How to make a vintage nurse hat topper with Jo Orr
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You will need:
- Pettinice - Red
- Pettinice - White
- Tylose powder for hardening
- Hat template
- Sharp knife
- Former. You can use a halved polystyrene form, a dome cake tin covered in cornflour
- Ruler
- Brush for sugar glue
- Square cutter (optional)
- Extruder (optional)
Download the template here. This can be scaled up or down, depending on your cake or cupcake project.
Add tylose to both your Red and White Pettinice to create a gumpaste that you can right away.
Creating the nurse hat
First, create a gumpaste by adding a hardening agent such as tylose to your Pettinice. Roll your Pettinice relatively thick.
Trace your template to cut out the shape you will need.
Download the template here, and scale size to whatever suits.
Cut out the template shape with a sharp knife.
Fold the square side to the top as shown, meeting the edge where the triangles begin.
Run your fingers along the crease to give it sharp edge definition..
The advantage of rolling your fondant out thicker means that it will stay up nicely without further support. The support underneath can be a ball Styrofoam cut in half, or a dome cake tin that is patted generously with cornflour so the hat doesn't stick to it as it dries.
Press the back of the nurse's hat into the half round to secure it in place.
Fold back the triangle corners and secure with sugar glue or water.
Secure those back corners so they meet in the centre.
Turn the front edges of the hat out a little so that it flares out towards the front.
Roll out your Red Pettinice and cut out a square.
Divide into thirds and mark each section.
Cut away the four corners, using your marks as a guide.
Stick to the front centre of your nurse hat.
Extrude a thin red line, or alternatively roll and cut a thin strip.
Brush a small amount of sugar glue or water along the hat's top edge. leaving a white gap at the top..Fold the strip slightly around. the side edges. See final photo further below.
Final result. Turn the hat around and repeat along the bottom edge.
Add the small dot details on the triangle tips.
Final view with the bottom strip, buttons top strip overhang. Leave your topper to dry a few days or longer if you are in very humid season.
We wanted to say thank you to all our front line staff for the incredible work you are doing to keep us all safe in these strange covid times. Kia kaha.
Jo Orr has been a working pastry chef for the last 20 years and runs Rotorua-based Ciccio Cakes. She is an encyclopedia of knowledge for all things cake. If you haven’t had the chance to try one of her famous cake slices from the Ciccio’s cake cabinet, be sure to put it at the top of your foodie to-do list.
You can find Jo on Facebook and Instagram.
