How to Make a Jelly Sunflower: Step-by-Step 3D Gelatin Flower Guide

October 10, 2026

Quick answer: A jelly sunflower is a bright 3D sunflower built inside a clear jelly cake by injecting yellow petals with a long, narrow petal tool in two rings around a brown centre. It's a beginner flower and takes about 40 minutes once the clear base is set.

This step-by-step guide is part of our jelly flowers guide, which compares the rose, peony and sunflower. It's written by the Qingscake team in Richmond, BC.

What You'll Make

One sunflower, about 8–10 cm across, with a dark brown centre, two rings of long yellow petals, and a few green leaves. The sunflower is flat and wide rather than cupped, so it reads clearly through the jelly dome.

Tools & Colours for a Jelly Sunflower

Tools

• A firm clear jelly base in a deep round mould — see the crystal-clear base guide
• A fine-tip needle for the centre
• A long, narrow petal tool
• A leaf tool
• 3–4 syringes (10–20 ml)
• Paper towels and warm water

See the jelly art tools guide for the narrow petal tool.

Colours

• Centre: dark brown (cocoa or brown food colouring), plus a little orange for the ring around it.
• Petals: a bright yellow and a deeper golden yellow.
• Leaves: a strong green.
• Base layer: white milk or coconut milk, poured last.

Step-by-Step: How to Make a Jelly Sunflower

1. Check the base. It should be firm and spring back when pressed.
2. Make the centre. With the fine needle and brown colour, make many short dots in a round area about 2–3 cm across at the middle, about 1 cm deep. Fill it evenly but leave tiny gaps so it looks textured like seeds.
3. Add the centre ring. With orange or golden colour, add a thin ring of small dots around the edge of the brown centre.
4. Place the first petal ring. With the narrow petal tool and deeper golden yellow, insert petals all the way around the centre. Hold the tool at a moderate outward angle, starting right at the centre's edge. Place 12–16 petals, spaced evenly like clock positions — start with 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock, then fill the gaps.
5. Place the second petal ring. Switch to bright yellow. Insert a second ring of petals between the first ones, at a slightly wider angle and a little shallower, so they appear to sit behind the first ring.
6. Check spacing. Look from above. The petals should radiate evenly. Fill any big gap with one extra petal rather than many small ones.
7. Add leaves. Clean the tools. With green and the leaf tool, insert 2–3 large leaves just outside the petals, angled outward.
8. Check from the side. The centre should sit closest to the surface, with petals spreading outward and slightly downward.
9. Pour the base layer. Pour a thin layer of milk or coconut milk over the surface. Chill until set.
10. Unmould and flip. Loosen the edges, flip onto a plate, and the sunflower faces up through the clear dome.

Tip: Use the clock method for placing petals. Marking four main positions first keeps the flower round and evenly spaced.

Common Sunflower Mistakes

The flower is lopsided. Petals were placed in order around the circle and drifted. Use the clock method: four main positions first, then fill.

The centre looks flat and solid. Too much brown in one spot. Use many small dots with tiny gaps for a seed texture.

Petals are different lengths. Inconsistent depth. Insert the tool to the same depth for every petal in a ring.

Yellow petals look washed out. The petal liquid was too thin. Add more milk or coconut milk to make the colour opaque.

Brown colour spreads into the petals. The centre was made with too much pressure. Use light pressure and make the centre first, before any petals.

For more fixes, see Why Your 3D Jelly Cake Keeps Failing.

Making Your Sunflower Look More Natural

• Use two yellows: golden for the front ring, brighter for the back ring.
• Make a few petals slightly shorter or curved.
• Add a small second sunflower or a bud to one side.
• Keep leaves large and bold, matching the sunflower's strong look.

Ready to Try It With Guidance?

The sunflower is one of the most popular flowers at our beginner workshop in Richmond. Vivi prepares the clear base in advance, so you can spend the session on the petals. Next, try the jelly rose or the jelly peony.

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