Most cake decorators are ecstatic when a client actually asks for sugar flowers. It is a fairly rare occasion for most decorators. More common is the client who says they plan to use fresh flowers provided by their florist.
When putting fresh flowers on a cake the most important thing to keep in mind is that the cake will be eaten. Therefore, you must be sure that any flowers put on the cake will not contaminate the cake. It is very important that a barrier be placed between the flowers and icing. You can use a doily, parchment circle, wax paper, etc.
Flowers can be wired and taped into corsage-like arrangements, made into small bouquets and placed on the cake, arranged in floral foam that has been hot glued to a plastic lid or container or placed loosely on the cake. Whichever method you choose to decorate the cake with fresh flowers, make certain they DO NOT touch the icing. Also, NEVER poke fresh flowers into a cake.
Flowers are grown using pesticides, fertilizers and chemicals. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that the flowers do not touch the cake. Even if they are organically grown, it would be difficult to know for certain they had never been exposed to toxic substances. Also, I have read that organic flowers that are available usually do not include the showy flowers used on wedding cakes.
There are toxic flowers and non-toxic flowers. Regardless, they should never touch the cake. Just to be safe, always use something to lay them on or to put them in so that they never touch the cake. In addition to doilies, parchment paper, wax paper, etc. you can also use floral foam, floral picks, water tubes, small plastic containers with floral foam to hold arrangements, etc. For the weddings we designed, we tell our florists how we want them arranged and then they arrange the flowers in florist foam that has been adhered to a plastic lid or container. This permits the foam to be soaked with water thus enabling the fresh flowers to stay fresh for a longer time while, at the same time, avoiding any water from leaking onto the icing. In this way, the flowers stay fresh and we do not have to be concerned about the possibility of the cake becoming contaminated.
A lot of the most popular wedding flowers are toxic. They contain poisons that can seep from the flowers and into the cake. Symptoms of ingesting poisonous flowers are not pleasant. They include pain in the mouth, upset stomach, diarrhea, vomiting, and possibly even a trip to the Emergency Room. It can turn out to be bad news for a cake decorator if someone gets sick from the cake. Here is a list of some popular wedding flowers that are considered toxic. For a more complete list of poisonous flowers, you can find it on Wikipedia.
- Asparagus fern
- Anemone
- Azaleas
- Bird of Paradise
- Bleeding Heart
- Buttercups
- Calla Lily
- Clematis
- Creeping Charlie
- Cyclamen
- Daffodils
- Daisy
- Delphinium
- Dieffenbachia
- English Ivy
- Frangipani
- Geranium
- Gloriosa lily
- Holly Berry
- Hyacinth
- Hydrangea
- Iris
- Ivy
- Larkspur
- Lily of the Valley
- Mistletoe
- Morning Glory
- Oak Foliage & Acorn
- Philodendron
- Poinsettia
- Poppy
- Ranunculus
- Rhubarb Leaves
- Shamrock
- Star of Bethlehem
- Sweet pea
- Tulip
- Umbrella Plant
- Wisteria
- Wood Rose
THE ABOVE LISTS INCLUDE ONLY A FEW EXAMPLES OF FLOWERS THAT BELONG TO EACH LIST. THERE ARE MANY MORE FLOWERS THAT COULD BE ADDED TO EACH LIST.
Unlike bakeries, floral shops do not have the need or desire to wash every flower that comes through their doors. They don’t need to make sure every flower is dirt free or even bug free. If you want to place fresh flower on your cake, I would suggest you to request using certified organic and are non-toxic flowers.
WHEN USING FRESH FLOWERS, TO BE SAFE, ALWAYS PROTECT THEM FROM TOUCHING THE CAKE OR ICING.
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment