With all my pictures taken over the last many months, undoubtedly my little secret is out now: frosting is not my forté. The awful thing is that I love the kinds of tricks people can do with piping, but I’m just not one of them. Here are some more pictures as proof below. It’s my fault entirely; I haven’t put in any serious effort in trying to learn the technique how to simply frost a cupcake. If it were up to me I’d dunk my cupcake in the frosting like a dip and gobble it up.
But I think I’ll learn now.
So I asked my dear friend, Jen, from The Three Little Piglets (yes, she’s just as cute as that name sounds) to come over and teach us all a trick or two. She learnt from her baking instructor and as you can see has managed to master the art of piping. Jen has detailed everything you need to know about piping and made it look as easy as apple pie for folks like me.
Take it away, Jen.
When Anuradha asked if I would write a tutorial on how to frost cupcakes, I thought WHOA! She clearly did not read this post.
My baking instructor can attest to my awesome lack of patience when it comes to piping! Thankfully he had more patience than I did, and I have come a long way since that first day in class. See…
Want to know how to make super cute cupcakes that look like they came from your favorite bakery? It’s as easy as 1-2-3. Here’s what you need to get started.
SUPPLIES:
Pastry Bags:
You’ll need at least one pastry bag for your piping. They’re available in a variety of sizes, ranging from very small to large professional sizes. For home use, I find 12”-16” work best. For beginners I recommend 16” – they’re large enough to not overflow but small enough to still hold easily. You can buy either reusable or disposable bags.
Reusable bags are just that, reusable. They’re very inexpensive and are available at most craft stores and even at your local Wal-Mart. They are a great investment if you plant to do a lot of piping. The only drawback is how you load the tip into them – it’s very difficult to change tips midway through your project. Well, that and you have to clean them when you’re finished.
Disposable bags are also very inexpensive and easy to find. Like I said above, it’s easy to change the tips, you throw them away when you are finished, and they’re great for larger projects when you might need 10 colors of frosting.
Tips:
You’ll also need piping tips. Tips are available in a huge range of shapes and sizes, each with a specific purpose. They can be purchased individually or in a variety of sets depending on your needs.
Unless you plan on doing a lot of cake work, you can easily get away with a small kit like this Wilton Cupcake 12 Piece Cupcake Decorating Kit which comes with everything you need to get started and retails for about $7.00.
Couplers:
These little plastic pieces help attach the tip to the end of the pastry bag. It allows you to change the tip midway through the project to create different designs. Most sets come with a couple, but if not they can also be purchased individually.
TO ASSEMBLE THE BAG AND TIP:
For disposable bags:
- Pick the desired tip you’d like to use and grab a coupler.
- Fit the bottom piece of the coupler down into the bag. Snip off the end of the bag so that the coupler fits snuggly into the tip of the bag.
- Place the tip on the outside of the bag over the bottom piece of the coupler.
- Attach the ring tightly enough to keep the tip in place.
For reusable bags: Simply drop the desired tip point first into the bag and ensure the tip is fitted snugly into the end of the bag.
TO FILL THE PASTRY BAG:
The easiest way to fill the bag with frosting is to place the pastry bag into a tall glass with the tip pointed down and then fold the edges of the bag over the top of the glass. Then just fill the bag with frosting.
Once finished, you’ll have a small air bubble in the tip of the pastry bag. To make sure the frosting comes out in a nice steady stream, gently squeeze the frosting towards the tip making sure that the frosting goes towards the tip and not towards the opening at the top.
Finally, twist the top of the bag so the frosting doesn’t ooze out the top while piping. Been there, done that. So. Not. Cool.
THE FROSTING:
To prevent frosting from drying out while working in large batches, place a damp paper towel directly on top of the frosting when not in use.
THE CUPCAKES:
Ever wonder how people make their cupcakes look so pretty in photos? It’s simply by using double liners. Bake the cupcake in one liner, and then before frosting slip them inside another liner. You can see what a huge difference it makes.
You can use complementary or contrasting colors to enhance the look of the cupcake.
TO PIPE:
Start with your tip pointed into the center of the cupcake, and holding it at a 45 degree angle, pipe in a counter-clockwise spiral towards the outside of the cupcake until you have a flat circle of frosting on the cupcake using a constant amount of pressure.
