How to Make Candy Flowers for Decorating Cakes
Ever wonder how the pastry chef at the corner bakery creates those delicious cakes dotted with colorful candy flowers? Not to take anything away from the master chefs, but it's not as difficult as it looks. Royal icing is the perfect medium for creating candy flowers. It's soft enough to pipe through flower-shaped decorating tips, but it dries quickly into rock-hard candy decorations that can be stored indefinitely until you are ready to use them. So with your royal icing and a few cake decorating tools, you'll be knocking out amazing cakes in no time. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 3 3/4 cups confectioner's sugar
- 3 tbsp. meringue powder
- 6 tbsp. warm water
- Large mixing bowl
- Electric mixer
- Icing color
- Damp cloth
- Disposable decorating bags
- Drop flower decorating tips
- Cookie sheet
- Wax paper
- Airtight container
Instructions
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Royal Icing
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1
Combine 3 3/4 cups confectioner's sugar, 3 tbsp. meringue powder and 6 tbsp. warm water in a large mixing bowl.
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2
Beat on high with an electric mixer until thoroughly combined. If you plan to create more than one color for your flowers, divide the icing into separate bowls.
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3
Add the icing color of your choice and stir into the mixture(s). Add a few drops at a time until the desired tint is achieved.
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4
Beat on high with your electric mixer until very stiff peaks form. Once you pull your mixing blades away from the peak it should stand and and not sink back into the mixture.
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5
Cover the bowl containing the royal icing with a damp cloth. Royal icing dries very quickly, so unless you are spooning icing into a decorating bag, keep the bowl covered.
Making the Flowers
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6
Line one or two cookie sheets with wax paper.
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7
Fill your disposable decorating bag(s) approximately 2/3 full with royal icing. Attach a flower tip to one bag and, if needed, a round tip to another (for the flower centers). Some flowers, like roses, will not require a center.
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8
Hold the decorating bag with the flower tip at a 90-degree angle (straight up) over a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet.
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9
Squeeze the bag, slowly and firmly, and "drop" the icing flower onto the waxed paper. Each drop flower decorating tip will come with specific instructions on how to turn or twist the bag as you drop the flower. Follow the manufacturer's instructions.
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10
Hold another decorating bag with a round tip over each flower and add center dots if desired.
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11
Allow the flowers to air-dry. They will dry very quickly.
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12
Remove the flowers from the wax paper and carefully place them in an airtight container. Store the container in a cool, well-ventilated area at room temperature. The candy flowers will keep indefinitely as long as they are not exposed to condensation.
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1
Tips & Warnings
To adorn a buttercream-frosted or ganache-covered cake, simply press your candy flowers into the frosting. If your cake is covered in fondant, use soft royal icing to "glue" your candy flowers to the cake.
Stock your kitchen with an assortment of drop flower decorating tips so that you will be able to create a wide variety of candy flowers. Daisies, poinsettias, pansies, daffodils and roses are just a few of the tips available today.
Keep your electric mixer close. If your royal icing begins to "deflate" you may need to beat it again so that it will be thick enough to form flowers.
Store leftover royal icing in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.
