Royal Icing Sagebrush

The official state flower of Nevada is the sagebrush, which can grow to an astonishing 12 feet in height. The closest I can come realistically with royal icing is a handful of sprigs, which would make a cute garnish on any desert-themed dessert. All you'll need are stiff-consistency royal icing in yellow and green, round tip #4, a flower nail, a Styrofoam block, a glue stick, parchment paper squares, 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. 

 Pipe a cluster of stems, half an inch long or so.

 Pipe another layer of stems on top of these first few. There should be plenty of room to pipe at least another couple of sprigs on the same parchment square.

 Pipe a little dab of yellow icing at the end of each stem. You may need to touch your fingertip to the dusting pouch and tap the yellow peaks down a bit. Another project that uses these same colors is the royal icing rattlesnake; a good companion animal for the sagebrush!

Royal Icing Jessamine

Yellow jessamine (or jasmine) is found throughout South Carolina, where it was designated the official state flower in 1924. Piping this flower is a little tricky, in that you'll need to use a lily nail instead of a flat flower nail. The lily nail comes in two pieces; just to simplify things, I'm going to call the one on the left the cup and the one on the right the plunger. 

 There are different ways to accomplish this step, but what I like to do is place a 4x4" square of candy foil on a flat surface, and place the plunger in the center.

 Draw the foil up around the edges of the plunger…

 …and then stick it into the cup.

 Fold the foil down over the cup…

 …and then tuck it around so it won't fly off when you're piping. Remove the plunger and you're ready to go.

 In addition to the lily nail and candy foil squares, you'll need medium-to-stiff consistency royal icing in yellow, petal tip #104, round tip #4, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 blend of cornstarch and powdered sugar. Place the tip in the middle of the cup, and squeeze while slowly drawing the tip out along the side of the cup. When you get to the edge, stop pressure and pull the tip away. You may find you need to taper the end of the petal; touch your fingertips to the dusting pouch and then gently pinch the end of the petal.

 Repeat 4 times for a total of 5 petals. Try not to squeeze too much icing in the center, or it will take a VERY long time to dry completely.

 Switch to the #4 tip to pipe a pistil. Hold the tip in the center, squeeze while slowly drawing upwards for about 1/2". Stop pressure and pull the tip away. Adjust the angle with a dusted fingertip if you need to. Pipe these flowers well in advance of needing them (depending on your climate, that might mean a week); it's heartbreaking if you peel the foil away too soon and a petal comes with it!

Royal Icing Peony

The state flower of Indiana is the peony (prior to 1957 it had a few others). Peonies come in many varieties, but no particular one has been designated "official." They are large, showy flowers; I'm afraid their grandeur is challenging to depict accurately in icing, but I gave it a try. You'll need stiff consistency royal icing in white, pink, red, or yellow (pretty much almost any color you have lying around), a flower nail, parchment paper squares, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, and round tip #12, chrysanthemum tip #80, and petal tip #101. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick. 

 With the #12 tip, pipe a mound a little taller than half an inch, and allow it to firm up; this is the base. Hold the tip at a 90 degree angle to and just above the surface, squeeze out icing until it's about the size of a dime, then start moving the tip upwards while continuing to pipe (and keeping the tip buried in the icing). Stop pressure and pull the tip away.

 The bases don't need to be perfect, as they'll be covered in petals. Allow them to firm up for about 20 minutes (you can speed this process up by placing them under a desk lamp).

 Switch to the #80 tip and pipe a cluster of short, stand-up petals on the top. Hold the tip against the surface, squeeze while pulling up for a few millimeters, then stop pressure and pull the tip away.

 Switch to the #101 tip and surround these petals with small, ruffled petals. As you pipe each petal (with the wide end of the tip against the base and the narrow end facing upward and outward), move your hand in a gentle sawing motion. Slightly overlap the petals.

 Here's another view of the first row of petals. I'd say that "sawing" motion is like writing in cursive, but I don't want to refer to a skill rarely taught in schools anymore.

