Flower Cupcakes

I made 96 cupcakes for a Bridal Shower and each one was different.

They are plain chocolate/vanilla cake, iced with a 1M tip with half & half buttercream icing.  Because these cupcakes will more than likely end up outside for a garden party, I opted to use the half butter/half shortening buttercream, specifically for the melt factor, (you can get that recipe here.)

The flowers were made from fondant that I colored with Wilton gel food coloring.

I used a silicone flower mould with the colored fondant to make these pressed flowers. Simply press into the mould and refrigerate for about 10 minutes.  The flowers pop out perfectly. I make all fondant flowers and decorations a few days ahead to let them dry.

 

 

One more little necessity for flowers. Pearl Dust. Nothing finishes flowers as beautifully as Pearl Dust.

A little glitter goes a long way.

I took pictures of just a few, but my daughter and I noticed, no two were alike.

 

 

 

Congrats Sabrina & Matthew !

A Thing or Two about Buttercream

There are a lot of buttercream recipes, some call for just shortening, some are all butter, some are a mixture of butter and shortening.  I prefer the all butter version, but there are times when butter buttercream can fail you.

If you are icing your cake in humid, warm or hot temperatures, pure butter buttercream can definitely give you problems.  Even if you manage to get your cake decorated in the perfect temperature, transporting it can be a problem as well.  This is why most bakers put shortening in their buttercreams. The melting point of shortening is roughly 10 – 20 degrees higher than butter.  Much more stable.

For this roses cake, I followed the basic Butter recipe but added a few more tablespoons of icing sugar to make it stiffer and since I didn’t have to transport this cake, simply refrigerating it was good enough. For roses, use a 1M tip.

The Basic Butter Buttercream

1 cup salted butter, softened

4 cups fresh confectioners sugar (icing sugar)

4 teaspoons vanilla (clear if you want very white icing)

6 tablespoons milk or cream

(makes about 5 cups of frosting)

Butter and Shortening Buttercream

1/2 cup salted butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

4 cups fresh confectioners sugar (icing sugar)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (clear if you prefer)

2 tablespoons milk

(makes about 3 cups of frosting)

Citrus Buttercream

(follow either of the above recipes)

substitute lemon or orange juice for the milk

omit vanilla

Stir in 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel or 2 teaspoons grated orange peel

Shortening Buttercream

2 cups shortening

8 cups confectioners sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons clear imitation vanilla extract

6 fluid ounces heavy cream

(makes about 5-1/2 cups of frosting)

Instructions

In large bowl, cream shortening and/or butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.
For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.

Enjoy !

Roses Cake

There are many talented bakers out there, but I have to say I AM BAKER is one of my favorites. Amanda is sheer genius when it comes to putting cakes together.  When I saw her roses cake, I knew I just HAD to give it a try.

Three fabulous reasons to make this cake ~

1. Its incredibly beautiful on the outside

2. Its very different on the inside

3.  It makes two beautiful cakes

The vertical layers on the inside make this gorgeous cake even more special.

If you want the step by step instructions go on over to I Am Baker, the instructions are easy to follow.

In any case, I’ll nutshell it just so you can get the idea.  First you’ll start with 2 cakes, each cake 2 layers, I used 9 “ pans. These are basic white cake and red velvet cake.

Make a template with each circle about 1” apart. Cut both cakes the same way.

Remember this is only an overview of the instructions, go to I AM BAKER for FULL instructions.

This is what they look like assembled.

Once they’re together you’ll want to wrap them tightly to seal them and pop them back in the fridge for a while.

Whip up a batch of homemade butter cream or use whatever frosting you like most.. just make sure its a stiff, crusting icing.  For the roses, use a 1M tip. Start at the centre and swirl out from there.

The roses look beautiful in white, but I was dying to try another color.  I tinted the icing a deep rose color.

Spread a thin layer of icing all over the cake first then begin your roses.

Enjoy !