Hi everyone! Today, we are going to show you how to pipe frosting flowers that are large, whimsical, & fun!
We've had many requests for these types of flowers & after experimenting with several different piping tips & frosting recipes, we've found our favorite methods & are excited to share.
We are going to make a few different types of flowers in the tutorial, but I hope that in addition, you all will be inspired to experiment & develop even more flowers.
We've only scratched the surface with this tutorial ;0) -- The piping tips that we use in the video have been around for some time now, and so there are lots of examples out there of large frosting flowers, but some of my favorites are by the White Flower Cake Shoppe! LOVE their great variety of flowers & designs!
Time to get started! Let us know if you have any questions, and don't forget to find our Materials (and frosting recipe) beneath the video!
Materials:
The cake featured in our tutorial is 8" and 6" tiers, frosted with our "fluffy vanilla buttercream" and topped off with big frosting flowers of "Whipped Meringue Frosting". (see recipe at the bottom of the page).
Piping Tips: Ateco 403, 402, & 401,(which we pried open a bit) & Wilton 233 grass tip. 403 is the tip I used most often & is my favorite for these large flowers!
Notes:
As we explain in the video, we felt that our flowers were much easier to pipe after slightly prying open the "mouth" of the piping tips. This allows for more icing flow from the tip, and therefore our petals had a more substantial base & could be piped taller without falling.
Although you can get a similar look with an American Buttercream recipe (like our "Classic" or "Fluffy" recipes), we had more trouble with irregular edges when piping our petals with these frostings. Plus, we liked the idea of such large flowers being a lighter whipped texture. If you experiment and have success with other recipes, we would love to hear! If you do not like to use shortening, a swiss meringue frosting would be another good option.
*Our kitchen was very hot as we filmed this tutorial, and we found that the frosting consistency did change a bit after several hours of sitting in the piping bag & bowl. If you notice a similar change, just give it a good stir...and if your frosting becomes overly soft, you can chill it for a few minutes in the refrigerator.
*Special thanks to Teri (MsGF) for recommending a whipped meringue recipe found on Cake Central. We adapted our recipe from this one, increasing the amount of sugar, flavorings, and mixing time...but she put us on the right track for finding a light recipe that we liked for these flowers! xo
Here are a few links to the piping tips that I used in the tutorial!
Tip 401
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000VLE3Q/ref=pe_385040_127745480_pd_te_o_s_ti/183-7270713-7612614
Tip 402
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00085F88G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Tip 403
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008GUYI72/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
WHIPPED MERINGUE FROSTING RECIPE
This is the recipe that we prefer for the large fluffy frosting flowers that we feature in our “How to Pipe Large Frosting Flowers” video tutorial. This non-dairy (shortening based) frosting has a fluffy, whipped-cream like texture, yet is shelf stable & even develops a slight crust. This recipe is stable for up to 3 months at room temperature.
INGREDIENTS
¾ cup (146g) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon (3g) salt
2 Tablespoons ( 18g) meringue powder
½ cup BOILING WATER, ( minus 2 Tablespoons of the water if you are using Crisco )
2 and ½ cups (430g) Hi Ratio Shortening or Crisco
5 cups (570g) confectioners’ sugar – measure then sift
2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
flavor to taste
THIS FROSTING IS MADE IN TWO PARTS AND SHOULD NOT BE COMBINED UNTIL EACH PART IS COMPLETED.
Use the whisk attachment for this part, to the mixing bowl add the granulated sugar, salt, meringue powder and ½ cup BOILING WATER. The water must be boiling to melt the granulated sugar. Mix on high speed and beat until stiff peaks form, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the meringue to another bowl and set aside for later.
Change to the paddle attachment and to the mixing bowl add the shortening. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar. Beat mixture until it is very creamy, approximately 5 minutes, scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple of times.
Now you are ready to add the bowl of meringue to the mixing bowl, along with the flavorings. Beat another 8 minutes. The frosting will become very light and fluffy. Keep in a covered container. Do not refrigerate. It can be kept at room temperature in airtight container for 3 months, just stir with a spoon when you are ready to use.
This is a lightly crusting frosting.
Yield: 7 cups
Here’s a picture of the cake, before putting the strawberries on. Looking at your cake picture, I see that this isn’t an icing I can make perfectly smooth.
Six layers. This is the first time I used milkshake straws!
I hope I can cut it in half and cut a slice ok. The second layer fell apart and I had to piece it back together Have to cut these for tasting and display. I will keep the cake as cool as possible for the hour drive to fairgrounds, and cut it there.
My fresh strawberry cake, with your whipped meringue frosting, won FIRST PLACE at the Ventura County Fair!!! Thank you ever so much for your wonderful recipe and support!
Congratulations Judy! I'm so happy to hear it! xoxo
Thanks for the tip on prying the tip opening up a bit...that made a huge difference for me! I was curious about this icing recipe... How does it tase in comparison with American Buttercream? Thanks so much...really enjoying my membership!
Hi DeAnna, Thank you for the nice compliment on the site. I think the recipe is good and you can adjust the flavoring to suit your taste. It has a fluffier texture than American buttercream. We have not made it in a couple of years so I am having trouble giving you a more descriptive taste comparison of the two recipes.
I made it last night... love the fluffiness of it! I think I will replace the almond with vanilla next time I try it... pipes very nicely though! I love that it is shelf stable for so long...gives me a chance to really play with the icing over the course of a week or so to know if I want to use it on future cakes!
Hermosas Flores algo así andaba buscando para un cake de merengue, Gracias por compartir sus experiencias, Maravilloso!!
Hi can the frosting used for the flowers be used to cover a cake?
Does it taste like marshmallow or what’s the flavor like?
Hi Kay, yes you can frost your cake with this frosting. We used our Fluffy Vanilla buttercream to frost the cake in this tutorial and just used the Whipped Meringue frosting for the flowers (If I remember correctly we were running low after so many practice flowers and we had the other buttercream on hand.)
This is a very airy frosting- it is sweet but not overly sweet. It is more heat sensitive than usual buttercream. So, if the consistency changes before you finish your flowers, you can give it a good stir or you can chill if it becomes too soft.
You an also easily just make up a batch or two of this frosting and keep it on standby for adding flowers to your cakes as it is non-dairy and shelf stable (for 3 months).
Another frosting that we discovered later also works well for these flowers is the recipe from this tutorial:
https://www.mycakeschool.com/video-tutorials/hummingbird-frosting-flowers/
This is a sweeter frosting than the whipped meringue, but is nice and fluffy and easy to make.
Thank you for your quick informative response!
I love these flowers!! The recipes says do not refrigerate, so does that mean after I’m finished decorating, I can’t put cake in fridge? Will it be ok if I do? TIA!!