Read The Busy Girls Guide to Cake Decorating for Free Online Page A

each circle roughly in half and then in half again, letting the edges gather together in ruffles. Set to one side.
    4 Roll out the white sugarpaste to a 3mm ( 1 ⁄ 8 in) thickness and cut out six daisies or blossoms, depending on the kind of cutter you have.
    5 Place the cut-out daisies or blossoms centrally on top of the covered cupcakes, securing in place with a little water.
    6 Add a blue ruffle flower to the centre of each cake, again with a dab of water to secure.
    7 Place a blue sugar pearl in the centre of each ruffle flower and between each of the white daisy or blossom petals.
    ----
TIP
    Dust your work surface lightly with icing (confectioners’) sugar to stop the sugarpaste sticking.
----

Rosebud romance
Rolling simple roses
    This is such a quick cake to put together, no specialist equipment is needed but it has maximum impact! Try different shades for different effects – red for love or purple for passion!

Get it together…
    20cm (8in) round cake, prepared for covering
    25cm (10in) round cake board
    Sugarpaste: white, blue and green
    5cm (2in) wide pale blue ribbon
    Pearl-headed pin
    Edible sparkle lustre dust (optional)
    Basic equipment (see Equipment )
    1 Level and prepare the cake for covering (see Levelling and filling a sponge cake ). Once chilled, roll out the white sugarpaste to a 5mm ( 3 ⁄ 16 in) thickness and use to cover the cake. Trim the excess neatly and polish with an icing smoother (see Covering a cake with sugarpaste ).
    ----
TIP
    If you don’t have an icing smoother, use your hands to smooth and polish the icing. A small ball of sugarpaste wrapped tightly in cling film (plastic wrap) can be rubbed over to smooth out any final bumps.
----
    2 Measure the ribbon and cut to size remembering to leave extra for the tail. Cut a ‘V’ in the ribbon end and secure using a pearl-headed pin with the tail facing the front.
    3 For the first flower, take a ball of blue sugarpaste approximately 7cm (2 3 ⁄ 4 in) in diameter and shape by hand into a rough sausage shape.
    4 Roll the shape out thinly on your work surface dusted lightly with icing (confectioners’) sugar to stop it sticking. Once it is in a long rectangle, fold it in half widthways. Lightly press the two edges together leaving the top fold slightly puffy.
    5 Still on the work surface, start to roll the flower up from one end. Once the roll is started, lift it up and hold it with your hands as you continue to roll up the flower (see Making a rolled rose ). Pinch off the excess sugarpaste from the base of the flower and set it aside.
    6 Repeat the process making seven flowers in total in graduating sizes. Secure the flowers in place on top of the cake using a dab of water.

    7 For the leaves, roll small balls of green sugarpaste and flatten with your finger. Pinch the ends of each flattened ball to create the points of the leaf. Mark a central vein down the leaf with the back of a knife. You will need 14 leaves in total, again in graduating sizes.
    8 Place a sugarpaste leaf between each of the flowers on both sides, securing with a dab of water. If desired, dust the cake with sparkle lustre dust for bit of extra shimmer!
    ----
    â€œDon’t worry if you don’t have a cake board – decorate the cake onto a pretty plate instead. You don’t need special brushes either – a clean, dry make-up powder brush is the ideal tool for adding lustre dust.”
----

Buttercup bites
Inlaying a floral pattern
    These cute cupcakes feature a sugarpaste covering that overhangs the edge of the cupcake case to create a pretty and novel effect.

Get it together…
    Six cupcakes baked in silver foil liners
    Sugarpaste: white, bright yellow and golden yellow
    Cutters: medium and small blossom, 8cm (3in) fluted circle
    Buttercream
    Basic equipment (see Equipment )
    1 Roll out the bright yellow and golden yellow sugarpaste to a 2mm ( 1 ⁄ 16 in) thickness and cut out a variety of blossoms in each