The attractive blooms of the cornflower are an eye-catching bright blue. The star-like flowers feature outer bracts that are fringed and have a dark margin.
1. Pipe a guide circle with about eight short, evenly spaced lines radiating from it. The radiating lines should be about 0.5cm (1⁄4in) long.
2. Hold the piping bag at a 20 to 30 degree angle, with the wide end of the nozzle touching one of the lines a little outside the circle. Pipe three to five short pulled petals (see Basic Petal Strokes) in blue.
3. Fill the centre by piping a small mound of buttercream using dark blue.
4. Starting from the outer edge of the central mound and working inwards, pipe short spikes using dark blue buttercream in a bag with a small hole at the tip.
5. Using purple buttercream in a bag with a small hole at the tip, overpipe the short lines from the edge of the central mound to the base of the petals, and add a few more spikes to the centre.
6. Use a cocktail stick (toothpick) to smooth the edges of each petal after the buttercream has crusted.