How to Make a Calla Lily Flower Out of Paste

Calla lilies are beautiful set on top of cakes or cupcakes, and add an elegant look to any dessert. Unfortunately, calla lilies are not seasonal during the winter months, and are therefore more expensive. However, it is easy to make a calla lily out of gumpaste, which is not only beautiful, but also edible. You can color and shape gumpaste calla lilies to form any size or color of calla lily. Learning how to make a gumpaste calla lily doesn’t require formal training, only a bit of patience and a creative eye.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

• Gumpaste
• Gel paste food coloring
• Plastic rolling pin
• Heart-shaped cookie cutter
• 20-gauge wire
• Granulated white sugar
• Foam square
• Ball tool
• Cone-shaped cup

1. Mix ¼ tsp. of gumpaste with 1 tsp. of water. This will make a type of glue that you can safely use in your gumpaste calla lily.

2. Knead a small ball of gumpaste in your hands to make it soft. The amount of gumpaste you use will depend on how large you want your calla lily to be, so you may need to experiment to find the exact measurement. Add a few drops of yellow food coloring to a clump of gumpaste, and knead it until it is blended completely. Roll the gumpaste into a ball in your hands. If your ball has cracks, continue to roll the gumpaste; the heat of your hands will eventually help the past mold together and eliminate the cracks.

3. Place the ball onto a flat surface and roll the ball into a snake shape. This will be the center of your calla lily. To determine the length of the "snake," hold it at the bottom point of your heart cookie cutter. The size of the heart will roughly be the size of the petals of your calla lily, so measure the center so that it is about half or three-quarters of the height of the heart.

4. Slide the 2–gauge wire into the bottom of the gumpaste center. Brush a small amount of glue onto the gumpaste until it is completely covered, and then roll it in sugar or yellow sprinkles. Set the center of the gumpaste calla lily to the side so it can dry overnight.

5. Knead another ball of gumpaste with your hands until it is soft, and then use a rolling pin to roll the gum paste until it is very thin. Place the gumpaste on top of a heart-shape cookie cutter, and press down, cutting it into a heart.

6. Lay the heart onto the piece of foam. Run the ball tool gently around the edges of the heart, making them thin so that they curl slightly.

7. Turn the cone cup upside down, and press the bottom of the heart against the point of the cone, wrapping the heart around the cone. As you wrap, dab a small amount of glue to hold the gumpaste together. Leave a small hole in the point of the flower so that the center with the wire can be fed through the bottom. Gently roll the edges of the gumpaste back, just like the edges of a real calla lily. Allow the flower to dry on the cone cup for 30 minutes.

8. Brush on a small amount of glue on the base of the center and slide it through the white calla lily. Allow the gumpaste flower to dry overnight.

Tips & Warnings

• To dry the center of the gumpaste calla lily without knocking off the sugar or sprinkles, stick the wire into a block of Styrofoam so it stands upright.

• Rub a small amount of shortening on your hands while working with gumpaste to prevent it from sticking.

• When working with gumpaste, work fairly quickly or the gumpaste will dry out and become difficult to manipulate. Store gumpaste in a plastic bag or under a cup when you are not working with it.