Buttercream Succulents & Cacti (DVD + Streaming)

Move beyond buttercream flowers and create lifelike succulents and cacti.

Ready to dive into the newest buttercream trend? Cake designer Liz Shim shows you how to create realistic buttercream succulents and cacti to arrange on cakes, cupcakes and more. With Liz’s step-by-step guidance, you’ll master a variety of new techniques for piping lifelike plants and coloring earthy tones in buttercream.

NOTE: If you’d like to purchase only the DVD for this class, you may do so through this link. (Please note, any class PDF materials are not on the DVD itself. You must have streaming access to download those materials associated with the class.)

Buttercream Basics & Coloring (13:25)
Meet Liz Shim and follow along as she demonstrates a quick and simple buttercream recipe. Then, dive into coloring as Liz shares how to mix earthy greens and purples. She also covers ways to mute brighter, artificial looking color. After that, find out how to fill your piping bag and create variegated colors for a dual-tone effect.

Piping Succulents (29:56)
Learn different techniques for piping succulents as well as how to avoid common mistakes. If you get lost, you can always rewatch the techniques until you get them right.

Succulent Glass Terrariums (10:43)
Get started on your first project: a succulent glass terrarium. Discover how to make “dirt” from chocolate cake, and green “moss” from graham crackers. Then, arrange the dirt, moss and succulents in your terrarium.

Buttercream Cacti (18:08)
Move on to cacti as you learn a variety of techniques to pipe these prickly plants. After that, troubleshoot common mistakes for each style of plant. Plus, practice your buttercream blooms by piping flowering cacti.

Terra Cotta Cactus Cupcakes (06:34)
Liz guides you through your third project: Potted terracotta cactus cupcakes. Start by making “sand” with graham crackers or brown sugar. Then, cut the cupcakes in half, and layer them with buttercream and edible sand in food-safe pots. Arrange the cacti on top of the potted cupcakes and mix in some succulents to finish them up.

Arranging on a Naked Cake (12:25)
Finish class by arranging your cacti and succulents on a naked cake. Liz explains how to use ground peanuts as pebbles to naturally decorate empty space, and confidently incorporate desert plants of different shapes and sizes.

Liz Shim
Liz Shim discovered her love of edible art as a teenager and went on to graduate from the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu program at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. Today, Liz is the owner and head designer of Eat Cake Be Merry, a cake studio serving the New York City area. Her work has been featured in magazines such as Brides, The Knot, People and Martha Stewart Weddings. Liz’s cakes also have been named America’s Most Beautiful Cakes by Brides magazine on multiple occasions, and she’s been named one of Martha Stewart Weddings’ Top Pastry Pros in America.

How will I receive my DVD class?
Your DVD will be shipped in the mail using the address you provide at checkout. Your purchase also includes access to a streaming version of the class and downloadable PDF class materials. After your purchase, you can find your streaming class and your PDF class materials by logging into your Craftsy account using the user name and password you established.

How do I access the companion materials for my DVD class?
Come to Craftsy.com and log into your account using the username and password you set up when establishing your Craftsy account or purchasing your DVD. In your “My Account” area, select the “Classes” content. On this page, you’ll see all classes you’ve purchased from Craftsy. Simply select the desired class from your content list, and you’ll be presented with your selected class page. From the class page you can easily view, download or print the companion class materials, which are in the “Bonus Materials” tab on the class page. You can log in any time, and download or print the companion materials as many times as you like. Companion class materials are not shipped in the mail with your DVD, and must be accessed on Craftsy.com.

How do I stream my class on Craftsy.com?
Come to Craftsy.com and log into your account using the username and password you set up when establishing your Craftsy account or purchasing your DVD. In your “My Account” content, select the desired class. Stream the video on-demand from the class page any time you like; your viewing access is unlimited. You can stream your class from any computer, tablet or mobile device with Internet access.

Do I have to purchase a Craftsy Membership to get my class?
No, you do not. Every DVD purchased on Craftsy.com includes both the physical DVD in the mail and unlimited on-demand streaming access at Craftsy.com. These benefits are yours with or without a Craftsy membership.

Are DVDs included in a Craftsy Membership?
No, they are not. DVDs can only be purchased on an individual basis and are not included in Craftsy memberships. For non-members, DVDs are a flexible way to purchase only the classes you love best. For members, DVDs are a great choice to build an at-home library you can keep forever and enjoy any time, with or without Internet access.

Do you ship internationally?
Yes, we do ship most physical products, including DVDs, to several International destinations. In addition to the USA and Canada, we ship to Australia, Brazil, India, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, and most Western European countries. If you live outside these countries, you can still purchase digital items including memberships, individual streaming classes, and pattern downloads.

Do your DVDs work on international players?
Yes, our DVDs should be compatible with any DVD player in use today. All our videos have been created with all current Region Codes (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8). If you have trouble viewing a DVD purchased from Craftsy.com, please contact Customer Service.

What is your return policy?
We want to be sure you’re satisfied. If you have trouble playing your DVD, if the content is not correctly presented on the DVD, or you are dissatisfied with the content of your class, we will work with you. Contact Craftsy customer service via email or phone. Upon your request, and upon your return of the DVD to us, we will refund your purchase price or send you another DVD to replace a damaged or incorrect DVD, whichever is your preference. If you do receive a full refund, your streaming video class will also be removed from your Craftsy account, so on-demand video access will no longer be available to you.