I am making cupcakes for an event and I am putting a buttercream rose on each one. I have become good with my rose but I can NEVER get the edges to be smooth. They are always chipped looking. How do I solve this problem???

i always have my icing between medium and stiff.. never stiff. i put my icing in a med. plastic bowl.. i take my spatula and just keep turning the icing over and over and mashing it to the side of bowl. until i see that it is smooth as i want it.. then when i am making the petals. i pressure the bag good.. as i make the petal.. the rules are. if you have jagged edges.. your b/c is too stiff or you are not pressuring good enough.. please try this. i teach the rose at michaels in the wilton classes. hth. i have never added corn syrup to my icing.. i just use water to get it the consistency i need. and again.. smooth it good in the bowl.

I was taught to mix in a little piping gel into the buttercream.

Add a little more shortning to your icing. It won't thin it out, it just makes it creamier.

The ragged edge you're talking about indicates your icing is a bit too stiff...nothing to do with technique. You can make it a bit "looser" by adding a bit more water or as suggested piping gel. I like piping gel as it helps to increase the cohesion of the sugar and fat without thinning out the icing, so the petal shapes stay better.

It also helps sometimes to open out the pointed end of the petal tip just a tiny bit.

It is not always the case that the icing is too stiff, which is why you should add more shortning (piping gel will work too, but if you don't have it shortning is fine) If your icing is the proper consistency - you don't want to add more liquid to it (like water or milk) or it will thin it out too much.

I've never used shortening so I'll have to remember that trick. I've also found with my students, they take short cuts on mixing time. If the icing isn't mixed well enough ( I don't mean on high speed whip, but length of time ) then the petals don't come out smooth either.

That is definately something that makes a difference. (the mixing) It is hard to make them understand that a lower speed for a longer time is better than high speed for a short time!

I didn't start this thread BUT

Thanks for the info

........icing is a bit too stiff...nothing to do with technique. You can make it a bit "looser" by adding a bit more water or as suggested piping gel........

Not true. Most people - especially newbies - do not use enough pressure when piping roses.
Water will thin the icing and probably cause the petals to droop.
Piping gel is good but it is *much* better to use a bit more Crisco.

OP: I *prefer* my roses w/those 'chipped' edges To me they look much more real.

Kakeladi, I'm not saying too stiff is the only reason. But as an instructor the 2 most frequent reasons I come across are my students not using enough liquid and too short a mixing time. And I'm definitely going to have to try the shortening idea. However, my buttercream recipe is all butter so I'm wondering if it will work the same as shortening due to the lower melting point.

Sorry to jack this thread ,, but I have a problem w/ mine drooping and mu icing is a mix between half real butter and crisco . I don't have any trouble w/ my frosting it's the Rose I have yet to be able to make one ? I'll try the pressure thing but I dont think it's that ? hm,mm I need to make a rose ! I can do everything else . BTW I also have used an all criso based and still just alittle droopy ,, do I need merengue

bump

No, you do not need meringue powder - you need to add some additional powdered sugar or cornstarch to your icing in order for your petals to stand up straight and proud. This works with both shortening and butter-based crusting buttercreams.