 Cover the base with petals, overlapping as you go. Each row should angle further outward than the one prior to it. You might want to try piping these in buttercream with larger versions of the tips, or try your hand at gum paste (there are many gum paste peony tutorials out there; they're generally beyond my skill set!).

Royal Icing Goldenrod

Whoops; I already did tributes to both Kentucky AND Nebraska (aka my grey period); states where the goldenrod is the official state flower! So much for 50 states in 50 days…anyway, here's a little bonus. The goldenrod comes in 100 different varieties, so this is just a typical example. Photos I've seen of them show them in clusters, so you'll probably want to pipe lots of these and then scatter them across a cake or cupcakes. Here's all you'll need: stiff consistency royal icing in yellow (er, goldenrod), oval tip #57, round tip #5, parchment paper squares, a flower nail, a Styrofoam brick to rest the nail in, a glue stick, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch. Start by sticking a parchment square to the nail with a dab from the glue stick. 

 Holding the #57 tip at a 45 degree angle and against the surface, pipe 4 petals starting from the center and aiming at 12, 3, 6 and 9. They're just over half an inch long. When you stop pressure and pull the tip away, you might leave a point; touch a fingertip to the dusting pouch and soften the point into more of a blunt end with it.

 The petals don't need to be perfectly evenly-spaced; they'll look more realistic if they aren't. Pipe in a bunch of petals wherever they'll fit. Tap them flat with a dusted fingertip if they begin to stack up on top of each other.

 Switch to the #5 tip and pipe a cluster of dots in the center. Pipe another smaller cluster of dots on top of those to give the center some depth and height. Peel away the parchment when the icing is dry and get to work on a cake celebrating Kentucky and/or Nebraska (print invitations on goldenrod paper if you really want to be thematic!).

Royal Icing Bitterroot

The purplish-pink bitterroot is the official flower of Montana, and was even written about by the explorers Lewis and Clark. The Bitterroot Mountains, Bitterroot Valley, and Bitterroot River are all named for it, too! You'll want to use a large flower nail (3" across) and appropriately sized parchment paper squares, as well as a petal tip #104, round tip #3, a glue stick, a Styrofoam block to rest the flower nail in, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of cornstarch and powdered sugar. You'll also need stiff consistency royal icing in almost any shade of pink; I used Fuchsia Soft Gel Paste by AmeriColor. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a generous dab from the glue stick. 

 Hold the tip #104 with the wide end in the center and the narrow end facing outward and angled upward. Move the tip in a "U"-motion while piping, stop pressure and pull the tip away.

 Here is another view of the first petal.

 Pipe three more petals in approximately 12-3-6-9 positions.

 Pipe more petals anywhere you see a gap…

 …and another layer of smaller petals on top of those. Touch a fingertip to the dusting pouch and gently tap the center flat (where all the petals' ends meet). This will be a big, heavy flower that takes a while to dry to the point where you can peel away the parchment, so pipe them well in advance of whatever dessert project you're using them for.

 Switch to the #3 tip and pipe a cluster of stamens in the middle. Hold the tip against the surface and squeeze briefly while pulling the tip upward. Stop pressure and pull the tip away. Talk about a big flower; it's the first one I've ever done that had three sets of double letters in the name!

Royal Icing Pasque Flower

The official state flower of South Dakota is the pasque flower, which is also called the May Day flower, the Easter flower, the prairie crocus, the wind flower, and the meadow anemone. According to legend, pasque flowers grew alongside Jesus' tomb and were part of His resurrection. They're also highly toxic, and for that reason might be a peculiar choice for a cupcake topper, but I'm sure some folks like to live dangerously. 

To pipe pasque flowers (or pasqueflowers), you'll need stiff consistency royal icing in purple and yellow, tip #104, tip #3, tip #2, a flower nail (you can use a 6-petal flower template to help keep your petals even), parchment paper squares, a glue stick, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch. Start by sticking a parchment square to the nail with a dab from the glue stick. 