Without stopping, continue in the same direction creating a spiral that ends in the center where you began.
The frosting will continue to come out of the bag so long as you maintain pressure squeezing it, so try to maintain a steady pressure until a few seconds before you reach the center. Once you reach your stopping point simply pull your tip straight up and it will create a nice little point at the top.
Try to keep the edges even so that when you look straight down on the cupcake you’ll see a thin circle around the edge of the cupcake.
You can see how much different the result is simply by switching the tip. The cupcake on the left uses Wilton #12, while the one on the right uses Wilton #30.
Thank you, Jen for this fantastic tutorial. All I want to do now is run and start piping on anything that comes my way.
If you still have questions about piping, feel free to contact Jen via Facebook or email.
Happy piping!
What a great tutorial! Thanks, I can’t wait to try :-)
I am absolutely pathetic when it comes to frosting and doing really anything “pretty”. I also like to just dip or smear… and eat. Great post which makes me really want to take a cake decorating class…
Heh. Great to know I’m not alone.
LOL I took a cake decorating course last year and honestly, once you have all the gear, decorating with icing is a, well.. piece of cake.
I love your cupcakes! Delicate and beautiful just like you.
Wow..this so perfect…I bake cupcakes but never have experimented on piping though I have the tools for it..!! This post gives me so much confidence and is soo helpful..keep them coming !!
Hi, I’ve just come across your site and have just tried your tip on doubling up on the cupcake cases. I’ve seen other bloggers do it but then quickly forgot. This morning as I had cupcakes just coming out of the oven I decided to give it a go. Great tip, will be using it a lot in future thanks :). Marian
Thanks for stopping by Marian. So glad this post could help.
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Thank you both for this great tutorial!! I am really bad at decorating cupcakes and I have so much to learn and practice!! I am now more confident!! Well done Jen. :)
Thank you for sharing this great tip! I am also frosting challenged in regards to making it pretty. Time to go get some piping tips…
Thanks so much for having me today! I’m so grateful you were willing to wait for all my crazy drama to settle down!
Of course. I’m just glad you’re doing better and thank you so much for putting this lovely post together. :)
Wonderful post! I love frosting cupcakes, it’s makes them looks so cute. Thanks for the editorial, I could use as much help as I can get! :)
Great tutorial on piping. I started decorating using re-usable piping bags but quickly made the switch to the plastic ones, which if you wash and let dry after using can be re-used several times over.
Wow! Thanks for that tip Paula. :)
I, too, had frosting issues :) I took all three of the Wilton cake decorating classes. It was so much fun.
It’s weird, I can pipe on a cake like it’s nobodie’s business, but my cupcake piping stinks..well, probably because I don’t make cupcakes often. Fantastic tutorial..I’m keeping this one in my bookmarks..it’ll come in handy for my nephews, who adore cupcakes. Beautiful piping, b the way :)
What a fantastic post. I have always wanted to learn to frost properly. Jen you make it seem so easy but I have a feeling it isn’t. Wonderful tutorial, thanks.
Awesome tutorial! Like you, An, I’d rather just dip the darned things ;) I’ve tried piping a few times, and usually with abysmal results. Really grateful for these tips – thanks for a great guest post, Jen!
Ah… I knew you’d be with me on this one Aimee! LOL.
But Jen has done a fabulous job teaching us a trick or two. :)
Loving these cupcakes .nice tutorial:-)
Awesome post!! While I do know a little about piping we only did about 2 months of pastry classes in culinary school and only 2 of those days were even remotely about piping and decorating cakes and cupcakes! Jenn does such a wonderful job always! And to be honest I’ve never noticed your lack of piping skills, everything looks so delicious regardless!!
Yes. She’s done spectacular job. Thanks Lacy. xx
This is definitely something I need to work on. My cupcake decorating skills are lacking. Thanks for all the good info Jen! I just recently bought the Dessert Decorator Pro from Wilton but have yet to try it out. I’m inspired!
Bookmarked this post my friend it was much informative :D
Great guest appearance!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Nice tutorial, Jen! My favorite tip is the Wilton 2D – it makes for beautiful rosettes or ruffles. You should try it out if you haven’t already.
