Christmas Poinsettia Cake Part 2 | Assembly & Final Touches
Chef Alan TetreaultIn this tutorial: What You'll Need · Making Gold Sugar Lace · Applying Lace to the Cake · Making Gumpaste Holly Leaves · Attaching Holly and Berries · Making Poinsettia Leaves · Placing the Poinsettia and Finishing
Your gumpaste poinsettia is made and ready to go — now it's time to bring the full Christmas cake together. In Part 2 of this series, Chef Alan Tetreault of Global Sugar Art demonstrates how to create gold sugar lace, shape gumpaste holly with berries, and assemble everything on the cake for a stunning holiday centerpiece. Most of the decorations can be made well in advance, making this an ideal project for busy holiday bakers.
📌 This is part of the Christmas Poinsettia Cake series: Part 1 – Making the Poinsettia · Part 2 – Decorating the Cake (you're here)
What You'll Need
- Marvelous Molds Sugar Dress Mix — flexible sugar lace mix, prepared according to package directions
- Americolor Gold Gel Paste — a few drops to tint the sugar dress mix
- Gold Luster Dust — such as Old Gold, for brushing over the dried lace
- Lace Silicone Mat/Mold — for creating the lace pattern
- Holly Plunger Cutter Set — set of three sizes (small, medium, large)
- Martellato Poinsettia Plunger Cutter Set — largest cutter used for green leaves
- Green Gumpaste — for holly leaves and poinsettia leaves
- Red Gumpaste — small amount for holly berries
- Holly Green Luster Dust — for finishing holly and poinsettia leaves
- Cel Pad / Foam Pad — for softening leaf edges
- Water Pen — for adhering decorations
- Edible Adhesive — for securing lace to the cake
- Funky Alphabet Cutter Set — for cutting out a holiday message
- Ateco Stencil Scraper — for spreading sugar dress into the mold
- Soft Round Brush — for applying luster dust
- Toothpicks — for positioning lace before gluing
- Aluminum Foil — crumpled, for drying leaves with natural curves
- Corn Starch — to prevent gumpaste from sticking
Making Gold Sugar Lace
The gold lace border is made using sugar dress mix — a flexible, edible lace product that bakes quickly and peels cleanly from silicone molds.
↪ Mixing and coloring
Prepare the sugar dress mix according to the package directions. Add a few drops of Americolor gold gel paste to the mix before spreading. This gold base color ensures the lace reads as gold even before luster dust is applied.
↪ Applying to the mold
Using an Ateco stencil scraper, spread the tinted sugar dress evenly across the silicone lace mold, pressing it firmly into all the details.
↪ Baking and drying
- Place the filled mold on a piece of cardboard or sheet pan.
- Bake at 170°F for 10 minutes only.
- Remove from the oven, let cool for 2–3 minutes, then apply a second coat of sugar dress over the first layer.
- Let the mold sit on the counter overnight — by morning, the lace will be ready to unmold.
⚠️ Temperature matters. Use 170°F only — a hot oven will ruin the sugar dress. The first layer needs just 10 minutes of low heat before the second coat goes on.
↪ Unmolding and dusting
Peel the lace carefully from the edge of the mold. Lay it on a paper towel and brush generously with old gold luster dust using a large, soft round brush. Tap out any excess dust before handling.
Applying Lace to the Cake
↪ Positioning
Use toothpicks to temporarily hold the lace in place against the cake while checking alignment. For a scalloped look along the bottom edge, position the lace upside down so the scallops drape downward.
↪ Adhering
Apply edible adhesive to the back of the lace — not to the cake surface. Line up the lace, press gently into place, and hold for a few seconds. Apply a small amount of adhesive under each scallop point along the bottom and press to secure.
💡 Tip: Always apply adhesive to the lace rather than the cake. This prevents visible residue on the fondant if the lace needs to be repositioned.
Work around the entire cake, gluing each section of lace in place before moving on.
Making Gumpaste Holly Leaves
Roll out green gumpaste and dust the board lightly with corn starch to prevent sticking.
↪ Cutting the leaves
Use the medium holly plunger cutter from the set of three. Press the cutter into the paste, then push the plunger down to vein each leaf automatically.
↪ Drying with shape
Lay the cut leaves on crumpled aluminum foil so they dry with natural curves and movement — flat leaves look stiff and unrealistic. Two dried medium-size leaves are needed for each scalloped section at the base of the cake.
↪ Making soft leaves
In addition to the dried holly, cut a few leaves using the small holly plunger cutter and leave them flat on the board — these will remain soft and pliable, which makes them easier to press flat against the cake surface.
↪ Dusting
Brush all holly leaves — both dried and soft — with holly green luster dust before attaching.
Attaching Holly and Berries
Each holly cluster sits at the base of a lace scallop and consists of three elements: two dried leaves, one soft leaf, and small red berries.
↪ Assembly steps
- Place a small ball of green gumpaste at the desired spot and press it down with a dab of water — this serves as the anchor.
- Insert the two dried medium holly leaves into the paste ball, angling one in each direction.
- Dampen the back of one soft small leaf and press it flat against the cake, pointing upward from the same cluster.
- Dab a little water in the center of the cluster and place 3–4 small red gumpaste balls (rolled and allowed to firm up for a few minutes) as holly berries.
💡 Tip: Roll the red berry balls in advance and let them set for a few minutes so they hold their shape when placed.
Repeat around the entire base of the cake at each lace scallop.
Making Poinsettia Leaves
The green poinsettia leaves frame the flower on top of the cake. Roll out green gumpaste and use the largest leaf cutter from the Martellato poinsettia plunger set.
- Cut the leaf and push the plunger to vein it.
- Place on a cel pad and soften the edges with a ball tool.
- Lay on crumpled foil to dry with a slight curve.
- Once dry, brush with holly green luster dust.
Placing the Poinsettia and Finishing
↪ Attaching the poinsettia
- Place a small ball of red gumpaste on the cake top where the flower will sit.
- Dampen both the cake surface and the top of the paste ball with a water pen.
- Carefully position the finished poinsettia (from Part 1) onto the paste and press gently to secure.
↪ Adding leaves around the flower
Dampen the back of each dried green poinsettia leaf and press into the fondant around the base of the flower. Arrange 2–3 leaves to frame the poinsettia naturally.
↪ Adding a holiday message
Roll out thin green gumpaste and use the Funky Alphabet cutter set to cut out a word or message — Chef Alan cuts out "JOY" for this cake. Attach the letters to the cake with a dab of water.
💡 Tip: Almost every part of this cake can be made ahead — the sugar lace, holly leaves, berries, poinsettia leaves, and the poinsettia itself. The only work left for assembly day is attaching everything and adding a message.
This tutorial is part of Global Sugar Art's library of free cake decorating videos by Chef Alan Tetreault. Browse all tutorials →
