Learn how to turn cupcakes into a beautiful potted cupcake bouquet. Start with un-iced cupcakes, add some icing and then follow the directions to create this adorable (and gift-able) cupcake bouquet.
I made this beautiful cupcake bouquet as a gift to my Mom for Mother's Day. She loved it! The tutorial was easy to follow and the final product was absolutely adorable.
-Jennifer S.
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Bailey's Thoughts ...
The arrival of Spring means Mother's Day, bridal showers, baby showers, weddings and here in Kentucky ... Derby!
I LOVE a themed baking treat. If it can double as a perfect gift, even better. Cupcake bouquets are the perfect edible addition to Spring events + they are gorgeous and delicious to eat!
There are lots of great things about this specific buttercream cupcake bouquet, not least of all, we are talking about a project that is genuinely DO-ABLE, hello! While cupcake bouquets can be dressed up with a variety of techniques, I recommend keeping things simple (aka ... stress free). In my experience "rose" buttercream flowers are the easiest to pipe.
There is a slight learning curve to this project and some experimenting and patience is necessary. My main take-away was not to overthink things. Cupcake placement doesn't have to be perfect, your flowers don't have to be exact replicas of a realistic rose, and the tissue paper, well ... at the end of the day, you can just jam it in there.
This was developed as a part of my baking with kids series. Easy dinners are my go-to, but I always LOVE an excuse to get families into the kitchen cooking together!
-Bailey
Materials
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- un-iced cupcakes - this tutorial uses chocolate cupcakes; vanilla cupcakes, red velvet cupcakes or strawberry cupcakes would work as well
- vanilla buttercream frosting - buttercream should be a stiff consistency so that the flowers will retain their shaped when piped and attached to the bouquet
- food coloring - bright pink is shown in tutorial, change colors of frosting based on preference
- piping bags - 18" piping bags help ensure that piping bag won't be over-filled and helps reduce messiness
- Wilton 2D piping tip - also referred to as a drop flower tip or 2D closed star nozzle
- X-acto Knife - used to cut small slits into the base of the cupcakes so that the toothpicks can be inserted
- appetizer toothpicks - thicker than regular toothpicks and necessary to ensure that cupcakes stay attached to the styrofoam ball
- green tissue paper - used to fill in any gaps in the bouquet once cupcakes have been attached
- regular toothpicks - used to hold the tissue paper leaves
- terra cotta flower pot - I purchased mine at Hobby Lobby, but it is no longer available. Use what you have or can find; it's important that the round styrofoam fits tightly into the pot
- round styrofoam - purchased at Hobby Lobby, diameter 4.7"
- white spray paint - used to paint the terra cotta pot
- vinyl dot stickers - stickers used to decorate the painted pot
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions: Piping Roses
Piping a rose video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNoZgVhUI14&t=305s.
Step 1: Split buttercream evenly into 2 separate bowls. To the first, add pink food coloring and mix until fully incorporated.
Step 2: Fit piping bag with 2D tip. Insert piping bag into a tall narrow cup. Fold the edges of the piping bag down over the cup's rim. You should have at least 4" of overhang.
Step 3: Use a butterknife or small offset spatula to spread all of the pink icing from bowl 1 around the outer edge of the piping bag.
Step 4: Add white frosting to the center of the piping bag. Press the frosting all the way to the tip of the piping bag. Remove piping bag from cup and seal with a clip or rubber band.
Step 5: Remove piping bag from cup and seal with a clip or rubber band. Hold the piping bag ½" above the cupcake. The piping bag should be straight, not held at an angle. Use a steady, medium pressure. Start at the center of the cupcake and pipe a tight spiral. Lessen your pressure as you come to the end, trailing off. Use your finger to smooth the "end" if necessary.
Hint: When adding the outer pink layer to the piping bag, make sure that it is evenly applied. Avoid letting pink buttercream pile at the tip of the piping bag. Before piping your first flower, squeeze out icing until both pink and white come out of the tip.
Instructions: Assembling Cupcake Bouquet
Step 1: Spray paint your pot white (inside and outside) and allow to dry. Add vinyl dot stickers - use any pattern or colors you like. Add your styrofoam ball into the pot. It should be very secure. If needed, trim for a perfect fit.
Step 2: Place 2-3 toothpicks at a 45 degree angle slightly above the edge of the pot. The lower the toothpicks, the more likely the cupcakes will not stay on. If you need to leave "green ball" showing at the bottom, it can filled in later with tissue paper.
Step 3: Use the X-acto knife to carefully cut slits through the bottom of the cupcake liner. You will need to cut exactly where the toothpicks will enter. Carefully slide cupcake onto the toothpicks. If unsteady, remove cupcake and add an additional toothpick.
Step 4: Continue adding cupcakes to the cupcake bouquet. You should complete the bottom row first for stability. Once that row is complete, you can add the cupcakes that will be placed higher on the styrofoam ball.
Step 5: To create the leaves that fill in the gaps of the bouquet, cut pieces of tissue paper into 5" x 5" squares. Fold diagonally 3x. Gently twist the bottom corner of the triangle and use your finger to spread out the tissue paper to look like leaves.
Step 6: Insert a regular toothpick (not appetizer style) through the center of your "leaf" and insert it into the styrofoam ball between cupcakes. Continue adding leaves until your bouquet is full and all gaps are gone.
Variations
There are LOTS of different ways you can make this buttercream cupcake bouquet your own. Get creative with colors, pots, and flower style! Below I have linked to some of my favorite inspiration photos from around the web.