Cool thanks for the tips :D
This is awesome! So much better than my method of squeezing and hoping for the best.
Yay! thanks Anuradha and Jen for the Piping 101 tips. It’s very helpful for baking newbies like myself. =)
Don’t be so tough on yourself, your decorating looks great! This post is so helpful, I also am not very good at piping or decorating anything!
Very nice job. I pipe when I have to, but I consider myself a BAKER, not a CAKE DECORATOR. And luckily for me, German baking in itself isn’t terribly fancy in that respect. Only when we moved here was I introduced to all sorts of fancy, colorful, even gaudy designs. And when we had our store, people were going for the visual rather than the taste, which to me was odd. I can pipe shells and all that, but I have NO passion for it whatsoever. Give me some bread dough instead! :)
Great tutorial! I love the tip for preventing the icing from drying out!
great tutorial.. i needed to see this. you’re so neat and organized when it comes to frosting. :)
OH, this is fabulous An and Jen!!! Just what I needed as I am piping impaired!!!! Pinning!!!!
I’m not much of a baker, but when I do, I love to pull out all the stops and make things look great. What a wonderful job Jen did! I’m not scared at all. (And my sister just happened to give me that baby decorating kit pictured; it’s still in the box unused. Ok, I’ll get it out now.)
You have NO idea how bad I needed this. I am frosting 50 cupcakes tonight and am TERRIBLE with icing. Thank you!!!
this looks wonderful lovely
I am so alien when it comes to frosting and your post certainly is of much help. Suppose its about starting somewhere and becoming better. I am more into cooking savoury dishes and baking is like once a while, most of the time choosing the easiest and simplest baking recipes.
Great tips. I know not every cupcake will be perfect which is OK. I love the rhythmic motion.
Thank you for the very helpful post. I’ve had all these separate pieces but have yet to practice my frosting.
ahahah An, ‘I would dunk mine’. I don;t have patience but with this turorial I might give it one more go. Never know! :)
very useful post – love the cute lil tips
These cupcakes look so cute and lovely, I bet they taste divine…
I love your tutorial Jen! You should make a little youtube video or something! I’ve been practicing… and practicing…. need to buy that cupcake decorating set!
I’m a fan of piping rather than frosting with knife. I think it’s so much easier! Great how-to post!
I am petrified to frost with piping and this makes it look like, I just might be able to pull it off. Thanks to the both of you for sharing this.
Amazing tutorial! I love the post..I will have to keep trying until mine looks like yours!:))
Great post, and thank you both for sharing!!!
Thank you ladies for such a great post! I’ve been hoping to see Jen do a piping tutorial and was so please to find it hosted here! I think both of your cupcakes have always looked amazing! : )
This was a very informative post! Very few bloggers do tutorials and I am glad to see this particular technique highlighted. Well done!
Excellent tutorial! I learned piping through trial and error and I wish I had seen this first! :)
omg thank you for this! i’ve tried piping on my own and it has been a complete disaster and i gave up on it. now i actually want to give it another go!
These are great tips! I would never have thought to cover the remaining frosting while it’s not in use, as dumb of me as that sounds.
This is a good post. I try to do pretty piping but who cares, I”m gonna lick it off either way.
Wow the tips with the case looks like my husband’s tool box. LOL! Okay surely you can tell that I’m not a baker. I don’t own any tips and I’ve never made cupcakes because I am not confident that I can do the piping part. This tutorial is very nice. Definitely got to keep it for the day I do my first piping. =D Thanks for sharing!
Gosh, I wish I was better at piping! I always get so frustrated and always make a huge mess! Thanks for the tips!
What a great post!!! Extremely helpful, thank you for sharing Jen:-) Hugs, Terra
I’m woefully pathetic at piping–a skill I did not inherit from my mother (my sister got that one). This is a great tutorial though–I’ll definitely be trying this technique.
Great post! I need all the help I can get with piping and not making a total mess everywhere!
This is so fabulous. I need so much help with my piping skills. This was a wonderful tutorial.
Thanks Kim! Jen did an excellent job here. :)
Great tutorial! pinned
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Jen, it’s so fabulous to see you guest posting!!! Like An, I stink at it…especially getting that pointed tip. My family loves cupcakes, though, so I’ll have to practice using your tips! Great post!
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