Beautiful frosted cupcakes are Magnolia Bakery's [1] bread and butter (it's this sweet treat that was popularized by Sex and the City [2], after all). So when the bakery extended an invitation to a cupcake decorating class focused on flower cupcakes, I had to check it out. Keep reading to see exactly how these pastry pros do it.
Here's what you'll need: cupcakes [3], buttercream frosting [4], a pastry bag [5], a coupler and Ateco's #104 petal tip [6], luster dust [7] (optional), and some patience.
Make Your Base
After filling a pastry bag with buttercream frosting [9] and fitting it with a #104 tip, start by squeezing out a dollop of frosting on the center of the cupcake. Aim for a little bit less than a tablespoon's worth of frosting. This will be the base that the petals are built off of.
Pipe the Bud and First Petals
Holding the piping bag with the thinner side of the tip facing up, pipe the bud of the flower on top of the mound of frosting. To make the bud, pipe two slightly oblong pieces of frosting. To enclose the bud, pipe two oblong petals of frosting around it, as shown.
Pipe on More Petals
Continue piping petals of frosting around the initial bud and petals. To keep things symmetrical, center each petal around the pointy ends of another petal, making an arched half-moon shape up and over the ends of the petal. As you continue to pipe layers of petals, the strips of frosting should become longer and less arched. Each layer of petals should have roughly three to six half moons of frosting.
Finish Piping on Frosting
The last layer of petals should be long and almost archless, so as to tidy up the appearance of the cupcake.
Decorate With Luster Dust or Sprinkles
As a finishing touch, decorate the cupcakes with luster dust or sprinkles.
Keep in mind that this all takes practice and patience. You may notice a remarkable improvement in your technique after decorating a few cupcakes. And, even if your first few cupcakes aren't picture perfect, they'll still be quite tasty.