 Put the #104 tip on the bag of purple icing and pipe an oblong petal. Lay the tip almost flat against the surface with the narrow end facing outwards and pipe while moving your hand in an upside-down "U" motion.

 Repeat for a total of six petals. Touch your fingertips to the dusting pouch and subtly taper the outer edges of each petal. Allow the petals to firm up for a while.

 Load the #3 tip on the bag of yellow icing and pipe a cluster of stamens. Hold the tip at a right angle and against the center, squeeze while pulling upwards a short distance, then stop pressure and pull the tip away. Touch a fingertip to the dusting pouch and adjust the direction of the stamens, if need be. Allow them to dry for a few minutes.

 Switch to the #2 tip on the purple bag and pipe an even smaller cluster of stamens in the center of the yellow cluster. Consider these for an interesting alternative to other traditional Easter icons, or when you're making a cake in honor of South Dakota.

Royal Icing Yucca Flower

The yucca flower is the official state flower of New Mexico (and probably also one of the most unfortunately named blooms ever). It's related to the lily, and generally hangs upside down like a bell. If you turn it the other way, it's more cup-shaped (and would probably benefit from being piped in a 2-piece lily nail like the tiger lily; this method will add days to the drying time, however). To pipe white yucca flowers, you'll need white stiff consistency royal icing, petal tip #104, round tip #3, a flower nail (with a 6-petal flower nail template stuck to it if you need help keeping your petals equal), parchment paper squares, a glue stick, a Styrofoam brick to rest the nail in, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 blend of powdered sugar and cornstarch. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick. 

Hold the #104 tip almost flat against the surface with the wide side in the middle and the narrow side angled outward and upward. Squeeze while moving the tip in an upside-down "U" motion. When you reach the end, stop pressure and pull the tip away toward the center. 

Touch your fingertips to the dusting pouch and taper the outer edges of the petal by gently pinching it. 

 Repeat for a total of six petals.

 Switch to the #3 tip and pipe the pistil in the center. Hold the tip against the surface and at a 90 degree angle, squeeze, and pull the tip slowly upwards to form the pistil. Stop pressure and pull the tip away.

 Pipe half a dozen stamens around the pistil; make them thinner by not piping as slowly and allowing them to angle outwards slightly (you can touch them gently with a dusted fingertip to coax them in the direction you want). Consider piping some yucca flowers next time you're decorating a Southwestern-themed cake!

Royal Icing Hawthorn Blossom

The hawthorn blossom is the official state flower of Missouri (and rightly so; as many as 100 varieties of hawthorn live in Missouri). The hawthorn is easy to pipe; all you'll need are white, yellow, and pink stiff consistency royal icing, petal tip #104, round tips #3 and #2, star tip #16, a glue stick, a flower nail, parchment paper squares, a Styrofoam brick to rest the nail in, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of cornstarch and powdered sugar. You'll notice I used a 5-petal flower template on the nail to help keep the five petals equal. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick. 

 Hold the petal tip almost flat on the surface with the wide end in the center and the narrow end facing outward and slightly raised. Squeeze steadily and move the tip in an upside-down "U" motion to pipe the first petal.

 Repeat for a total of five petals.

 Pipe a yellow star in the center. Hold the tip at a 90 degree angle to the center, squeeze briefly, and pull the tip away. Touch a fingertip to the dusting pouch, and flatten the star slightly by lightly tapping it.

 Switch from the petal tip to the #3 round tip and pipe a cluster of stamens around the flattened star. Hold the tip against the surface, squeeze, pull upwards briefly, then stop pressure and pull the tip away. It's OK if the stamens are various lengths and aim in different directions; this will keep your flower looking real.

After the stamens have firmed up for a while, pipe pink dabs of icing on their ends with the #2 tip. Squeeze out a tiny dab amount of icing from the tip, and then wipe it off against the stamens (or pipe directly on them; they MUST be dry or they'll break). Now you'll know what to decorate your cupcakes with for Missouri Day (which, as I write this, is coming up; the third Wednesday in October!).