SPRING FLING

Spring is here & although temperatures are still a bit chilly, one place flowers are blooming is inside my kitchen.

I've wanted to try Russian tips for awhile now & I finally got the chance to try them. What's a Russian tip you might ask? Well they are specialty tips that help you pipe intricate buttercream flowers in one easy step. With lots of tips to choose from, the design possibilities are pretty much endless. They are also relatively inexpensive, I chose a 12-tip set on Amazon for under $15! Check it out here.

While I'm pretty comfortable decorating cookies, cupcakes are whole different story. Don't get me wrong, I love to eat them, but when it comes to decorating I want something that's beautiful but easy to achieve. That's why Russian tips are perfect!

For the prettiest cupcakes at your next Spring party or Easter spread, check out my tips & recipe below!

First things first, you'll want to whip up your favorite cupcakes. I chose this delish funfetti recipe, but any will work just fine.

Once you've baked your cupcakes, let them cool & get started on the buttercream. Now what I learned is that you'll need a pretty stiff icing to keep the shape of the flower. I love this light & fluffy vanilla buttercream, which worked great with the tips:

LIGHT + FLUFFY VANILLA BUTTERCREAM

1/2 cup salted butter, softened

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

2 tablespoons milk

Gel food coloring ( I used avocado green & soft pink)

With a hand mixer, cream room temperature butter until smooth & fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until well combined. Add vanilla extract & beat for an additional 30 seconds. Pour in milk & beat for an additional 3-4 minutes. This frosting will store at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for 5 days.

To decorate the cupcakes, I dyed about 1/4 of the icing Americolor avocado green & filled a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 352 tip. This was a perfect tip size for the leaves. Set aside.

I dyed another 1/4 of the icing with Americolor soft pink. Set aside.

Cut the end off of another piping bag so that your Russian tip fit. My only complaint about Russian tips is they are not numbered, so I've included a picture of the one I used. (See above photo)

On a piece of plastic wrap, spread out the remaining buttercream into a rectangle. Down the middle add the soft pink buttercream. Roll the plastic wrap into a log so that the lighter buttercream covers the middle pink. Snip off the end of the plastic wrap & drop it in your piping bag fitted with the Russian tip. Here's a helpful tutorial that helps explain the above steps.

Now before you pipe your cupcakes, I would test out a few on a sheet of wax paper. These tips require a little bit a practice, but I'd say in under 5 minutes you should get the hang of it. I found it helpful to spread a thin layer of buttercream on the surface of the cupcake so the flowers have something to adhere to. Start in the middle, then work your way around the center flower. Applying pressure for 2 seconds gave me really nice flowers (squeeze bag, one second, two second, release). Fill in gaps with your icing bag fitted with the leaf tip. Voila, you have a flower cupcake!

And remember no matter how your decoration turns out, these cupcakes will still be delicious. Trust me when I say the buttercream stays soft & fluffy, so you can really do no wrong. It's all about having a little fun.

I hope this has helped inspire you to go out & try something new!

ENJOY!