How to Cover a Cupcake With Butter Icing Flowers

With the exception of drop flowers that are piped directly onto a cake, large buttercream icing flowers are piped onto a flower nail and later transferred to a cake. A flower nail can be held in your hand and rotated as you form each petal in layers. You can pipe large flowers directly to a cupcake because you can hold the cupcake in your hand and rotate it just as you would with a flower nail. This allows you to cover the entire cupcake with one large, perfect flower without fear of damaging it in transit.

Things You'll Need

Decorating bag
Petal tip

Buttercream icing

Instructions

Insert a large petal decorating tip in the bottom of a decorating bag. Fill the bag with buttercream icing in your choice of color. Squeeze the bag to work the icing down to the tip -- this burping process removes the air pockets in the icing.
Hold the cupcake in your non-dominant hand while making the flowers. If you're unfamiliar with piping icing, leave the cupcake on a table or counter and turn it as needed.
Squeeze the bag to create a 3/4-inch swirl or ball at the center of the cupcake. This won't be seen but helps support the icing layers so the flower is full and doesn't cave in to the center.
Hold the bag with the narrow end of the teardrop-shaped petal tip facing up. The wider end, which is also longer, should just barely touch the cupcake. Start about two-thirds of the way to the center of the cupcake, just outside of the piped icing ball.
Squeeze the bag with medium pressure to push the icing through the tip. Pull the bag in a U-shape to form a spoon-shaped petal. Bring the tip out to the edge of the cupcake, over slightly and back toward the center. End with the decorating tip directly beside the starting point. Stop squeezing the bag to stop the flow of icing. Reposition the tip directly beside the first petal and squeeze to make a second petal. Repeat this process around the cupcake until you come back to the starting point.
Position the tip closer to center at a distance equal to half the length of the petals in the first row. Stagger the tip between two petals in the previous row so they are layered instead of stacked on top of each other, resulting in two fewer petals for the second layer. Pipe the second layer of petals onto the cupcake. Repeat this process with a third layer closer to center and staggered between the petals of the previous layer. If you made seven petals on the bottom layer, you'll have five petals on the middle layer and three petals at the center of the flower.
Place a few edible sugar pearls or similar decorations at the center of the top layer of petals to finish the flower.

Previous:How to Layer Fondant (6 Steps)

Next: How to Make Banana Bread With Yellow Cake Mix