Wafer paper flowers for floral wedding cakes or birthday cakes are a nice way to upgrade your designs, and they don’t take as long to be ready as gum paste flowers do. This method of using steam to make the wafer paper flower petals for your DIY cake decorations is fast, but there are some warnings about using the steam safely that you’ll need to pay attention to!
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Warning about working with steam.
I shape my petals using steam, but please be very careful when using a steamer. Steam is extremely hot, and it’s easy to burn yourself. Keep your hands as far from the steam as possible, and never let children help with this part.
I have a high heat tolerance from years of working with hot sugar, ovens, and steamers, but getting burned isn’t fun and it hurts. So please be very careful, and be aware that steamers have to be handled carefully to prevent injuries.
Wafer paper supply list:
Shop for materials to make wafer paper flowers on Amazon and Oasis Supply (#ad). Use coupon code REMEMBER10 for a discount on your entire order at Oasis Supply. (All Amazon links are affiliate links)
- Wafer paper (use coupon code REMEMBER10 for a discount on your entire order at Oasis Supply)
- Silicone flower center molds (Amazon)
- Petal veiners (Amazon)
- Petal dust (Oasis Supply)
- Floral wire (Amazon)
- Tylose glue (Oasis)
- Fluffy paintbrushes (Amazon)
- Flower former (Amazon)
- Craft scissors (Amazon)
- Liquid Food Coloring (Amazon)
- Food-grade glycerin to make wafer paper conditioner (Amazon)
- Corn starch (Amazon)
- Flower paper punches (Amazon)
- Steamer to shape wafer paper (Amazon)
You can buy wafer paper from Oasis Supply and use my affiliate discount code REMEMBER10 to get a discount on your entire order! Use this link:
Make the flower center.
To make the flower center, I start with two small petals that I made using my make-ahead wafer paper technique.
Cut them into shape and hold them in the steam briefly until the paper softens, and curve them into a U shape so that they dry that way.
Position them together and twist the wires to secure them. If they shift, you can re‑soften them with steam and reshape them. The steam may flatten the petals slightly, but you can use a paintbrush to nudge them back into position.
The next layer is made of three small petals. These form a simple cup around the center. They don’t need the edges curled back because inner petals on real roses tend to stand straighter and tighter. If a petal separates, treat it like an extra natural petal, it blends in perfectly.
Once the center is shaped, allow it to dry before dusting. Wafer paper stays slightly damp after steaming, and adding petal dust too soon can end up in a blotchy color.
After it dried, I dusted the center using a blend of buttercup and sunflower Crystal Colors to create a deeper, richer yellow. Rose centers are naturally darker, with the color gradually lightening toward the outer petals.
Traditional cake decorating rules usually say to build roses with 2 petals in the center, then 3, then 5, then 7. Real roses aren’t that specific. Nature is random, and extra petals look perfectly normal. If you’ve never examined a rose up close, (buy one sometime and take it apart) you’ll learn a lot by seeing how varied real petals are.
After attaching the three petals and securing them with a wire twist, I deepened the color near the base of each petal. The parts closest to the stem are usually darker, so dusting with deeper yellows helps make the flower look more realistic. With wired petals, coloring is easy because you can bend them away from the center while you work, unlike stiff gumpaste petals that stay fixed in place.
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Put the next row of petals around the center.
For the next set, I prepared five slightly larger petals. I dusted these before steaming them and it worked fine, so you can do it either way.
These need to be both cupped at the base and gently curled back at the tips. Steam softens wafer paper quickly, so hold it just close enough to soften it without letting any condensation touch the surface because drips can melt the paper.
Shape each petal while it’s soft, then let it dry in position so it keeps the curve. If a petal separates again, just dust it and move on, it will look fine when it’s all put together.
This row and the next row need to have a pretty pronounced curve at the base of the petals, and the edges need to be curved back in the opposite direction. You’ll need to do a little maneuvering to get the right shape.
Attach the five petals in a spiral around the previous layer, tucking the last petal under the first one to keep the rose’s natural swirl. Because the petals are wired, you can adjust the height and angle of each one until everything looks balanced.
Add the last layer of petals.
For the final outer layer, I used seven large petals dusted lightly with magnolia and buttercup yellow. Since the outer petals are lighter in real roses, I made sure these weren’t as dark as the center. These petals need strong cupping and a pronounced backward curl.
Steam them carefully and shape each one with your fingers. If the base becomes slightly damp, that’s fine, it helps them stick to each other as you assemble the final layer.
Wrap the last row around the flower, again tucking the final petal into the first to complete the spiral. Make sure the outer petals tilt slightly outward and sit lower than the inner layers, just like a rose that has opened from the center outward. Once everything is positioned the way you want it, twist the wires together to secure the whole thing.
At this point, you can fine‑tune the shape. Move the petals around, deepen some color, or trim a petal that looks too large. It’s harder to steam individual petals at this stage, so try to get most of the shaping done beforehand. Wrap the wires with floral tape to secure all of them in place. When you’re finished, you’ll have a beautiful wafer paper rose that will look perfect on any cake.
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