How to Make Butterflies From Frosting

Imagine a chocolate one of these perched atop your cupcake.

Frosted butterflies add a sophisticated, creative flourish to cupcakes and cakes. Typically, they're about four inches wide and made of chocolate. They look best on cupcakes, but a sheet cake with a butterfly atop each piece is another possibility. Once you master the basics, you can customize and personalize your butterflies by changing the colors of the frosting and sprinkles and even varying the types of chocolate.

Things You'll Need

• Paper
• Pen
• Melting chocolate
• Double boiler (optional)
• Pastry bags or plastic bags
• Food coloring
• Writing tip (optional)
• Scissors (optional)
• Toothpicks
• Sprinkles
• Frosting

Instructions

1. Draw the outline of two butterfly wings and a body on a piece of paper. This will serve as your template.

2. Melt the chocolate. Place the chocolate in a plastic bag and microwave it for 10 seconds. If you don't have a microwave, you can use a double boiler. To make a double boiler, heat water in a large pot and place a smaller pot inside it so the pot rests on the water. Put the chocolate in the small pot. When the chocolate melts, pour it into a pastry bag or plastic bag. To make different colors, add food coloring to melted white chocolate.

3. Snip a tiny corner from the plastic bag. If you are using a pastry bag instead, apply the writing tip. Squeeze the chocolate onto your paper, following the outline of the two wings and then filling in the wings. Do not trace the body yet. If you want multiple colors in your butterfly, trace the outline with one color and fill the inside with another. Trace an antenna shape as well.

4. Use a toothpick to flatten the chocolate and to swirl the two colors if necessary. Add a few sprinkles as desired. Work quickly because the chocolate will set fast.

5. Make a body that is slightly shorter than the length of your wings by squeezing a row of dollops of chocolate onto your paper. You can use the writing tip by squeezing chocolate in a circular motion to make the dollops, or you can use a larger, round tip to speed the process. The dollops must touch each other in a row to form the ovular body shape. Allow the body and wings to dry completely. Repeat the steps for additional butterflies.

6. Apply a generous amount of frosting to the top of your cupcake or the places on the cake where you'd like the butterflies to be. Carefully lift the butterfly pieces, and assemble on the frosting.

Tips & Warnings

• If your chocolate hardens while you are still working, simply reheat it in the microwave or double boiler.

• Powder food coloring gives a more intense color than liquid when added to frosting.

References

• Annie's Eats

Resources

• Easy Icing Recipes