Bill's Big Carrot Cake Shines Again

I was going to wait a couple of days to post the next few cakes that I made yesterday and today, but I am so excited about them, that I couldn't wait. It is really kinda funny how it happened. Me and my two friends, who happen to be sisters, went to the drive in movie. In the movie, there was a cake. I can't remember who said it, but somehow it came up that I could make a cake like that. My friend said, can you make one for my mom's birthday? I said sure, when is it? She said, in 6 days.

So, that is how this cake was born. I made Bill's Big Carrot Cake in 2 8 by 8-inch cake pans and frosted the middle heavily with the cream cheese frosting and then did a thin layer before I did the fondant. I am happy with the results. I had a little cake leftover so I decided to do a cake for my brother who loooovveesss carrot cake.

How to Make Gum Paste/Fondant Flowers (Daisies)

Here is a step by step guide on how to make gum paste/fondant flowers for cake decorating. I learned how to do this a couple of months ago, and I was intimidated before I went, but it is quite simple and so I wanted to share.

First, roll out your fondant mat, grease it with Crisco, and grease your hands as well. Get equal amounts of gum paste and fondant, make them both smooth, by mixing in a little Crisco. Also make sure to remove any hard parts, because they will make lumps when you try to roll it out. Combine the fondant and gum paste until it is one uniform mass.
Remember as you go to reapply Crisco to whatever needs it. This mixture (gumpaste/fondant) is very sticky and delicate, and the Crisco helps it not to stick or tear. Grease your small fondant rolling pin and roll out the gumpaste/fondant as thin as you can, also as evenly as you can. You should be able to see the lines of your mat clearly when it is thin enough.
Using your fondant cutter, cut out as many flowers as you can. Make sure you press down firmly, so that the cutter cuts all the way through.
Carefully transfer your flowers to a space where you can keep them covered as you work, so they don't dry out. (The Wilton practice board is perfect for this job.)
Dust your fondant pad (with your dusting bag-filled with 1 Tbls cornstarch and 1 Tbls powdered sugar). Get out your veining tool and working with one flower at a time,

Gently and slowly pull down the petals to curve them and lengthen them. Be careful, if you do this too fast or hard, you can break the petals.
Ahead of time, make your gum glue. 1/4 tsp gumpaste dissolved in 1 Tbls or so of water. Break the gumpaste into little pieces and let it dissolve.
When you are finished with the petals, and have completed 2 flowers, dab the middle of one flower with gum glue
And press another completed flower on top, alternating the petals, in between one another, so it looks like this.

For the center, make a small ball of your gumpaste/fondant mixture and roll it in yellow luster dust. Be careful to wipe your fingers, because this dust gets everywhere!
Dab some gum glue on the center of your flower and put the ball on top. Press down the ball to flatten, and carefully transfer to a small flower former.
Continue with other cut-out flowers until you have enough for whatever you are making. Remember also to keep all gumpaste and fondant that you are not working with cover tightly, so it does not dry out.
When you are finished making all your flowers, place the flower formers on a cookie sheet and place the cookie sheet in a cool, very dry place where the flowers can dry for 2-3 days before you need to use them.