Draping Buttercream Poinsettia
Decorating By richnangela Updated 26 Aug 2009 , 11:14pm by -K8memphis
I'm doing my first wedding cake! 
It's my brother's wedding, and it's December 26th. So it's a Christmas theme. It's also real low-key and small - about 35 people total in a house with just a cake and punch reception. I've talked to the bride (my soon to be SIL) and I'm going to do the cake! She wants something really simple - 3 tier yellow cake with white butter cream frosting. Also she'd like me to drape poinsettias on the front of the cake. (I've seen other cakes on CC that do it with roses, etc.). If I do them in butter cream, how do I drape them? Any tips? I first have to learn how to make them - that will come in my courses in the next couple of months, but I'm just curious if you can drape butter cream poinsettias. Thanks!
I'd use royal icing ones instead. You do them the same way you would the butter cream ones, but allow them to dry.
There would be no chance of bleeding.
I prefer using RI to make flowers when they're going on the side. OP was considering bc though. The bc ones won't bleed if they're airdried. If you use a crusting bc, they can be made in advance, allowed to air dry...several days- a week depending on humidity....then stored until needed.
I think my first choice would be gum paste or maybe even fondant plus cornstarch. I mean a cake that small would take like two poinsettias to get 'er done.
Also, in buttercream, I could/would straight up pipe 'em on there.
And I think the term you are looking for is a cascade of poinsettias?
They can be made from a leaf tube--just pipe 'em out like wheel spokes--lots of different ways to make them but that's one way.
The advantage to using the leaf tube with the stem down the middle is they come so wide. You can use the v shaped leaf tube but you're making smaller flowers.
What is a crusting butter cream? And you're right K8 - cascade is the word a mean! What is a leaf tube? If I do them in royal icing, can I do them all ahead of time and just assemble on sight? Would it work that way with butter cream too?
Thanks for the thoughts and suggestions! I'm definitely a bit nervous! But at the same time I really want to learn it and do it! My Wilton class doesn't start for 2 weeks and I'm really anxious to just get moving!
Loucinda - is there a tutorial anywhere on how to do it in gelatin?
Here is the post on how to do the butterflies, bows and flowers - you can contact Diane at cakeconnection dot com for the mat to make them on - they are very pretty!
http://cakecentral.com/justdi-ftopicp-6458441.html#6458441
roland winbeckler has a wonderful little buttercream flower book.. in there , he has the poinsettia,etc. he uses a rose tip,etc. you could pipe them right on your buttercream frosted cake...it would look beautiful and taste wonderful.. eat the cake , flowers and all.. yummy.. i would use at least a #125 rose petal tip.. hth
I think the bride is going to prefer it in butter cream (I might be able to convince her to use royal icing). If I do, how do I make the cascade? I don't want it to look flat if that makes sense. THat's why I think I'd rather use royal icing for more of dimensional look but maybe I'm wrong - I don't know anything real yet!
Thanks - I'll check out that book! I appreciate the help!
Over pipe (aka piping over) the petals will get you some dimension.
http://acmecakes.com/images/snowflakecake.jpg
These are piped. The snowflakes are rice paper cut with a scrap book punch.
The branches look like dog doo-doo with pine needles but the poinsettias are buttercream
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