- Hydrangea Cupcakes - I LOVED how The Barefoot Baker created hydrangea style flowers in place of roses
- Simplified Flower Bouquet - Sally's Baking addiction skipped on the pot and arranged the bouquet onto a sheet pan instead
- Flower Combo - Craftsy used a combination of both roses and hydrangeas and incorporated different colors of frosting for the buttercream flowers
- Mini Cupcakes - if working with kids, mini cupcakes and smaller flower pots are a great way to simplify this project.
Storage
This cupcake bouquet is delicate and transferring it may result in cupcakes shifting or icing smearing. Ideally, assemble the bouquet in the location that you will presenting it.
If you must move the bouquet, I recommend using saran wrap and dowels. Insert a few dowels into the styrofoam and then gently wrap the entire bouquet. The dowels are there to stop the plastic wrap from touching the cupcakes. Once wrapped, transfer the bouquet to a sturdy box.
Top tip
Refrigerate the cupcakes for a minimum of 1 hour before attaching them to the flower pot bouquet. This will help the buttercream icing to firm up and be a little more forgiving if you accidentally hit it with a finger.
FAQ
If your cupcakes are dropping, you either do not have your toothpicks at a 45 degree angle OR you may need to add additional toothpicks for support. Additionally, make sure that you are using u0022appetizer toothpicksu0022 - regular are not sturdy enough. If you cannot get the cupcakes to attach properly, try moving your bottom level of cupcakes up ½u0022 -1u0022 on the ball. You can use the green tissue paper to fill in the gaps at the end of the project.
This happens if your buttercream is too loose. This project requires a stiff buttercream that will hold its shape. Refrigerating the cupcakes prior to attaching them can also help solve this issue.
This is why we added the step of using an X-acto knife. If you carefully create slits that match up with the toothpicks, the cupcake should easily slide into place.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe
Easy DIY Cupcake Bouquet with Buttercream Flowers
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 cupcake bouquet 1x
Description
Learn how to turn cupcakes into a beautiful potted cupcake bouquet. Start with un-iced cupcakes, add some icing and then follow the directions and video to create this adorable (and gift-able) cupcake bouquet.
Ingredients
For The Rose Cupcakes:
- 12 un-iced cupcakes
- 2 ½ cups buttercream icing, thick consistency
- bright pink food coloring
- (1) 18" piping bag
- (1) Wilton 2D piping tip
- small offset spatula OR butter knife
To Decorate/Prepare Pot:
- terra cotta flower pot - about 6.5" in diameter
- (1) small can white spray paint
- vinyl dot stickers
- Round styrofoam dome - diameter used for tutorial 4.7"
To Assemble Cupcake Flower Bouquet:
- appetizer toothpicks
- X-acto knife
- regular toothpicks
- green tissue paper
Instructions
Instructions For Rose Cupcakes:
- Split buttercream evenly into 2 separate bowls. To the first, add pink food coloring and mix until fully incorporated.
- Fit piping bag with 2D tip. Insert piping bag into a tall narrow cup. Fold the edges of the piping bag down over the cup's rim. You should have at least 4" of overhang.
- Use a butterknife or small offset spatula to spread all of the pink icing from bowl 1 around the outer edge of the piping bag.
- Scoop white frosting to the center of the piping bag. Press the frosting all the way to the tip of the piping bag. Remove piping bag from cup and seal with a clip or rubber band.
- Remove piping bag from cup and seal with a clip or rubber band.
- Hold the piping bag ½" above the cupcake. The piping bag should be straight, not held at an angle. Use a steady, medium pressure. Start at the center of the cupcake and pipe a tight spiral. Lessen your pressure as you come to the end, trailing off. Use your finger to smooth the "end" if necessary.
Instructions For Assembling Cupcake Bouquet:
- Spray paint your pot white (inside and outside) and allow to dry. Add vinyl dot stickers - use any pattern or colors you like. Add your styrofoam ball into the pot. It should be very secure. If needed, trim for a perfect fit.
- Place 2-3 toothpicks at a 45 degree angle slightly above the edge of the pot. The lower the toothpicks, the more likely the cupcakes will not stay on. If you need to leave "green ball" showing at the bottom, it can filled in later with tissue paper.
- Use the X-acto knife to carefully cut slits through the bottom of the cupcake liner. You will need to cut exactly where the toothpicks will enter. Carefully slide cupcake onto the toothpicks. If unsteady, remove cupcake and add an additional toothpick.
- Continue adding cupcakes to the cupcake bouquet. You should complete the bottom row first for stability. Once that row is complete, you can add the cupcakes that will be placed higher on the styrofoam ball.
- To create the leaves that fill in the gaps of the bouquet, cut pieces of tissue paper into 5" x 5" squares. Fold diagonally 3x. Gently twist the bottom corner of the triangle and use your finger to spread out the tissue paper to look like leaves.
- Insert a regular toothpick (not appetizer style) through the center of your "leaf" and insert it into the styrofoam ball between cupcakes. Continue adding leaves until your bouquet is full and all gaps are gone.
Notes
See post for links to specific products and step-by-step directions with pictures
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Baking With Kids
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cupcake
- Calories: 255
- Sugar: 38.4 g
- Sodium: 289.4 mg
- Fat: 3.5 g
- Trans Fat:
- Carbohydrates: 54.9 g
- Protein: 1.6 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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