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How to pipe buttercream flowers for beginners

These buttercream peony and begonia petals are beginner-friendly and can be piped in various sizes and colours. The beautiful blooms are perfect for any colourful floral cake...

Image credit: Neetha Syam, Buttercream Petals

Master the art of decorating cakes with buttercream flowers in this easy to follow guide from cake artist and tutor, Neetha Syam, Search Press. If you enjoyed this tutorial from Buttercream Petals, you can get the book from our online shop WITH an automatic 20% off just for being you, PLUS free UK P+P!

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Get everything you need to make this stunning buttercream flowers from vanilla icing to piping bags and nozzles on our online shop here.

You will need

Edibles

Yellow buttercream
Pink buttercream

Equipment

Wilton no.104 nozzle
Wilton no.233 nozzle
Wilton no.3 nozzle
JEM no.121 nozzle (you could also use a Wilton no.125 nozzle)
Piping bags

Instructions

To make the buttercream begonia:

Using yellow buttercream and a Wilton no.3 nozzle (or a piping bag with a fine hole cut at the end), pipe a guide circle for the middle of the flower. Using the pink buttercream with a Wilton no.104 nozzle, pipe curved, ruffled petals: place the nozzle on the guide circle at a 30° angle, with the wider end of the nozzle facing outwards. Apply gentle pressure, lightly moving the nozzle up and down, and move the nozzle around the circle to release a ruffled petal.

Pipe similar ruffled petals, positioning the nozzle halfway down the top of the petals already piped. Complete the first layer of petals.

Pipe a second layer of petals, positioning the nozzle inside the guide circle so you can see a little of the layer of petals already piped.

Pipe similar overlapping petals, completing the second layer, and repeat for a third layer of petals.

Finally, using yellow buttercream and a Wilton no.233 nozzle, hold the nozzle upright in the middle of he flower and squeeze evenly to pipe stamens.

To make the buttercream peony:

Using yellow buttercream and a Wilton no.233 nozzle, pipe the central stamen of the flowers.

Using two-tone buttercream in yellow and pink, with a JEM no.121 nozzle, pipe closed petals all around the central structure. Place the nozzle flat against the centre with the wider end of the nozzle at the bottom and narrow end at the top. Pipe curved upright petals.

Pipe three similar petals all around the centre, making sure you can see the stamens are ever so slightly. This is the bud.

Pipe more closed upright curved petals all around the bud of the peony.

You can pipe more layers depending on the size of the flower you want to create; you can also use the same techniques to pipe different-sized peonies.