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How to Make A Mini Succulent Cupcake Topper

How to Make Succulent Cupcake Topper

This post shows step by step How to Make Mini Succulent cupcake toppers.

I created these Succulent cupcakes for the birthday of a person who loves plants.  

I learned how to make these from Nicholas Lodge in his class Mastering Modern Sugar Flowers. I highly recommend this Craftsy class. I believe he is the best gumpaste flower maker in the world.

This post is my attempt at mini succulents based on his class. I really liked to make these succulents because they looked straightforward to make and I could just use some of the cutters I already had and I did not have to purchase any additional cutters.

 

How to Make Succulent Cupcake Topper

I had some daisy flower molds and some other flowers cutters that were different graduated sizes. In these pictures I used the daisy cutter.

I started with a piece of spaghetti that was about 1/4 the size of a strand of spaghetti.  The longer size is easier to work with while making the succulent.  I break it off to about 1 inch when the flower is completed and ready to pack for giving away.

Roll out a tiny piece of green gumpaste into a tiny ball about 1/3 the size of a green pea.

The picture above give a sense of scale since the ball is beside the flower and the spaghetti.

 

How to Make Succulent Cupcake Topper

I placed the ball onto the spaghetti and rolled it between my fingers to make an elongated shape.  It should be about 1/4 inch long and should extend past the spaghetti.

 

How to Make Succulent Cupcake Topper

I used tiny food safe scissors to cut the end into thirds.

 

How to Make Succulent Cupcake Topper

This is a picture of the end cut into thirds and separated.

 

How to Make Succulent Cupcake Topper

I used a dresden tool to flatten each third into a petal like shape. You can see a picture of this later on in the post. It is the picture that shows the center being inserted into the rest of the plant.

 

How to Make Succulent Cupcake Topper

I rolled out gum paste somewhat thin to #2 or #3 on a pasta roller. When I used a #2, I thinned and elongated the petals somewhat with a ball tool.

I cut out petals using cutters of similar shape of 2-3 different graduated sizes.

I cut out 2 of the largest size petals for some of the plants.

 

How to Make Succulent Cupcake Topper

I used a ball tool to roll from the tip of the petal toward the inside to cause the petal to curl up or cup.

 

How to Make Succulent Cupcake Topper

The first layer of petals cupped and placed onto a cosmetic sponge with a hole in the middle for the spaghetti stem to fit through. 

 

How to Make Succulent Cupcake Topper

I put edible glue onto the center of the bottom layer.

I used a toothpick to place each layer onto the top of the previous ones.  The petals should be offset from the previous layer.

 

How to Make Succulent Cupcake Topper

Third layer placed.

 

How to Make Succulent Cupcake Topper

Fourth layer placed.

 

How to Make Succulent Cupcake Topper

Once all the petal layers are on, I used a ball toll to push down gently to cup the succulent.  The plant is on a round cosmetic sponge with a hole in the middle for the pasta stem to fit through and that sponge is on a softer orange sponge below so that the flower will shape into a cup shape when the ball tool is used.

 

How to Make Succulent Cupcake Topper

Succulent cupped.

 

How to Make Succulent Cupcake Topper

I put a little egg white or edible glue onto the center.

I inserted the center of the plant into the layers of leaves and through the hole in the center of the sponge.  I used the sponge to gently push the plant onto the center.

 

How to Make Succulent Cupcake Topper

Here’s a picture of the center inserted into the rest of the plant.

 

Succulent Cupcake Topper

I placed the succulent into a cup shaped piece of foil that I suspended inside a small cup so that it would dry without falling apart or separating from the center.

Succulent Cupcake Toppers

12 Succulents using 2 different types of cutters and varying the number of petal layers in some cases.  These are around an inch to an inch and a half in diameter.

 

Succulent Cupcake Toppers

I dusted each succulent with purple rainbow dust. I dusted from the tip of the petal toward the inside.  I put dust onto a paper towel and then put the flat brush into the purple and brushed off onto the paper towel in a different spot so the color would not be so strong. I also lightly dusted the back side of the bottom petals, again starting st the tip of the petal brushing inward.

Making sure the spaghetti is inside the egg carton, I gently steamed the plants to set the purple color and not get the spaghetti wet. this gives them a slightly glossy appearance.

These need to dry for several hours to ideally 24 hours before packing. They need to no longer be soft when packing.

I have another post that shows How To Make A Succulent Cupcake Decorating Kit to send to your favorite gardener.

How To Make Succulent Gumpaste Flowers

These are some of some succulents that I made in glass containers.  I placed buttercream on first, then a piece of cupcake, then more buttercream, Oreo dirt, fudge rocks, and succulent.

Here’s a picture that includes the steps.

Succulent Cupcake Tutorial

Once you’ve made these succulent cupcake toppers, take a look at How to Make A Succulent Cupcake Kit For Your Favorite Gardener.