| The poinsettia, known as the Christmas Star in its | | | | -Icing bags or parchment cones. |
| native Mexico because of its star-like shape, blooms | | | | -Leaf tips (nozzles) 352 and 366 (Poinsettia petals are |
| profusely in the wild at Christmas time in Hawaii, the | | | | technically bracts, modified leaves, so it makes sense |
| Caribbean islands and its native Mexico. | | | | we use a leaf tip to create them :-) |
| This Christmas plant is favored so much in the United | | | | -Buttercream icing in red, green and a tiny bit of |
| States that its holiday season purchases total more | | | | yellow. |
| than the annual sales of any other potted plant here | | | | -White frosted cake or cupcakes. (Cream-cheese |
| with 80 percent of these plants coming from a | | | | frosting or snow-white buttercream works well, but |
| California grower. So it stands to reason, your cakes | | | | the poinsettias are also pretty on chocolate ganache.) |
| decorated with the perennial popular poinsettia will be | | | | Directions |
| a big hit! | | | | 1. If you're going to write a Christmas message on |
| Decorating with buttercream poinsettias is a beautiful | | | | your cake, remember to leave room for this. Practice |
| (and with the following instructions) easy way, to | | | | first because you pipe these flowers directly onto |
| bring Christmas cheer to your cakes whether as a | | | | your cake (or cupcakes). |
| featured decoration or as part of a Christmas scene | | | | 2. With red buttercream icing and tip 366 in your bag, |
| you create. | | | | squeeze and pull out for each petal, continuing around |
| Before we go on to the piping how-to's for this | | | | until you have five. The wider end of the petals will |
| incredibly easy to make flower, here are some | | | | meet in the center (it's ok if the middle is a little |
| striking ways you can use the scarlet red (hands | | | | empty because you will be adding more petals). |
| down, the most popular variety) poinsettia on your | | | | 3. For your second layer, stagger the petals on top |
| Christmas cakes. | | | | of the first layer. And, you may want to add a few |
| -A border of small poinsettias will provide a pretty | | | | in between on the bottom layer. |
| frame for many Christmas cake designs. -Poinsettias | | | | 4. Then for a more natural look, use tip 352 with |
| can be part of the design. For example, on a cake | | | | green icing to stagger the green immature petals |
| decorated with snowmen, pipe a poinsettia on Mrs. | | | | behind the bottom layer of the red. This also sets |
| Frosty's hat. -Use the Christmas star in lieu of a bow | | | | off the red nicely and creates a more Christmassy |
| on a cake decorated as a gift (where icing ribbons | | | | look. |
| run horizontally and vertically over the top and down | | | | 5. Finally, using round tip 3, pipe a few yellow dots in |
| the sides like on a package). Pipe a large poinsettia in | | | | the center. |
| the center. -Create a poinsettia wreath around the | | | | Variation: You could also create the green leaves with |
| top of the cake. Pipe a few rows of leaf borders | | | | tip 366, making them the same size as the scarlet |
| (using dark green icing and overlapping), and then | | | | petals. Or conversely, if you want smaller flowers, |
| pipe your poinsettias on top of the wreath. Then | | | | use tip 352 for the petals. |
| with round tip, pipe red, holly berries in between the | | | | Here's a final, but important tip for your Christmas |
| poinsettia. In the center of the cake, write your | | | | cakes. The amount of liquid food coloring needed for |
| Christmas message. -Decorate a multi-tiered, stacked | | | | your red icing will bring a bitter taste (due to Red #2 |
| Christmas cake (or Christmas wedding cake) with | | | | in the coloring), so here's what you can do to battle |
| cascading poinsettias. -Create a bouquet of | | | | the bitter: |
| poinsettias with cup cakes. Pipe the Christmas flower | | | | - Use more concentrated forms of color gel, paste |
| on top of each cupcake and then assemble your | | | | and powder colorings are all more intense than liquid. |
| Christmas cupcakes on a large platter. Or place them | | | | These are found in specialty stores, large crafts |
| on a tiered stand, and on the top tier, arrange real | | | | stores, such as Michaels, and online. |
| poinsettias in a vase. | | | | Begin with an icing that is naturally colored with a pink |
| And here are the buttercream piping instructions for | | | | or red juice concentrate, such as cranberry or |
| your Christmas cake poinsettias. | | | | pomegranate. Then you won't need as much coloring |
| First, you'll need: | | | | to achieve your Poinsettia red. |