Creating sunflowers for cake decoration involves a variety of steps. Some sunflower varieties have large centres with small petals, while others have smaller centres and longer petals. When creating smaller sunflowers, use three 20-gauge wires wrapped together with half-width floral tape. Leaving about 10mm at the top unwrapped.

Open up the 10mm wires at a 20-degree angle using pliers. Next, take a number nine size ball of paste. Press the paste into a mould until it reaches the edge, then insert the wires and twist them to embed them into the paste. Fold the paste around the wires, staying within the perimeter of the mould. After removing the mould, use tweezers to create small lines on the top of the paste, giving it texture. Allow this to dry for about an hour.

To create the petals, start with a number eight size ball of paste and roll it into a six-centimetre sausage. Shape the paste into a point, like a pencil point, then press it into a petal mould. After removing the paste from the mould, soften the back slightly and scrunch the pointed end to create a hollow.

Use a little egg white to help attach the petals to the sunflower centre. Allow to dry in a foil former so the petals dry in a natural position.

For the calyx, roll out a piece of green paste and cut it into a daisy shape. Press another piece of passte this into the small daisy mould. Combine these together and shape it around the back of the sunflower. Allow the assembled sunflower to dry before adding colour and using it to decorate your cake.