Buttercream Hydrangea Cupcakes

Recipes:

Use the Vanilla Cupcakes recipe.
Use Vanilla Buttercream recipe.

Equipment:

• Use a 2D Wilton Decorating Tip - Closed Star
• Pink or Red Food Colouring
• Piping Bags

Piping Tip - Wilton 2D "Closed Star" 

Making the Buttercream

1. As per creating your buttercream recipe, add vegetable shortening and water. 

2. Alternate between adding whipping cream and icing sugar, beating between additions:

3. You should get a nice, smooth consistency.

4. Add 1 tsp vanilla extract and then blend well. 

5. Try not to overbeat. This should be the texture of your icing:

6. I use food colouring gel - there is usually less required in order to achieve the colour that you want. Mix your icing using spatula until you no longer have white streaks. 

7. To transfer the icing into a piping bag, a trick I like to use is putting the icing bag over a mug, then scraping the icing inside. 

Icing the Cupcakes

1. Attach the 2D Wilton tip (closed star).

2. Start at the outer edge, and pipe a generous amount allowing some to "pour over the edge". Make each flowerette very closer together.

2. Once you are done piping the outer edge, pipe the inside with each flowerette very close/almost overlapping each other.

3. Voila! You are done: