One of the most exciting parts of baking is getting to decorate your masterpiece. Unfortunately, this is also the part that makes many bakers nervous. Some people feel like one wrong move with the piping bag can ruin the entire cake, effectively rendering hours of work completely useless. However, icing your cakes and cupcakes doesn’t have to be that daunting. Like anything else, cake decorating is a skill that takes patience and practice. Sharpen your skills and build up your confidence when decorating cakes, cupcakes, and more with these easy piping techniques anyone can master.
A Few Tips on Tips
A beautiful cake design starts with the right piping tips. Think of your piping tips as a collection of different paint brushes. The shape and size of each tip determines what your icing looks like when it comes out of the piping bag. Once you’re familiar with the different tips in your collection, you’ll have an easier time grabbing the perfect one for the design you want.
A round tip, also known as a basic tip, features a plain circle that releases icing in a smooth, simple line. An open star tip, that looks a bit like a crown from the side, has a jagged edge around the opening to create a rounder star shape. A closed star is similar, but the points of its crown curve inward, creating longer points on its star.
These are some of the most common tip designs, but there are countless other designs, including leaf tips, petal tips, basketweave tips, for specialized decorating. Experimenting with different shapes and sizes leads to a world of endless opportunities for your baking.
A Classic Swirl
When in doubt, swirl it out. This is an easy and timeless design that is great for making simple cake borders or filling empty space in your design. A spiraling swirl is also the key to making that iconic cupcake topping everyone knows and loves.
Start by holding the bag upright over the center of where you want your swirl to be. Start squeezing the icing out and move toward the outside of your design. Continue in a circular motion to create the border of your swirl, then keep spiraling up and in until you return to the center of the swirl.
Star tips and round tips are both great for swirl designs. A star tip creates that classic, sophisticated looking swirl that’s full of texture, while a round tip delivers a smooth swirl that gives a charming, playful feeling to your design.
Dots
Frosting dots are cute, fun, and good for just about any design. They’re also ridiculously easy to make. Start with a round decorating tip and simply squeeze it until your dot is the size you want. The icing might pull up into a small point when you pull the piping bag away, but don’t fret. Dip your finger in cornstarch and gently pat the point down to smooth it out and get a nice, even dot.
This technique is great for small surfaces, such as cookies and cupcakes, but you can also make dot clusters or borders to decorate larger areas. Use different colors and dot sizes to add visual interest and make your designs pop.
Stars
Stars, like dots, are an easy way to dress up any cake design. Use the same technique as the dot, just with any star tip instead of a round tip. You won’t even have to flatten any stray points when you pull your piping bag away, because these blend in perfectly with the texture of the star.
Zigzags
The simple yet bold zigzag is a great way to make a statement with your design. You can use any piping tip you want for this technique. The designs depends on the texture you want, so experiment with different tips to find the perfect look for your cake. The key is to maintain pressure on your piping bag as you move your arm back and forth. Confident and consistent motion is the goal for a clean, even design.
Keep your zigzags tight and thin to create a fun texture design. This is perfect for adding visual interest to the sides of your cake.
Shells
Sophisticated, versatile, and an utter classic, the shell is the perfect icing technique for accents, borders, and even as the basis for other designs such as hearts or flowers. Anyone can master this easy piping technique and make their baked goods look like the work of a professional.
Use a star shaped tip and hold the piping bag at a 45-degree angle over the cake surface. The shell design comes from the pressure of your piping bag. Start by squeezing the icing out, then releasing the pressure and pulling the piping bag gently away in the direction you’re piping. Maintain that 45-degree angle and don’t pull the tip up away from the cake. Continue this motion so that each new shell—each squeeze of the bag—builds over the tail end of the previous shell.
Grass and Fur
Whether you’re adding a cute furry texture to an animal-themed cake or making a backdrop for flowers, grass designs are an easy way to fill space. You can use a grass tip for this, but if you don’t have one, a round tip with a thin point will also work.
Hold your piping bag close to the cake’s surface, then squeeze and pull up and away. This technique can be a bit time-consuming as you’ll need to make the clusters close together to avoid awkward blank spaces in the design. But it’s a simple and easy design that leaves plenty of room for error since imperfections or crooked lines simply add to the natural look of it all.
Striped Frosting
Getting creative with frosting colors can also elevate the look of your design without the need for complicated techniques. You can easily achieve a clean, striped look in your frosting by filling separate piping bags with different colors, then inserting them both side by side into a larger piping bag. Adjust and squeeze your larger bag until the two colors are flowing side by side, then add your piping tip and have fun decorating. This is a great way to create gorgeous, even stripes while keeping the individual colors clean and separated.
Blended Frosting
Blended frosting colors can also help you create something truly special with your cake designs. Spoon multiple frosting colors into the same bag, add your tip, and decorate however you want. Don’t worry about making the colors perfectly even, as the goal here is to be a bit playful. In fact, inconsistency is what will make your design unique.
You can blend different shades of blue to make a beautiful ocean, use white and blue for a dreamy, cloudy sky, or combine different colors for a beautiful, almost watercolor-like look. The only limit here is your imagination.
Practice makes perfect when it comes to mastering your favorite cake designs. Plus, the results will taste good no matter what. Grab your cake kit for adults and pick up a piping bag and tip set while you’re at it when you shop the baking kits at Damask Cakes today.
