Are you planning to give a cake to your mom this Mother’s Day? Do something different and surprise her. In this tutorial you will learn how to make a trendy handbag.

What you need :

• One 7x1.34(height)in square butter cake (or any firm cake)
• Buttercream ( for crumb coating)
• White fondant
• Dark green fondant
• Light green fondant
• Yellow fondant
• Dark brown gumpaste
• Icing sugar (for dusting)
• Small amount of water (for sticking)
• A little pink royal icing in piping bag fitted with Tip No. 3
• Two 10in square cake boards
• Rolling pin
• Palette knife
• Diamond design embosser (Patchwork Cutters)
• Ruler
• Design wheeler (Wilton)
• Small kitchen knife
• A pair of fondant smoothers
• 95mm round cutter
• 75mm five-petal blossom cutter
• 40mm five -petal blossom cutter
• 25mm daisy cutter/plunger
• 20mm daisy cutter/plunger
• Small artist brush
• Pizza cutter
• Scrapper

Handbag template

Method :

Step 1

Prepare in advance: To make handles, roll brown gumpaste into long sausage strips. Cut two strips with length enough to go around half of the circumference of a 95mm round cutter. Dip one end of four toothpicks into water. Insert into ends of handles. Set aside to let dry thoroughly.

Step 2

To prepare cake board: Wet one of the cake boards by wiping it with a damp kitchen cloth. Roll out white fondant to 2mm thickness. Transfer fondant onto the cake board. Gently smoothen fondant with a fondant smoother. Cut off excess fondant.

Step 3

Lightly press diamond embosser onto fondant. Guided by a ruler, run the stitching wheel of the design wheeler along the lines you have just embossed. Set aside to dry .

Step 4

Place cake on the second cake board. Using the handbag template (without the handle part) as a guide, cut cake accordingly.

Step 5

Stand the cake upright. Trim top crust of the cake. Cut the wide sides at a slight angle to narrow them at the top.

Step 6

Crumb coat cake with buttercream.

Step 7

Roll out white fondant to 3-4mm thick. Using the handbag template as a guide, cut fondant along the edges of the template. Repeat the process for the other side.

Step 8

Carefully secure the fondant pieces on the wide sides of the handbag; one on each side. Gently shape both sides with a pair fondant smoothers.

Step 9

To cover the sides, top and bottom edges, cut dark green strip (using a pizza cutter). Then fit it on the top.

Step 10

Using a rolling pin, roll out dark green fondant to 2-3mm thick. Then use a 75mm five-petal cutter to cut out four large five-petal shapes. Stick one on each of the wide side of the handbag. Cut the remaining shapes into half. Stick randomly at the edges of handbag.

Step 11

Roll out light green fondant to 2-3mm thick. Using a 25mm daisy cutter/plunger, cut out daisies and stick at the centre of large five-petal shapes. Roll a pea-sized brown gumpaste into a ball, flatten with finger and stick to the centre of the daisy.

Step 12

Roll out light green fondant to 2-3mm thick. Using a 40mm five-petal cutter, cut out a few smaller five-petal shapes. Cut some into half. Randomly stick with a damp brush on the handbag. Roll out yellow fondant to 2-3mm thick. Using a 20mm daisy cutter/plunger, cut out daisies and stick at the centre of the smaller 5-petal shapes and on empty spaces if desired.

Step 13

Roll dark green fondant into two long thin strips. With a damp brush, stick strips to seams where the dark green and white fondant meet.

Step 14

Roll some brown gumpaste into two strips with thickness same as the handles. Stick them, as shown below, at the sides of the curve of the handbag. Insert the dried handles into the cake as shown.

Step 15

Dampen the base of the completed handbag with a brush. Stick handbag onto the covered cake board. Complete the cake by writing ‘Happy Mother’s Day’ or ‘I Love You, Mom’ using pink royal icing.

Tutorial courtesy of Joanne Fam

Cake Designer/ Wilton Method Instructor
Founder of the Malaysian Cake Decorators' Club
Tel: 012-280-9157
http://mycakedecoclub.forumotion.net/