Buttercream Roses - The Wilton Method

Posted 9/18/04 • Last updated 5/10/13 • 9293 views • 13 comments

wilton method buttercream rose
Flowers are certainly the most traditional and most admired way to top a cake. Roses are the most impressive, beautiful and popular of all icing flowers. A rose is created in a number of steps. [swfobj src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=5752332822979592750&hl=en&fs=true"]

instructions

Step 1

Make the rose base, using tip 12 and Flower Nail #7. Hold the bag straight up, the end of tip 12 slightly above the center of your waxed paper-covered flower nail, which is held in your other hand. Using firm and steady pressure, squeeze out a heavy base of icing, remembering to keep your tip buried as you squeeze. Gradually raise the tip, and decrease the pressure.

Step 2

Stop pressure, pull up and lift away. The rose base should be 1 1/2 times as high as the rose tip opening.

Step 3

Make the center bud, using tip 104. Hold nail containing base in your left (right) hand and bag with rose tip 104 in right (left) hand. Bag should be at a 45° angle to the flat surface of the nail and in the 4:30 (7:30) position. The wide end of the tip should touch the cone of the icing base at or slightly below the midpoint, and the narrow end of the tip should point up and angle slightly inward.

Step 4

Now you must do 3 things at the same time: squeeze the bag, move the tip and rotate the nail. As you squeeze the bag, move the tip up from the base, forming a ribbon of icing. Slowly turn the nail counterclockwise (clockwise for lefties) to bring the ribbon of icing around to overlap at the top of the mound, then back down to starting point.

Step 5

Move your tip straight up and down only; do not loop it around the base. Now you have a finished center bud.

Step 6

Make the top row of 3 petals. Touch the wide end of tip to the midpoint of bud base, narrow end straight up.

Step 7

As you turn the nail the up and down motion of the tip will make a half circle-shaped upright petal. Wide end of tip must touch the rose base so that petal will attach. Move tip up and down to the midpoint of mound, forming the first petal.

My frosting keeps breaking. I have tried adding more powder sugar, then less, then more crisco. Hummm very frustrated trying to come up with the correct mix. Any suggestions? I have used the Wilson recipe. Thanks

Anonymous 9/17/09 at 5:11pm

@Kathy629 Only thing you need to do is blend the crisco by itself before adding any of the other ingredients. The fat in the crisco, is basically a blob before its blended, so you end up with little blobs that cause breaks. Hope this helps :)

Anonymous 11/1/09 at 6:49pm

How can you tell if your stiff buttercreme is the right consistancy for roses? I can't seem to get it right.

Anonymous 5/12/10 at 6:58pm

i can't get my consitency right either. it starts off pretty good when i first make it up and after that it gets too soft for some reason. it will look like its wet. i am just beginning tolearn how to make roses and this isn't making it any easier. i even try puttin it in the freezer for a few to get it stiff again. please help.

Anonymous 6/4/10 at 4:46pm

when I do flowers, I use only all crisco/shortening buttercream, no butter, that's why it's looking wet, it's melting. If I follow the wilton recipe for the roses. It's really your best bet. I get consistant results everytime. It's the only time I use that recipe, when I'm making flowers.

Anonymous 10/1/10 at 6:01am

Can someone share their wilton frosting to make rose? Thanks

Anonymous 10/1/10 at 6:02am

The all shortening

Anonymous 11/4/11 at 6:05pm

If you are just learning the rose, I would suggest starting off using royal icing. Make the wilton RI recipe and make it stiffer using about 2 tsp of powdered sugar per cup of icing. Be sure that your tips, mixing utensils, etc. are COMPLETELY free of shortening or it will cause the icing to become soupy! Also, keep icing not in use tightly covered as it dries hard super quick. The key to making a successful rose is to make a strong base, so make sure you make it the correct size or it will not hold your rose up and it will start to sway to the side. Also, I would suggest not angling your tip out like the directions above indicate. To do so causes your petals to fall over to much. Try holding your tip straight up and down with the large opening on bottom. Finally, don't remove rose from the flower square until completely dry (I would recommend cutting your own squares from waxed paper as it is thicker and is easier to remove from dried roses.). Hope this helps!

Anonymous 12/6/11 at 1:06am

Thanks very much

butterfly831915 2/3/12 at 8:40am

I have given up on buttercream roses, I just can't get them to work. Doesn't seem to matter what I do. I watch them do it on youtube and everywhere else and just can't get it done.

CupcakeRoxy 8/25/12 at 7:08pm

im trying my hand at the ribbon rose right now and my roses keep sagging to the side or the ribbon breaks. is it too stiff or not stiff enough?

Joyesse 9/12/12 at 4:00pm

I always practice flowers the first time with Royal Icing. This icing is much more forgiving to learn with. Practice other ways of making the rose. SeriousCakes has three different methos under her videos that are all good!. Practice with Roayal Icing until you get your technique down pat. Find a good Buttercream recipe then try the rose with the ButterCream .

mcpr77 3/6/13 at 12:18pm

can i make my rosses on advanced and thank just put it on the cake

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Buttercream Roses - The Wilton Method