I found this link to an article. I think that combining this with the video will at least help me out a lot.

http://cakecentral.com/article.....Stick.html

This is the only rose technique that I use anymore. Except when I am working directly on the cake, of course. And this is the video that originally inspired me as well, LOL.

If you want bigger or smaller roses, use thicker and thinner sticks and different sized flower tips. You will be *&^%$* if you try to make giant and tiny flowers/buds using just one stick size and/or one tip size. Using bettercreme if you can get it works great for begginers. It works so great with so little fuss and is very forgiving. But any fairly firm icing seems to work for me.

For those that are having troubles.....here are some key things to do (in my opinion) :

as some other posters have mentioned already, when you are piping the roses can (and should) start to look like a pinecone. This is because you are actually building down the stick. Do not try to build the rose out to look like a rose while it is still on the stick. When you lift the flower off of the stick with your scissors, the petals will collapse together and form a lovely, fluffy rose.

Now, knowing that.....when you start each petal, you should move slightly down on the stick. The beginning and finishing of each petal should be ON the stick. What I mean is that the tip of your piping tip should touch the stick (not the previous row of petals), then squeeze to form a petal while moving your hand up and squeezing your piping bag a bit firmer , then move your piping bag/tip back down and finish with the petal tip touching the stick again. Then keep doing that for each row. You are building DOWN not out. It won't look like a pretty, full rose while on the stick. Not as pretty as it will in about a minute, anyway.

Place your clean scissors under the bottom row of petals and gently twist the stick as you hold the scissors steady and lift the flower away from the stick. The petal should magically collapse to form a beautiful rose. (


This brings a tear of joy to my eye EVERY time. sigh. It just never gets old)

I have made hundreds of these roses and you know what? It just NEVER gets old. Makes me giggle every time. I just love it!

I really like making these with meringue buttercream, but I boil my syrup for the meringue to around 240 degrees and do have a fairly firm buttercream to work with. I even go a bit higher temp in the summer sometimes. I also use 1/3 salted butter, 1/3 unsalted butter, and 1/3 white shortening. Not greasy or over buttery at all. You can always add a bit more salt while whipping if you like it more buttery tasting.

I even colored it pink a few weeks ago with a raspberry reduction (strain or the seeds will clog your tip...grrrrr.) and it was a lovely light pink with an amazing raspberry flavor. That and adding mocha international coffee that has been made to a thick paste with a bit of cream are my favorite flavors so far.

If you are having frustrations, just keep at it. You WILL figure it out. And once you do, you will scorn the the day that you met your flower nail for making roses.

I just love learning new techniques and hopefully one day I will be able to be as helpful as everyone else on this site has been for me.



Raspberry reduction:
There are many ways to do this. I am lazy, therefore this is the way I do it...

use frozen berries (blackberries, blueberries, whatever you like). Nuke them babies to get them nice and juicy. Set aside to let them get nice and soft. Then push them thru a fine strainer to get all the juice and hopefully none of the seeds. Continue nuking until the juice is reduced to about half. Sweeten with sugar after it is reduced to as sweet as you like it. Let cool. Voila! Add to whatever you like for flavor. This is just incredible as a macaron filling with a fresh raspberry in the center! (I am putting weight on just thinking about it!!!!! Now I might have to make macarons today!!!!)

I don't know if anyone found it yet but heres the the one i always look at! Good job on your roses!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1x2pkILr_g&eurl=http://pineapple-tarts.blogspot.com/2007/11/rose-fondant-step-by-step-pictures.html

That's the video everyone is talking about - amazing, isn't it?!

tigerbounce - you just gave the best description by far that I have ever read on this technique. It explains a lot of what I was doing wrong. THANK YOU!!!

My pleasure. (blushing)

Ok,now dance in the streets.........

make cupcakes and put just a bit of frosting on each. Make about 3 nice sized stick roses and place on each. (whatever colors you want) Now, switch to tip number 74. Change frosting colors if you want. Pipe a small swirly blob and then lift your tip. With the V pointing towards the cupcake, touch the tip to the outer edge of the blog and pipe about 1/2 inch petals by squeezing and pulling up. Work your way around the blob and then fill it in so that it looks full. Looks like a chrysanthemum or something. Then switch to a dot tip and fill in some more around the edges, etc with grape cluster looking things. Finally, switch to a leaf tip and fill in with leaves.

Now you should have a pretty cupcake with a bouquet of flowers on it. Use these cupcakes to make your cupcake bouquets. Before adding them though, fill in your styrofoam base with greenery, babies breath, etc. Then add your cupcakes. Looks like a regular bouquet! People ALWAYS think they area getting a bouquet of flowers when I bring them these. Heh.

I call these "Monet Bouquets". Impressionistic bouquets,... LOL. Yummy.

In case you missed my other comment on another thread... I also bake my cupcakes in heavy duty paper cups cut to the size I want. Much firmer than cupcake liners. The cupcakes don't fall out of these. heh.

Now that you know how to make stick roses....cupcake bouquets will be a snap!

I AM THE MOST POWERFUL WOMAN IN THE WORLD!! (or at least i feel like it!!) I just made some perfectly dandy little roses!! This method ROCKS!

tigerbounce - do you have any pics of the cupcakes? having a hard time visualizing. Stayed up til 2 am last night caking.

WHOO HOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i wanna see tigerbounces cupcakes too!