This weekend I'm making 24 cupcakes. 12 will have poured fondant as icing and 12 will have a thin layer of buttercream. I'm going to use a 2D tip to make buttercream drop flowers for 12 of the cakes and star flowers for the other 12 cakes.

I don't have any wax paper. Can I use baking/parchment paper instead?

When is best to do the flowers? I'm baking the cupcakes on Friday and will finish decorating them on the saturday. How long do I need to wait for the poured fondant and buttercream icing to set on the cupcakes before I can add the flowers? And should I do the flowers on Friday so they are hard enough to put on the cakes on Saturday?

One very last question! Do I store the buttercream flowers in the fridge or in an air tight container to let them harden?

Thank you for your help!

The only answer I can give you here is if you store BC in an airtight container they can't dry... So if you make them Friday, let them sit out until you are ready to put them on the cc's...

foxy is right ... you let buttercream flowers air dry on the counter. They may get hard in the 'frig but when things are removed from the freezer or 'frig to room temperature, they tend to "melt". Air drying removes the excess moisture from the flower, making them very lightweight and more likely to stay in place (i.e. flowers on the side of the cake will stay on the side of the cake). Also, removing the moisture removes the "wet" from the flower ... it's logical to let them "dry" and let the moisture escape from the flower than it is to temporarily solidify the wet object in the 'frig.

I never refrigerate my icing. Ever.

Thanks for the help guys. Glad I asked. Any suggestions on whether I should let my frosting set before putting the flowers on?

Amy x

I use SMBC for frosting and decorating, which has butter. I stick my flowers in the fridge if they are large, like roses, to get solid. Drop flowers I pipe directly on the frosting/ganache/fondant. I've also purchased "911" flowers, royal icing flowers purchased from a local cake supply shop for when I don't have time and need filler flowers. What a help!
I prefer placing my flowers right on fresh icing so they stick. If it has set, I use a little spot of icing to attach the flowers.