink tissue paper into a circular, imperfect shape with wave, irregular edges. Then, we wrinkled them up & put them back together, kind of offset so that the edges didn’t exactly match up. We put a little bit of glue in between them, in the center only. Then, we laid a bowl on a round piece of cardstock so we could trace and cut a perfect circle. On that circle, we wrote the pertinent party information and glued it to the center of the tissue paper. Because the black ink on white paper didn’t look too cool, I marbled over it with a green and brown watercolor wash. Another option would be to create a double-layer card that opened, and have the top look textured or beaded like the center of a flower.
After the glue dried, we folded the “petals” in, by going around the circle and bringing small sections in. This helps it “fan” out when it “blooms. Once it’s all folded in, wrap a sleeve of paper around it for a note that says “Please help this flower bloom Love, Tinkerbell” I used a piece of handmade parchment-looking paper, with raw edges and infused lavender petals. When the “sleeve” is removed, the flower is unfolded to reveal the party invitation. Amazing, we had ALL the RSVPs back immediately, within 48 hours of mailing.
Make fairy party decorations.
You can make paper flower streamers and it’s so easy. Picture a giant Hawaiian lei, strung up from the ceiling, trailing down chairs, they’re beautiful.
These worked well for our Tinker bell party, but would also do well with a Hawaiian Luau, or a tropical party, a Secret Garden party, even a Barbie or Dora the Explorer party.
Cut several 6 inch circles from a stack of colorful tissue paper.
Pinch together the center of the circle, and staple. Then, snip into the “petals” about 1/2-1 inch deep and then “wrinkle” the petals. That’s all there is to it. To string them up, thread a needle with fishing line and “sew” them together, use a knot at the bast of each flower 9wrapped around the staple) for stability. They can be close together or far apart. I liked mine with about 10 inches between the flowers because I hung them with white Christmas lights and green ivy. I also added ribbon to the ends of them. The gola was a wild and messy look that’s part cartoon magic and part nature.
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For less than the cost of a bakery cake…  Frosted Dreams is cool enough on its own, but even better with my fondant recipe
FREE RECIPE:
My Amazing Birthday Cake Fondant Recipe seriously, it's so yummy and sometimes I make it JUST to eat. |
