Water Lilies

[Amanda]

I need to make some water lilies and I have a question about coloring them. I would like to do some white and some pink. They are going to be on cookies for kids, so I want to keep it pretty simple. I do want to impress the parents, though!
How can I, using buttercream, get that variegated look when making flowers? Most pink lilies' bottom petals are white-ish with just a smidge of pink around the edges, and the petals gradually get more and more pink as you add layers. The inside/top layer is a bright fuschia. Does this make any sense at all? It's so hard to put these things in words...
Anyway, how do I do that in buttercream? I don't have an airbrush gun, and they don't sell that deep pink color in those little spray cans...I'm at a loss. I would love any suggestions!!!
Thanks

[cakebaker]

I may not be understanding exactly what you're looking for, but to get the edges of a petal to have that darker edge, paint the inside of your bag with the deeper color you're wanting, then fill with the lighter color. Just use a thin layer, enough to coat the surface. The thicker you coat the bag, the wider the darker layer will be on the petal.

In order to get those layers of colors that deepen as you go to the center, the only option I know of is to have multiple bags of progressively darker colors. I just don't know of any other way to do it without an airbrush on buttercream.

The only way I'd know to do it is to do the lilies off the cake, sort of assembly line style.

Sorry, you probably already know all of this! Getting a natural look to flowers isn't easy with buttercream!

[Amanda]

Thanks, that helps a lot! That's exactly what I was looking for. I knew there was a way to paint the bag to get that affect, but I couldn't remember what it was.
Luckily I don't have to make them all pink. And because they are for pre-schoolers I'm really not worried that they won't be totally realistic.

[cakebaker]

I wasn't very clear...if you're just wanting the edges to have color, you shouldn't paint the entire inside of the bag with dark icing. Just a stripe down 2 sides should do it. I just guess at how wide to make each stripe...probably an inch or so wide on a large bag would do it.

If you're wanting to have more of a shading of darker color over the entire flower or petal, then you'd paint the entire bag on the inside.

[2sdae]

Originally Posted by cakebaker

I wasn't very clear...if you're just wanting the edges to have color, you shouldn't paint the entire inside of the bag with dark icing. Just a stripe down 2 sides should do it. I just guess at how wide to make each stripe...probably an inch or so wide on a large bag would do it.

If you're wanting to have more of a shading of darker color over the entire flower or petal, then you'd paint the entire bag on the inside.

Exactly what I was going to suggest too.
Or if you do them in R.I. you could use dry dusting too to color just the areas you'd like to.

[2sdae]

How'd your water illy cookies come out?
I ws really curios to know...would love to see a pic if you've got one.

[Amanda]

I haven't done them yet. They're due in a couple of weeks. I'll post pix if they turn out half way decent. If I don't post, don't ask...

tee hee

[2sdae]

understood!

[Amanda]

Here's a picture of my practice cookies, small though it is. The real ones aren't due for a week or two. I just used the painted bag technique with super stiff b/c for the flowers. They aren't entirely accurate, but neither are the frogs!

[mssweetie24]

those are adorable