As a baker and someone who is obsessed with desserts, I feel like there are several recipes and types of desserts that are on different “levels.” You’ve got your from-scratch layer cakes, cheesecakes, yeast doughs, macarons, pate a choux, etc. Once you nail down layer cakes, you try a cheesecake. Once you’re a pro at homemade cinnamon rolls, you try macarons. You move up the ladder and try something a little more complicated.
Somewhere in there, at least for cake decorators, is buttercream flowers. I think I’ve finally got a handle on cakes with super flat and smooth frosting, so next up is something a little more decorative and complex.
I’ve wanted to try piping buttercream roses for forever, and once I finally tried it, I couldn’t get it to work. They were floppy, the frosting didn’t hold the shape very well, and it was just kinda sad. So this time, I watch several videos and practiced with frostings of different thicknesses.
I realized after I made these that a video probably would have been super helpful, so instead of making my own video, I’ll just leave you with the most helpful video I came across. Plus she’s got a sweet accent, you should watch it. 😉
The other reason why I wanted to make these rose cupcakes is because wedding season is in full swing. These days, tons of people are into making or planning as much of their own weddings as they can. Sometimes people even have cupcakes instead of a cake! Once you get the technique down, these cupcakes really aren’t that difficult. They just take a little bit of time. But these look elegant and marriage-worthy, right?
You can use whatever cake recipe you’d like for the cupcakes. I used my favorite basic yellow cake recipe, which you can find here. (Minus the cookie butter cups.) The real key is to use thicker frosting. That way, the petals keep their shape and you have more control of actually shaping each petal.
Thick Buttercream Frosting
This frosting is perfect for piping intricate designs and buttercream flowers!
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter room temp
- 2 tbsp heavy cream or milk
- 2 tsp almond extract or extract of your choice
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the milk and almond extract and mix well.
- Then add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. After the second or third cup of powdered sugar, the frosting might start to look crumbly, but just keep mixing and it will come together. After adding the last cup, mix on medium speed for one minute.
- Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a petal tip.
Notes
Recipe from bethcakes. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without permission. If you would like to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.
These cupcakes are so pretty! Definitely wedding worthy!
these look better than the ones at the cupcake store near my work! nice job
Beth these are just gorgeous!! I’ve always wanted to pipe on roses but have never actually given it a try. I need to go for it! 🙂
Spectacular! Just wow!
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. These could be in a magazine or something. 🙂
How lovely! These are stunning and could be in any bakery window 🙂
These are so pretty Beth! We had cupcakes at our wedding, I reckon ones decorated like this would have been super cute!
Nice work, Beth! No easy task for sure! I learned on a rose nail.. my problem was transferring the rose after I had it perfectly piped on the nail! It was disastrous, something I never mastered. This video is great help, and her accent is adorable. I’ll give this technique a go…. have you tried piping swiss meringue buttercream?
Sooo gorgeous!!!!
These are SERIOUSLY beautiful Beth!! I’m so impressed, and you have me wanting to try frosting pretty roses even though I am soo not nearly as good at frosting as you! Pinned 😀
Such beautiful cupcakes Beth! They would be perfect for a wedding. I love almond extract. 🙂
Oh my word!These are so pretty!