Gumpaste daffodils are a little complicated to make because of the bell and the stamens, which aren’t arranged like other flowers.
But if you do it this way, it’s a very manageable flower to make, and they look really pretty on a Spring-themed floral wedding cake.
This article includes affiliate links that will pay a commission if they’re used to purchase something. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Materials needed for the gumpaste daffodils:
- Wire for stems and petals, thicker for the stems, thinner for petals.
- Yellow stamens
- Petal cutter (I used a rose petal cutter)
- Daffodil center cutter (I used the one that comes with the basic wilton gumpaste cutter set.)
- Ball tool
- Dowel tool to frill the center
- Rolling pin
- Petal press (this is the poppy press from Diamond Paste and Mold company.)
- Yellow gumpaste
- Water and a small paintbrush
- Corn starch for rolling the gumpaste
- Foam board
- Drying rack to hang the pieces in progress on.
- Styrofoam to insert wire centers in while they dry.
Make the stamens.
Start with some small stamens.
Take 6 and bunch them together, cutting the heads off of one end.
Wrap the bunch of stamens with some yellow gumpaste, making it about 1” long and allowing only the heads of the stamens to stick out.
Press the gumpaste to close up the seam.
Press some indentations into the sides of the stamens.
For the petals, use daffodil cutters, or you can download this template for an outline of the petals and leaves:
Insert centers into a styrofoam form to dry.
Roll gumpaste out to about 1/8” thick.
Cut the center shapes out with the center cutter.
The Wilton center cutter is on the small side, so that’s why the gumpaste is rolled out thicker than normal.
Roll the bottom of the piece out so that it’s extended at the bottom.
Using the rounded end of the dowel first, frill the edge of the center.
Then turn the stick around and use the pointed end to frill the very outer edge even more.
When the center has been frilled, it might be too long. If the cup is too wide when you hold the edges together it needs to be narrower from side to side.
Cut the edges off to shorten the width if it’s too long.
This is the hardest part of this flower, so don’t be surprised if you have to do it a few times before you figure out how big you need it to be.
Brush a little bit of water on one edge of the gumpaste piece, then attach the edges together.
Gently squeeze the edges together to attach them without making the paste spread out too much.
You don’t want the bell shape to be too open.
Press the bottom of the gumpaste into a cup shape, then flatten it out so that it stands up.
Make sure the bottom of the cup is sealed up.
Stand the cup on a flat surface and let it dry until it holds the shape well.
When the cup holds its shape, brush a little green petal dust in the base.
Brush some green dust on the base of the stamens.
Insert the stamen wire through the center of the base of the cup.
This should be done when the base is still soft, but the frill is able to stand up on its own.
Pinch the gumpaste around the wire, using a little water at the base of the stamen if needed to make it stick.
Hang the bell and stamen upside down and let them dry.
Make the petals.
To make the petals, use a rose cutter that’s about 1 ½-2” long.
Place a thin wire on the petal and fold the gumpaste over to enclose the wire.
Pinch the petal until it’s a rounded shape that’s narrower at the base of the wire.
Put the petal in the veiner and press the texture onto the petal.
This will spread the petal out a little, but you don’t want it to be as wide at the bottom as a real daffodil petal.
It needs to be slightly narrower so that it doesn’t break when the petals are attached to the center.
Pinch a little point at the tip of the petal, then ruffle the gumpaste so that it isn’t so flat.
Daffodil petals are very curved and have the little point pointing up at the end of the petals.
Hang the petals on the rack with the centers so that they can dry without being put flat on hard surface.
Tape the petals to the center bell.
Daffodil petals are curved in all different directions and tend to curve the most on the outer edges.
To wrap the petals together, place the base of the petals at the base of the cup on the center.
Put three petals on and wrap them with floral tape.
The pinched tips of the petals should be pointing down, with the “ditch” from where it was pinched on the top of the petal.
Wrap the three petals, then add three more between the first three.
Wrap the tape down the stem and enclose any pointy ends in the tape.
Adjust the petals into the position you want them.
Set the flower on a rack to dry completely if you did any of this when the gumpaste was still soft.
Tips for Daffodils:
-The bell is the most difficult part of this flower. If it’s too wide it won’t look right, and it won’t stand up.
-Daffodils don’t have a calyx, the flower is attached to the stem in one seamless piece. Stems are thicker than a normal flower stem, so if you want to make stems you could use a long wire to make the stamen, then cover the wire with a gumpaste tube about ¼” in diameter.
-As the flower matures, the stamens drop away from the center of the stamens.
-Daffodil petals are very thin, but as long as the edges of the petals are thin the flower will look good.
-Petals tend to turn up on the side edges, but can go in any direction. They’re wider than they look because they curve in on themselves and create a narrower shape.
-The distinctive thing about daffodils is the pointed shape of the petals. Make sure the tips are pointed to have a more realistic flower. Rounded petals won’t look right.
-These come in many different colors. You can paint the edges of the bell with food coloring to make the different varieties.
-Narcissus are similar to daffodils, but much smaller with a shallower bell. The petals are also shorter and rounder on the tips
