Piping a Buttercream Rose

If you like Buttercream, you probably LOVE Buttercream Roses. They are beautiful, timeless, and 100% edible (which is probably my favourite part!)

They are also one of the most agonised over, and remain my most requested for classes, and for hints and tips.

So can ANYONE learn how to pipe a Buttercream Rose? OF COURSE!! Just takes some practice, the right tools, and most importantly, you have to stop telling yourself you can’t.

 Frequently Asked Questions

I get lots of questions about piping Roses, but there are a few I get more than others. Chances are you’re thinking it right now!

“WHAT KIND OF BUTTERCREAM DO YOU USE”

That’s an easy one, I only ever use Basic Buttercream, for my flowers, and every other aspect of Buttercream Art that I create.

“HOW DO YOU GET THE RUFFLED EDGES ON YOUR FLOWERS?”

The ruffled edge comes from piping Basic Buttercream under pressure, as in not thinned like you would for icing a cake, but kept at the same consistency as preparing Basic Buttercream as per my recipe. This is also far less common with meringue style Buttercreams. Believe it or not, when I first started piping Roses, I was consistently told that I was piping them ‘wrong’, because the edges were breaking. I’ll tell you what I told them, I’m not piping them wrong, I’m piping them my way. NEVER be afraid to do things YOUR way!

“HOW DO YOU GET THAT COLOUR?”

I only use Americolor gels to colour my Buttercream. My most ‘AAAHH’d over colour is probably my darker red Roses (as pictured), which is achieved with Americolor Maroon, their most versatile colour in my opinion.

“WHAT BRAND OF PIPING TIPS DO YOU RECOMMEND?”

ANY. The numbers are consistent across brands though I will say that the Loyal tips tend to have a slightly better shape for Roses. For round tips, even down to tiny 0000 tips, you cannot go past PMEtips.

“WHAT BRAND OF PIPING BAGS DO YOU USE?”

I use Loyal brand bags here in Australia, but the best International bag I have used is Ateco. I have had multiple bag bursts from Wilton piping bags (sorry Wilton!), so I don’t recommend them.

“DO I NEED A COUPLER?”

No. If you have a good quality bag, you will be able to put enough pressure on your tip without a problem, even with stiff Royal Icing.  Couplers can be handy though if you want to pipe the same colour with a different tip.

Piping a Buttercream Rose

PREPARING YOUR BAG

Step 1- Cut the tip off a piping bag, about 1cm from the end.

Step 2 – Insert your piping tip, and pull it firmly into the hole. You do not need to use a coupler unless you want to change tips, but use the same colours.

PIPING A ROSE

Step 3 – Pipe a small blob onto your flower nail, and attach a parchment/wax paper/wilton square, pushing it against the table to flatten the surface of your nail.

Step 4 – With the wide end of the wedge to the nail, pipe a small cone using a single motion, as you turn your piping nail. The cone should be wider at the base, and narrower at the top.

Step 5 – Pipe 3 petals using an even pressure. Each petal should start in the middle of the previous petal, and should start and finish on either side of the cone. Don’t worry about them being ‘too big’, as half of the petal will tuck under the next petal.

Once you have three petals, you can use a toothpick to neaten the end of your last petal (optional).

This can be used as a Rose bud, or you can complete a full Rose.

Step 6 – Pipe 7 more petals, starting each petal in the middle of the previous petal. As long as you pipe each petal the same length, it doesn’t really matter if they are short or long, or even if you pipe more than 7, your Rose will still turn out ok. Chill until ready to apply to your cake or cupcake.

Viva La Buttercream x