These simple royal icing flowers make great decorations for cakes, cupcakes, and cookies and are perfect for spring!
Spring has sprung y’all. For the last couple weeks we’ve had temps in the 50s and 60s and The Weather Channel promises me an “unseasonably warm March” which means it’s going to feel like Virginia all the way up here in Michigan! Wahoo! Plus we’re slowly descending into March Madness tournament time which is just the icing on my winter-is-over cake. Bring on spring. And warmth. And sunshine. And longer days. And my month long trip to Virginia to celebrate my baby brother graduating from high school!
In honor of this momentous occasion {aka winter is finally over + family time is almost here} I decided to celebrate with some beautiful and simple royal icing flowers. I’m totally, completely, 150% in love with what these sweet little flowers did to these cupcakes and they’d look equally as beautiful on a sugar cookie or cake, too. And if I, the same woman who can’t decorate her way out of a paper bag, can make these trust me when I say that you can, too!
I’m hoping that I got the numbers for these tips right because mine came in a big pack and the tips themselves aren’t labeled. I’m sure at one point there was a sheet telling me which tip was what but that’s long since disappeared. I don’t really think the exact tip matters a whole lot because honestly I picked 4 tips that looked flower-y and messed around until I got some pretty flower-like shapes. Don’t stress about perfect flowers.
About 45 second icing was perfect for these. Icing right out of the mixing bowl, which is what I used for the yellow flowers, ended up being too thick and wouldn’t settle into itself, leaving gaps in the ribbons of icing when I was trying for my hydrangea-esque look. And then in some of the pink flowers the icing was TOO runny {at about 25 second icing} and so they didn’t hold their shape. The blue was the only icing that was 45 second icing and it worked perfectly.
I do recommend disposable piping bags vs using a zip top bag because the icing is thicker and your bag my explode. Not really something you’d want to clean up after. Pipe the flowers and leaves if you’re so inclined onto wax paper NOT parchment and allow them to dry overnight. Make more than you think you need in case some of them break when you take them off the paper and store any leftovers in an airtight container. I envision some flower “sprinkles” served over ice cream until they’re gone 😛
How to Make Royal Icing Flowers
Ingredients
- 1 Tbs + 3/4 tsp meringue powder
- 1 1/2 Tbs water + more for thinning
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- Food coloring of choice (I used green, red, blue, and yellow)
Instructions
- In the bottom of a mixing bowl whisk together meringue powder and water until foamy.
- Add in powdered sugar all at once and mix on medium speed with the paddle attachment until sugar is just incorporated.*
- Add in vanilla and mix on medium speed until stiff peaks have formed, about 5-8 minutes.
- Divide icing equally into 4 bowls and add food coloring until desired color is reached. Mix in water 1/4 tsp at a time until you draw your knife through the surface of the icing and it takes 45 seconds for the icing to come together.
- Add icing to your piping bag fitted with your tip of choice and pipe your flowers onto wax paper.
- Allow to dry overnight. Store unused flowers in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Notes
* To keep your kitchen clean place a towel over your mixing bowl until the powdered sugar is incorporated.
For more adorable flower ideas to help you welcome in spring check out these awesome posts from my besties!
Goodie Godmother’s, Cherry Blossom Cake Tutorial
Cook. Craft. Love’s, Royal Icing Flowers
An Aiming High Wife’s, Bloom Where You Are Planted
No Bohns About It’s, Easy DIY Floral Wreath You Can Make With Kids
Christin
Tuesday 4th of October 2016
Can you pipe this straight onto sugar cookies?
Meaghan
Wednesday 5th of October 2016
Absolutely! If you want to flood the cookie you'll want to thin the icing out to 15-20 seconds so it will flood and fill in easily.
~Meaghan
Nicole @Little Blog on the Homestead
Sunday 20th of March 2016
These turned out so beautifully! I love it, they're classy and pretty and tasted yummy too
Meaghan
Wednesday 23rd of March 2016
I wish we could have had them for your wedding cupcakes! At least they were still yummy :P
~Meaghan
Erin
Friday 18th of March 2016
Gorgeous! These look amazingly professional! I wish I had this tutorial when we made cupcakes for my wedding a few years back!! They could have really used it.
Meaghan
Friday 18th of March 2016
Thank you! I'm really happy with how they turned out and I wish I'd thought of these when I made Nicole's wedding cupcakes last year!
~Meaghan