Food Friday

So this week was the last week of school and I saw some cute cupcake flowerpots here This was totally not my idea as you can see from the link, but I loved it and new I wanted to try it. I gave Rebecca a few different options for teacher gifts and this is what she chose. They were easy to make and so very very cute.



You'll need:

a flower pot (not plastic, as it needs some weight to hold the cupcakes)
dowel rods
styrofoam ball
aluminum foil
oreos
cupcakes
icing
star tip
leaf tip


Use a box mix and make your cupcakes.



I used 1/4 c. measurer to make even cupcakes, a little less batter would have been even better.




Mix up some buttercream icing to stiff consistency. I colored it with buttercup yellow, then once I had added the petals to all the cupcakes I added 2 tbsp. of cocoa powder so I could make chocolate buttercream centers.

Buttercream Icing

1 cup shortning
1 tbsp meringue powder (look in the cake aisle at walmart or at hobby lobby)
1/2 tsp butter flavor
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 drops of almond extract
4 cups of powdered sugar
4 tbsp warm water (add more as needed)

Mix the first 5 ingredients in your kitchenaide mixer (hand mixers do not hold up well to the stiff consistency of this icing) Add 1 tbsp of water, then add powder sugar a little at a time, alternating with water. once it is all mixed together when you stop the mixer the icing should stay in the whisk, but be able to be shaken out without a lot of difficulty. When it is at this stage turn the mixer back on and beat the icing for about 5 minutes on high. Add color and mix again. If it is not thick enough add more pdr sugar a little at a time, and if it is too thick add a touch more water.


To make chocolate butter cream at 2-4 tbsp of cocoa powder. I would start with 2 and taste and add, so you get a taste you like.

I added the color before adding the cocoa so the petals are regular buttercream and the centers are chocolate.

Cover the styrofoam ball with aluminum foil




place the ball in a flower pot



put crushed oreos over the aluminum foil for dirt.



place dowel rods in the ball. (use a skewer to make a hole in the cupcake, it makes it much easier to place the cupcakes on the dowels.



decorate the cupcakes.





I did the petals first using a leaf tip, and then used a star tip to make the centers.





and you have an adorable gift to give. The flower pot was to hold a 4 inch flower. This is super easy and people will be amazed. Again this was not my idea, I saw it on another blog, but loved it immediately and wanted to give it a try.





Happy Baking!