How to Make an Icing Rosebud

Finish your petit fours or cupcakes with one pretty rosebud. Made in buttercream, this flat flower can be piped directly on a cake in your favorite colors. Or make them ahead using royal icing. On cakes, use the rosebud as an accent or in a floral spray bouquet.

Skill LevelIntermediate

Amountserves 12

Ingredients & Tools
Instructions

Instructions

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Tint stiff consistency icing with petal icing color; tint thin consistency icing with leaf green icing color. Fit one decorating bag with petal decorating tip 104 and fill 1/4 full or less with petal tinted icing. Fit second decorating bag with round decorating tip 3 and fill 1/4 full or less with green icing.
Base petal.Hold the decorating bag with tip 104 at a slight angle (45°) with the back end of the bag pointed at your right shoulder (left shoulder for left-handed decorators). The wide end of the tip should be touching the surface and the narrow end facing straight up and about 1/4 in. (6mm) above the surface. Squeeze the bag with even pressure and move the tip up about 1/4 in. (6 mm) along the surface away from you in a straight line. Pause, then continue squeezing to let the icing fan out. Return to the starting point, stop squeezing and pull tip away. If the petal isn’t flaring, position the narrow end of the tip slightly towards the right (left for left-handed decorators) when starting to pipe the petal; rotate your wrist slightly to the right of center while moving the tip up.
Front petal.Hold the decorating bag at a slight angle (45°), the wide end of the tip down, touching the surface, and the entire length of the tip opening touching the outer edge of the right side of the back petal. Squeeze and lift the tip slightly, letting the icing catch the edge of the back petal, curling naturally. When the icing rolls up to cover the back petal, lower the tip, release your pressure and pull the tip away.
Sepals.Hold the decorating bag with thin consistency green icing and tip 3 at a slight angle (45°) with the back end of the back pointing toward you. Form the center sepal first. Starting at the base of the rosebud, squeeze with steady pressure moving the tip up and under the center of the rosebud. Relax your pressure as you pull the bag up and away from the flower to form the point of the sepal. Repeat, making a sepal on the left and right sides.
Calyx. Insert the tip into the base of the center sepal. Squeeze, letting the icing build up, then gradually decrease the pressure as you pull the tip away from the flower to form the stem. Stop your pressure; pull the tip away. You may want to blend the calyx into the stem using a slightly damp decorator’s brush.