Buttercream Begonias

I've always been intimidated by floral cream decorations, but with the upcoming birthday brunch I was having for my dear friend G, I decided it was time to get over those fears.

Homework:
Read up on buttercream flowers in Cake Art by the Culinary Institute of America.
Watch "A Cupcake Bouquet" youtube clip from the Culinary Institute of America



For the cake, I used the Magnolia Vanilla Cupcake recipe, using soy milk instead of whole milk(because I didn't have any.) The cake was very moist and fragrant, but a bit sweet for my liking. I think next time I will cut back on the sugar.

For the frosting I used my own buttercream recipe. I made one batch dyed yellow and left one white. Here is the result of my first buttercream flowers. What I learned is that you should make sure the buttercream is chilled just a little so your flower petals don't fall flat. And practice makes perfect!

Happy Birthday GK!