How to Make Roses & Rosebuds With Icing
- 1). Clip 1/2 inch of the tip off of a disposable icing decorating bag, or use a washable icing bag with an open end to insert the icing tip. Prepare three bags, two for the flower base and petals, and one for the leaves of the rosebuds. Insert a #12 tip into one bag, a #104 petal tip into a second bag, and a #3 round tip into the final bag. Push them down to the end so that the tip protrudes and the bag holds the remainder of the tip in place.
- 2). Fill the first two decorating bags with the buttercream frosting, colored if desired in the shade of rose you want to create. Fill the third bag with the #3 tip with green icing. Fill the bags about half full and no more than two-thirds full, then twist the bag just above the frosting to compress it and push the icing down as you work.
- 3). Place a dot of frosting on the flower nail with the bag that has the #12 tip. Press a piece of the wax paper in place on the dot of frosting on the nail. Hold the nail in your left hand (if you are right-handed) between your thumb and forefinger so you can turn it counterclockwise. Hold the decorating bag straight up in your right hand, with the tail of the bag twisted and wrapped between your fingers, the bulk of the bag held firmly in the palm of your hand. Poise the tip over the flower nail and squeeze. Use firm pressure at first for the base, keeping the tip buried in the icing until the base fills out on the nail. Lift the tip and let off the pressure pulling the tip away, then stop pressure and lift until you pull free of the base. The base should be 1 1/2 times as high as the rose tip opening. You can practice this technique on a piece of cardboard until you feel comfortable.
- 4). Use the bag with the #104 petal tip to make the rose center. Hold the nail in your left hand as with the base. Place the tip with the wider part of the opening down, against the flower base at the midline, without pushing the tip into it. Hold the tip at a 45-degree angle with the top of the tip facing slightly inward. Three motions must take place at once, squeeze the bag, turn the nail and move the tip. Your tip should move up, then back down, forming a ribbon as you turn the nail. The ribbon should form a shape around the top of the base similar to a cone. Turn, squeeze, lift, lower, let off pressure and pull tip away is the sequence of motions. Slightly overlap the ribbon end on the starting point.
- 5). Shift the tip to have the top or narrow end of the tip pointing straight up, rather than inward. Repeat the turn, squeeze, lift motions for the petals, but this time make shorter arcs, like half circles of ribbon. As you turn the nail, lift the tip and apply pressure, then let pressure off on the way back down ending the petal. Overlap the edge of the next petal on top of the end of the last petal. Make this first row of petals at the midline of the base. This row should take three petals.
- 6). Repeat the petal process for the second row, moving the tip down just below the base of the last row of petals and lean the tip slightly further out than the first row. This row should take five petals. The last petal should overlap the first at the end.
- 7). Create the last and outer row of petals by moving the tip down to the bottom of the base, leaning it slightly further out than the middle row, and creating six petals for this row.
- 8). Lift the wax paper with the rose carefully away from the flower nail and set aside to dry. Add another piece of wax paper by placing an icing dot on the nail and setting the wax paper into it.
- 9). Use tip #104, hold the bag at a 45-degree angle, with the narrow end of the tip slightly lifted and turned a bit to the right. Squeeze gently and move the tip away from you about 1/4 inch. Pause and continue squeezing allowing the petal to fan out, then bring the tip back to the starting point, stopping pressure about halfway there, then lifting away at the end. Place your tip at the outside edge of this petal with the wide end touching. Squeeze gently, allowing the ribbon to naturally catch the edge and roll over the first petal naturally. When it is complete, release pressure, then lift away. These two small curled petals create the rosebud. Add the stem and sepals by using the tip #3 with the green icing. Hold the tip at the 6 o'clock position, squeeze gently and move the tip toward the petal reducing pressure and letting off as you lift up. Repeat two more times, one more on each side of the center sepal. Place the tip on the center sepal, squeeze gently and pull downward, letting pressure off as you go, creating the stem calyx. The rosebud is complete.
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