This is definitely going to be a very packed post! I have some announcements, thank you’s, a tutorial, and a FREE cookbook to give away…so get ready to have some fun! After teaching my cupcake class a few weeks ago I had a lot of readers wanting to know how I made the flower cupcakes without a pastry tip, so I thought I would share my “secret” techniques with you, my loyal blogger friends. I took a lot of photos of the process so that you would be able to “see” the process instead of just reading about how to do it. So let’s begin!
First you need a plastic disposable pastry bag. Then you need to cut the pastry bag straight across. The higher up you cut the bag the wider the petal will be, so just play around and try cutting it at different heights. I would roughly recommend cutting it about 1″-1 1/2″ up.
Then you need to cut a triangle or bird’s beak shape out of the bag. Start at one end and cut up to the center of the bag…about 1/2″ up. Then make the same cut on the opposite side of the bag. Now you have created a bird’s beak.
Now you fill the pastry bag with a swiss, french, or italian style buttercream that you have colored to the shade you want your petals. Next you need to cover the base of the cupcake with frosting. You can color it green if you want it to look like the grass the flower is sitting on…completely your preference. Once the base is covered, you need to position you pastry bag on the cupcake so that the tip is like an open bird’s beak (the seam line should be up and down, not side to side when piping). Pipe the petals by putting pressure to the bag while slowly pulling away. Then when you get to the end of the petal stop giving pressure and pull the bag away quickly…this will give you the pointed tip at the tip of the petal. Now remember, practice makes perfect so don’t expect perfect petals your first time around! You can pipe as many petals as you want around the base.
Now you pipe on a second layer of petals on top of your first layer. Then you can color some of the buttercream a different color and use it to pipe the middle of the flower. You can use a small round tip for this or just cut off a small tip of the plastic pastry bag…both will work.
One tip about the petals: to achieve a smooth petal that doesn’t have tons of air pockets you need to make sure and mix the buttercream well before using. You don’t want to whip it to make more air bubbles, but rather smooth it out with a spatula or spoon.
Here are also a couple more photos of flowers that I have done in the past. To make the ladybug you just color the buttercream red and black and fill pastry bags with #2 tips. Pipe a red dot or body first. Then pipe a smaller black dot at the top of the larger dot to make the head. Next, pipe a line of black from the head to the bottom of the body. Lastly, pipe on some small dots of black for the ladybug spots.
I made these for Christmas time to look like Poinsettias.
You can also use this tip to make large leaves for a flower. Of course stores also have pastry tips for this, but if you don’t have one you can use this technique.
Now for the announcement! One exciting event that has happened lately is that I was written about in a feature article in the blog AisleDash. They were so fun to work with and I was really happy to share my thoughts and opinions on this wonderful career as a pastry chef with them.
I also wanted to thank Bellissima Vita for featuring one of my cakes on their website!
And last, but certainly not least I wanted to thank Mimi on the Move and Picky Palate for the sweet blog awards they gave me! They both have fantastic blogs and I highly recommend you check them out!
As a thank you to all of my readers I wanted to give away another free cookbook. Now this isn’t just any cookbook, it is one of my new favorite cookbooks…Warren Brown’s new book Cake Love!!!
So just leave a comment below and I will select a random winner Monday night…so make sure you enter by midnight! Thanks again to all my loyal readers…I appreciate your support more than you know!
Tags: Cake Love, cookbook giveaway, flower piping tutorial, free cookbook, how to pipe a buttercream flower, piping skills, swiss meringue buttercream, Warren Brown
Oh mine these cupcakes are so cute!
Beautiful flowers!
I just happen to have some Swiss Meringue Buttercream that I made yesterday…guess I get to make these great flowers tonight! Thanks for showing us how to do it.
Can’t wait to try the flowers. What a great idea. And, what a great blog too. Thanks so much.
oh please please pick me!!
Just found your blog because i was looking for cupcake recipes! Oh, that cake love cookbook looks pretty sweet!
Just found your blog! LOVE the tips! The cupcakes look awesome!!
Love the tips! Thank you
I will have to try making those cupcakes, and I would be so excited to win a great cookbook!!!
thanks a bunch for the cupcake tutorial…. Im so excited to give it a try. You are absolutely amazing!
