How to make a tall fluffy “flower” out of buttercream!
I posted this on Instagram the other night.
The Perfect Crusting Buttercream
Ingredients
- 7 ½ cups (2 pounds / 937 g) confectioners' sugar
- 1 cup shortening, or ½ cup room temperature butter and ½ cup shortening (See alternate method of making buttercream if using butter and shortening.)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, use clear if want white frosting
- ½-¾ cup whole milk, as needed for desired consistency
- 1 pinch kosher salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream shortening and vanilla (2-4 minutes).
- Add in the confectioners' sugar, one cup at a time. If you find your mixer struggling, slowly add in milk. Use more milk for a creamy consistency; use less milk for a stiff consistency. Finally, add salt.
Alternate Method (Using ½ cup butter and ½ cup shortening)
- Place room temperature butter and shortening in the bowl of a stand mixer. Put the entire 2-pound bag (7½ cups) of confectioners' sugar on top. Then, add vanilla, ½ cup milk, and salt.
- Turn the mixer on low and mix until all ingredients are incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium-high and mix for 2-4 minutes. Add more milk, if needed, to reach desired consistency.
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
Here was the caption:
If someone ever tells you that you put too much frosting on your cupcake, stop talking to them.
You don’t need that kind of negativity in your life.
Well. Turns out you guys really liked that little flower and asked to see how I made it.
Which I thought was weird because I didn’t mean to make it, I just kinda started piping and piping and piping and this is what happened.
Then folks on facebook started asking for a tutorial and I thought to myself… are they kidding? I mean, surely this is a really common design that everyone is doing and what can I possibly bring to the table?
Truth is, I don’t even know what to call this. It’s just “petals” piped on petals piped in petals. It’s kinda ruffly and kinda flowery and a little like a rose and reminiscent of a hydrangea and maybe even a loose carnation but it is not really any specific flower.
So, yeah.
I used this Crusting Buttercream Recipe. This is a great recipe for Chocolate Cupcakes.
Things to note:
I started my ruffly cupcake on TOP OF my daisy cupcake. You do not need to do this. 🙂 Simply start piping out directly on top of your cupcake. I am showing you how I piped out the tall ruffly flowery cupcake EXACTLY as I did it on instagram. (Hope that makes sense!)
I used a #103 tip that I got from Fat Daddio’s. This tip is shaped like a tear drop. Just make sure the small pointy edge of the tear drop is facing out.
Just keep stacking and overlapping and piping. You really can’t go wrong on this design!
You can also make this design as tall or as short as you want. (Which means you can also control the frosting amount in case that 2 to 1 ratio is a bit scary!)
Oh… and if you think of a better name… let me know!
Oh wow. Now I am super hungry and want this tasty treat. Really love the look of it and have to try myself. Thanks for sharing and inspiring me.
When you pipe on top of the daisy flower, it makes it like a “surprise inside” (pun intended) buttercream. I could watch people piping buttercream all day!
Ooh that’s so pretty. I love it and it looked is so easy. Of course once I try it I might think differently.
Oh wow…this is so beautiful!! See how some things seem so simple…but for us non-pipers not so simple. These kind of videos def help!!!
I would love to see this in a blue/purple…I thought right away that it looked like a hydrangea to me. I have very little luck in doing this, but your video makes me want to try again…thanks..(oh and my family will thank you too once they eat them…LOL)
You have some serious piping skills Amanda. The petals look so delicate and pretty.
I really enjoy reading your posts and trying out the recipes and tips you bring us but this time it’s got me stumped – I can’t watch the video! A message came up in the middle of the page which says “No video with supported format and MME type found.” Its probably my ‘old’ computer but I will give the icing a try just from your pictures. Thank you very much.
These are just SO pretty Amanda!
So so pretty! I love this tutorial!
Wow! I love the look, very beautiful. I think I will use this design fo r my birthday cupcakes. Thanks a lot! 🙂