Top 10 tips for piping decorations
Ever looked in awe at pretty cake decorations made of frosting? Piping frosting onto your cake/ cupcake is a great way to glam up your baked goods and the effect is really pretty 🙂 However, piping frosting onto a cake is definitely not a piece of cake.
Here are 10 tips for piping frosting onto your cake to make it look more presentable and pretty 🙂
1. Use a tall, narrow cylinder with a heavy base to support and steady your piping bag when you fill it up with frosting
2. Remember not to overfill your piping bag. The maximum amount to fill the bag is till it is three quarter full. This is to allow you to close the piping bag and be able to hold it comfortably.
3. Secure the top of the piping bag tightly so that the frosting does not get squeezed out from the top of the piping bag and onto your hand.
4. When you are please with whatever design you have frosted, stop squeezing the piping bag before lifting it up as that you will get a cleaner separation point.
5. The consistency of your frosting would affect the ease of piping too! If your frosting has a thin consistency, it would look very messy but if the consistency is too thick, it would be hard to pipe out the frosting and the frosting would break apart.
6. Personally, I like to use a piping tip with PME #1.5 as it is fine enough to pipe details and is large enough for easy piping. If narrower tips are used, it is better to thin down the consistency of the frosting so that piping would be easier.
7.  To pipe a smooth frosting, gently squeeze the icing out of your piping tip, let the icing catch onto the surface you’re piping on before lifting the tip away and letting your icing fall onto the surface while guiding the piping tip. When the frosting is falling, DO NOT move your hand.
8. When piping the frosting, try to apply the same amount of pressure so that the frosting would not turn out lumpy.
9. We do things best when we are comfortable and confident. Like writing, pipe in a direction that you are comfortable with. Also, remember to practice before piping onto the baked goods 🙂
10. Go slow! When piping, move at a slower speed so that the frosting can be piped out nicely and not in fragments. Piping slowly also allows you to have more control of the design you want to pipe. To correct any mistakes, use a toothpick. Toothpicks can be used to remove excess icing, adjust icing or scrape away the mistakes made during piping.
Piping frosting doesn’t have to be a daunting or intimidating decorating experience. It can actually be a fun experience! Just keep practicing to perfect your piping skills 😉