Your cupcakes are so pretty! I would love to give this a try one day.. when I have a better handle with decorating
Cute flowers! I love your cakes/cupcakes. And a cookbook called Cake Love sounds awesome.
I love your website! Thanks for all the great hints!!
woooh! flower cupcakes
Those are the cutest!!!!
My daughter is going to love this cupcake, thank you for the show how! I love the cake love guy, enter me please.
Thank you so much for the tutorial….I can’t wait until the weekend to make a batch of cupcakes and try this technique….My family just loves tons of icing and this will be great….
and your photos are beautiful…..
Wow, what a simple technique that looks so fun. I can’t wait to try it. I finally just mastered Italian merinque buttercream, I’ll have to practice with my leftovers! Thanks!
I’ve been searching for the perfect flower cupcake and this is it!
Nice decorations! I like the 3Dness of the flowers!
Hello!! You make piping so easy without the use of conventional tips!! Amazing and a treat to all young and old!!
Lovely little cakes, lovely book give-away!
Excellent tutorial! I had been wondering about those flowers! I was this close to buying the CakeLove book after reading your pound cake recipe results. Please, pretty please? So glad I made the deadline!
omg thnxxxx alot i’m gonna absolutly try to apply this tutorial
Your cupcakes are so adorable. Thanks for the tutorial. I am trying it tonight, wish me luck. Love your blog. Thanks a bunch for sharing.
That looks gorgeous and I love the little lady bugs, really a nice touch. Thanks for sharing!
OMG.. so beautiful.. thanx for the tip.. ur the best
What a great way to make flowers without using a tip. Looks like a time saver to me! Thanks for sharing.
WoW! What a brilliant and economical way to pipe flowers. I never would have thought about it, thanks!
pick me pick me!! i made your carrot cupcakes with vanilla bean cream cheese frosting for a 4th of july bake sale…. they were gone before i could turn around! thanks!
Thank you for the close-up of the bag tip and the explanation of its positioning too! Very cute cupcakes!
Love the tutorial, very handy. Gorgeous cupcakes
From a newbie to a pro…thanks for sharing your insane talent.
Your generosity in sharing your secret petal technique will help beautify cupcakes everywhere!!! Thank you:)
What a great inspiration your website is. The photos are amazing. You do beautiful work on your cupcakes and cakes. I will enjoy stopping by all the time you have been bookmarked.
Thanks so much for this tutorial! The photos are amazing and I look forward to visiting your bakery the next time I am in Washington, D.C. Your cupcakes look delicious!
Wow! I am coming after the fight but just wanted to add that the cupcakes look great and you are an excellent teacher.
Am also arriving after the fact, but I wanted to let you know that my husband and I are both enamoured by your blog. We’ve taken up some basic cake making, and so I can TOTALLY appreciate the art that you bring to your own creations. Thanks for sharing your expertise.
Lovely!
Oh my, what a wonderful and beautiful tutorial! I now have so much new inspiration for all my cake decorating! I feel so thankful just learning so much from you already, and now you have a giveaway too!
Please count us in and thank you for so much of your knowledge and generosity!! XOXO!
These look absolutely beautiful!
Those flowers look amazing! I can not wait to try them!
These are just stunning!!!!
I can’t help repeating myself….you are SOOO talented.Thanks for sharing your tips with us and who would not want a free book. I certainly do!!!
Oh i just love the look of those cupcakes!
Your cupcakes are so pretty, it gives me an excuse to try them out for myself!
I look forward to your posts and love looking back at all your creations – some for reference but mainly to drool over!
Thank you!
oh! sorry I missed the drawing for the cookbook, but so delighted by these cupcakes… and i’m not even a cupcake girl! sending this along to my future pastry chef sister in law. thanks!
this is awesome , awesome really awesome! explosive!
Wow! Thank you, thank you for the tutorial! I’ve missed the draw for the cookbook but I’ve learnt a great anyway.
Dang! I missed the contest. Oh well. Thanks for the flower tips. I’ll have to give it a try.
I am in love with this technique, thanks for sharing!