Thursday, April 4, 2013

Piping Frosting - Tips and Tricks

Hi everyone!  Today, I'm going to share some tips and tricks with you about piping frosting.

A few notes - I use Wilton disposable piping bags because the clean-up is so much easier than cloth bags.  But I have friends that swear by the cloth bags.  It's completely up to you!

Okay, to begin, I grab my piping bag and whatever tip I'd like to use.  FYI - the tips I'm using in this post are all from the Ateco Large Tube set, which you can find on my Amazon page here.  I'm using this tip, number 847:








I snip off the end of the piping bag and insert the tip.



I put the pointy end of my piping bag in a glass and fold the excess plastic over.  I've found that this is a much cleaner way to get the frosting in the bag.




Do not overfill the bag, or it will come out the top - I found this out the hard way!  When you take the bag out of the glass, it should look something like this:




Now, air bubbles in your piping bag are a big no-no, because they'll wreck the design you're going for.  I take a small spatula, like my pointed index finger one (so cute!) and plunge it into the bag, working the frosting down toward the tip.  When you're done, the frosting should juuuust be coming out the tip, like this:




Twist the top of the bag, until the twist is right next to the frosting.  I put a rubber band around it so it's easier to maintain pressure:




 Now you're ready to pipe!  I practice on a cutting board, like this:



Play around with varying pressures to create designs.  If you want to make a rose, just begin piping in the middle of an imaginary circle, then keep moving out until you like the look, like this:



I also practiced with two other tips (and two other piping bags):







Have fun - the beauty of this kind of practice is that when you're done, you can just scoop it all back in the bag and try again!  When I feel comfortable with my designs, I put the frosting back in the bag and refrigerate it for 10 - 15 minutes to firm it back up, then pipe it on my cakes or cupcakes.

Enjoy!
- Sugar Baby






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