Trouble Making Large Petals.

Decorating By TallxLen Updated 20 Apr 2014 , 7:06pm by MBalaska

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TallxLen Posted 18 Apr 2014 , 3:47am
post #1 of 8

AAny tips or suggestions for making large petals this perfect (with buttercream)? [IMG ALT=""]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3222424/width/350/height/700[/IMG]

I can do apple blossoms on a flower nail, but when I try these big petals, mine turn out thick, rough and ugly.

7 replies
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costumeczar Posted 18 Apr 2014 , 11:35pm
post #2 of 8

Make sure that the thin edge of the piping tip taht you're using is open enough to make a decent edge. Sometimes they get pressed and that will make the icing tear. Also make sure the icing isn't too stiff to pipe easily.

 

Other than that, it's just practice. Since you're piping it directly onto the cake, practice on a plastic cutting board or something that you can scrape the icing off, and just do it over and over until you get nice, fluid petals.

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TallxLen Posted 20 Apr 2014 , 6:48am
post #3 of 8

AThanks for the reply! After a couple practice runs on the top of a cake pan...I finished this. Somewhere between a cakefail and a cakewin.

I did open the tube a bit more with a butter knife.

How did I do? This is really only the third cake I've ever decorated.

[IMG ALT=""]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3223400/width/350/height/700[/IMG]

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costumeczar Posted 20 Apr 2014 , 12:43pm
post #4 of 8

You did pretty well considering it's only your third cake!

 

The ruffly edges on the petals mean that you're either using buttercream that's a bit too stiff, or you're going a little too slow. It's hard to find the right consistency for buttercream because if it's too soft it will just sink into itself. Again, it's just practice and trial and error as far as that's concerned.

 

My suspicion is that on the original cake the petals are fondant, since nobody seems to want to take the time to practice piping anymore. It really does take a lot of time to get this kind of thing right, so kudos to you for making the effort to practice. If you get good at it you'll be able to decorate cupcakes with those kinds of flowers, and people lose their minds over those, they think they're miraculous or something...

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costumeczar Posted 20 Apr 2014 , 12:43pm
post #5 of 8

I was going to add...thinning the buttercream out with some corn syrup can make it smoother to pipe, as opposed to using milk or water.

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TallxLen Posted 20 Apr 2014 , 1:09pm
post #6 of 8

ACostumeczar,

Thank you! You are exactly right. Getting the consistency right was tough. I had to go with a little too stiff otherwise the petals were a soft blob. I'm going to keep trying. Will definitely use a bit of corn syrup. Also, I bought a tub of Buttercream from Sam's Club since there was a thread here about how smooth and easy it was to use. I will practice more so I can pipe them out faster too.

I'm committed to learning correct piping.

People have already lost their minds over my simple rose swirl on a cupcake. Can't wait to try these large petals on cupcakes too...

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costumeczar Posted 20 Apr 2014 , 5:24pm
post #7 of 8
Oh.no,no, no, tub icing is baaad. I have no idea about the consistency of it, but you'll be much better served practicing with a recipe that has butter in it and not filling the bag as full  so that it doesn't soften from the heat of your hands.You'll have to refill the bag more often but the tradeoff in flavor is worth it.
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MBalaska Posted 20 Apr 2014 , 7:06pm
post #8 of 8

I like doing the piping, especially now that I've learned to make Swiss Meringue ButterCream.  And I've tried at least four different peoples methods and recipes.  They all worked, were smooth and dreamy, pipe nicely. Make one recipe of SMBC and try it with your petals.

 

But I've done the piped petal thing on jumbo cupcakes only.  Thanks for sharing the cake photo I look forward to giving it a go soon. (especially as any way to get more SMBC on cake is great. Cake is only a delivery system for icing for some people):grin:

 

http://cakecentral.com/g/i/3158790/a/3436443/jumbo-cupcakes-smbc-gold-painted-fondant/

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