Royal Icing Syringa

The Syringa is the first flower I've piped out of royal icing whose pronunciation I am unsure of (and spellchecker is jumping all over me for the spelling, which I'm certain is accurate). It's the official flower of Idaho; I suppose if I'd taken the easy way out and piped a potato, I wouldn't have that problem. To pipe syringas (also known as Lewis's mock-orange), you'll need stiff consistency royal icing in white and yellow, petal tip #104, round tip #2, a flower nail, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, parchment paper squares, a glue stick, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of cornstarch and powdered sugar. Start by sticking a parchment square to the nail with a dab from the glue stick. 

 Syringas have four petals, which you'll want to pipe at 12, 3, 6 and 9. Hold the #104 tip almost flat on the surface with the narrow side facing outward and angled slightly up. Squeeze and move the tip in a tight upside-down "U" motion. As the tip reaches the end of the petal, stop pressure and pull the tip away towards yourself.

 Repeat a second time, overlapping the first petal slightly.

 Repeat…

 …and repeat. Allow these 4 petals to firm up for a while; you can speed this process up by placing them under a desk lamp.

 Using the #2 tip on the yellow icing, pipe a cluster of stamens. Hold the tip against the surface, squeeze, and pull the tip upwards. Stop pressure and pull the tip away after about 1/4". Adjust the directions of the stamens with a fingertip after touching it to the dusting pouch.

 Allow the stamens to firm up for a while, then pipe the little balls on the ends. To do this, squeeze out a tiny ball of icing from the end of the tip, then gently wipe the tip off on the end of each stamen. This sounds like it shouldn't work, but if the stamens are dry enough, you'll be successful!

Royal Icing Mistletoe

Let me start this post by letting you in on a useless piece of information: I'm blogging from the same hotel room where I did my first "remote post" back on January 2 (Road Trip Cupcakes). So if the hideous faux burl table looks familiar, that's why. Imagine my astonishment to learn that mistletoe is Oklahoma's official state floral symbol. I thought it would be amusing to serve up a batch of cupcakes this Christmas that are decorated with this poisonous parasite; I wonder if anyone would actually be hesitant to eat them? To honor Oklahoma by piping a crop of its oldest state symbol (actually adopted 14 years prior to Oklahoma's statehood), you'll need stiff consistency royal icing in green and white, two #8 round tips, petal tip #104, a glue stick, parchment paper squares, a flower nail, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 blend of cornstarch and powdered sugar. Start by sticking a parchment square to the nail with a dab from the glue stick. 

 Attach one of the #8 tips to the bag of green icing (you'll want to use a coupler). Pipe a few branches, allowing them to touch each other securely; you might want to touch a fingertip to the dusting pouch and gently tap the branches together where they join.

 Switch to the #104 petal tip and pipe a few round leaves. Hold the wide side of the tip against the "branch" and rotate the narrow end of the tip around in a fan-like shape while piping steadily. Stop pressure and pull the tip away towards yourself when you've reached the end of the "fan." Neaten the edges with a dusted fingertip if you need to.

 Lastly, pipe the berries with the other #8 tip. Hold the tip just above the surface, squeeze briefly, then stop pressure and pull the tip away. If a peak remains, tap it down with a dusted fingertip to form a ball. I tried to pipe a berry or two at any place on the structure that I perceived to be a weak point. When the icing is completely dry, peel away the parchment paper. I can't guarantee this creation will have the same magical kissing effect of the real deal, but I'm about to find out.

Royal Icing Yellow Hibiscus

Hawaii's official state flower is the yellow hibiscus (additionally, each individual island has its own official flower). Several varieties exist with red in various places, but the one I'm doing is primarily yellow with red dots in the middle (I'm guessing they're stamens). All you'll need to pipe yellow hibiscus flowers are stiff consistency royal icing (in yellow, of course; I used Lemon Yellow Soft Gel Paste by AmeriColor), tip #104, tip #5, a glue stick, a flower nail, parchment paper squares, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 blend of powdered sugar and cornstarch. You'll also need round toothpicks and AmeriColor's Super Red to make the dots that represent the stamens. Use a 5-petal flower nail template if it helps you to keep the petals even. 

 Pipe the first petal by holding the #104 tip almost flat against the surface. Keep the wide side of the petal tip against the center while gently waving the outer edge (the narrow side of the tip) up and down to form the grooves as you pipe.

 Pipe slowly and allow the icing to build up as you go; that will cause the icing to "ruffle" (instead of being flat like a rose petal).

 Pipe each petal in the same way, allowing them to overlap slightly. Here's the second:

 And the third:

 The fourth:

 And the fifth:

 Here's a side view. I love the dimensionality of this flower!

