How to Make a Cupcake Bouquet

Roses are a Valentine’s Day classic for a reason, but this year, we wanted to take things to another level— so we made those roses edible! After all, the way to the heart goes through the stomach.

Just imagine the look at your Valentine’s face when they walk into the room, see these flowers, and realize not only are they food, they’re the sweetest of treats: cupcakes! Then imagine their face when you say you made it yourself.

Yes, you can do it! All you need are your favorite cupcakes, your best buttercream, and our video tutorial. Watch, read on for the step-by-step instructions, and let those roses start blooming.

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Cupcake Bouquet

Makes 1 bouquet
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 5-inch Styrofoam ball
  • Flower pot that can hold a 5-inch Styrofoam ball
  • Toothpicks
  • Green tissue paper
  • Clear tape

Directions

  1. Take half of the buttercream and, if using, use the red food coloring to color the buttercream pink or red. Keep the other half of the buttercream white.
  2. Put the buttercream in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip (like Wilton 1M open star tip). If using a pink, red, or other-colored buttercream, place it in a second, separate pastry bag fitted with a second star tip.
  3. Start in the center of each cupcake and pipe a spiral going outward to the edge of each cupcake to create a rose shape.
  4. Frost all of the cupcakes, alternating between the white and the colored buttercream from cupcake to cupcake to make a more colorful arrangement.
  5. Place the frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator for 30 minutes while you prepare the Styrofoam ball, to allow the frosting to firm up.
  6. Place the Styrofoam ball into the flower pot. Place two toothpicks in each area where you want a cupcake. Around the sides, nearest the flower pot, insert the toothpicks at a 45-degree angle to help keep the cupcakes from falling off.
  7. Remove the cupcakes from the refrigerator. Slide a cupcake onto each pair of toothpicks, adjusting the toothpicks as needed to place the cupcakes close together. Cover as much of the Styrofoam as you can.
  8. Cut the green tissue paper into small strips. Pinch the bottom of one of the strips of tissue paper and twist or otherwise bunch the tissue paper to make a “leaf”. Take the bunched piece of tissue paper and stick it to the exposed Styrofoam in between the cupcakes. If desired, place a small piece of clear tape on the pinched part of the tissue paper “leaf” to secure it to the Styrofoam ball.
  9. Make more tissue paper “leaves” until you fill in all of the gaps between the cupcakes. If you like, use a toothpick to help keep the “leaves” attached to the Styrofoam ball, which – while not absolutely necessary – can help ensure that the leaves do not fall off when moving the bouquet.

Beautiful! Now that’s a bouquet we would be absolutely delighted to receive on Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, our anniversary— basically every day! We love that we can use whatever cupcake and buttercream recipe we want, and that we can also make these roses any color we want. Does your Valentine prefer yellow or purple roses? You can do that, too!

We also made a brilliant sunflower cupcake bouquet that’s perfect for Mother’s Day or a summer party centerpiece. Check it out! So what do you think of our beautiful Cupcake Bouquet? Which lucky sweetheart in your life is going to get this edible bunch for Valentine’s Day? Have you ever made anything similar? Let us know if you make it, and of course, be sure to tell us how the final product comes out!

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