 Switch to the #5 round tip, hold it against the center, squeeze and pull up slowly. When the center is about half an inch tall, stop pressure and pull the tip away. Touch a fingertip to the dusting pouch and tap it against this formation to straighten it upright, if need be.

Lastly, when the flower has dried, use the pointy end of a round toothpick to paint the red dots of food color in the center. Aloha! 

Royal Icing Wild Prairie Rose

The wild prairie rose, Iowa's state flower since 1897, is found throughout the state, where it blooms from June through late summer. It comes in many shades of pink; I thought this would be a good excuse to try Fuchsia Soft Gel Paste by AmeriColor; it has a raspberry sherbet quality. You'll also need yellow stiff consistency royal icing, petal tip #104, round tip #2, parchment paper squares, a glue stick, a flower nail, a Styrofoam brick to rest the nail in, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of cornstarch and powdered sugar. You may find using a primrose template decal on the nail will help keep your petals equal in size. Start by sticking a parchment square to the nail with a dab from the glue stick. 

 Using the #104 petal tip with the wide side in the middle of the nail, almost flat on the surface, and the narrow side facing outward and angled slightly upward, pipe a heart-shaped petal. Squeeze slowly while moving your hand in a motion similar to a "3" lying with the curves up. Stop pressure and pull the tip away towards yourself when you reach the end of the shape.

 Pipe another petal, overlapping the first one slightly.

 You don't need to pipe the petals overlapping one after the other. I piped one opposite the first two just to mix things up…

 …and then the fourth…

 …and the fifth. Touch a fingertip to the dusting pouch and gently tap the center flat.

 Use the #2 tip to pipe a cluster of yellow stand-up dots for stamens. Hold the tip against the surface, squeeze while pulling the tip up and away for about 1/4", then stop pressure and pull the tip away. With their heart-shaped petals, wild prairies roses would be cute on a Valentine's Day dessert.

Royal Icing Saguaro Cactus Blossom

Tonight's post is the state flower of Arizona, the saguaro cactus blossom. This is an especially interesting flower; it's night-blooming, and is primarily pollinated by bats. Now, before you write to me to tell me how inaccurate my version of this flower is, let me explain that I'm on a road trip and managed to forget quite a few of my tips back home (I can just see where I left them lying out to dry). I'm going to try making this flower again as soon as time allows. To show your love for Arizona by piping saguaro cactus blossoms, you'll need stiff consistency icing in white and light yellow (I only used white, but in some photos this flower appears all white so I guess that's OK), a glue stick, parchment paper squares, a flower nail, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, round tip #12, tip #2 (I had to settle for #3, which is rather clunky), leaf tip #352, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick. 

 Attach the #12 tip to the bag and pipe a flat disc of icing. Hold the tip just above the surface and pipe a circle. Pipe a dab in the hole in the center, then touch a fingertip to the dusting pouch and tap the icing into a smooth disc. Allow it to firm up for a while.

 Switch to the #352 leaf tip. Hold the tip at a 45 degree angle to the disc, and about 1/4" in from the edge of it. Squeeze out a petal that points outward and upward. You can add definition to the petals' points by pinching them with dusted fingertips.

 Pipe a row of petals around the edge of the disc, slightly overlapping each other.

 Switch to the #2 tip, and pipe a ring of dots inside the petals. I used a #3, which produced dots that are just a little too big. Leave a hole in the center. This is also the point at which you'd switch to light yellow icing, if you're so inclined.

 Still using the #2 tip, pipe a few stand-up dots in the center. Hold the tip against the center, squeeze, and pull up a short distance before stopping pressure and pulling away. Allow the flower to dry completely before peeling away the parchment paper. You might also enjoy seeing this cactus I piped earlier this summer.

Royal Icing Wood Violets

Tonight’s project is the official flower of Wisconsin: the wedge of cheese. Totally kidding; it’s the wood violet. All you’ll need to pipe these simple flowers are white or purple stiff consistency royal icing, petal tip #104, parchment paper squares, a flower nail, a glue stick, and a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in. You’ll also need pointed toothpicks or a tiny brush and dark purple paste food coloring to paint the “faces.” Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick. 

 Hold the petal tip with the wide end toward the center and against the surface and the narrow end angled out and slightly up. Pipe two petals by moving the tip in a tight, upside-down “U” motion.

 Pipe two more similar petals opposite the first two, leaving some space between them.

 Pipe a fifth petal, straddling this gap. Move the narrow end up high off the flower's surface as you pipe the upside-down "U" to form that cupped shape.

Lastly, when the flower has dried, dip the pointy end of a toothpick into dark purple paste food coloring and paint a cluster of veins in the middle of the flower, concentrating on the center bottom petal (I used AmeriColor Soft Gel Paste in Royal Purple). Purple violets, by the way, have a white center, which you can achieve either by painting on some white royal icing or by using a striped bag.