BIG Tips for Using Tips

Photography by the Cupcake Around the Corner

The key to magnificently frosted cupcakes is using big tips. You can get them at any baking store, and they're pretty cheap too. If you just want to cover your cupcakes with a mountain of frosting and still have it look good these will definitely do the trick. When I make cupcakes, I usually either make themed ones or genuinely cute cupcakes for fun. You can use these for themed cupcakes (easter, halloween, the royal wedding...etc) but I advise you to for sure use them for your random cupcakes that are for regular events at least a couple times. I love how my cupcakes turn out every time I use my big tips and I'm sure you will too!


Cheers!

The "Perfect" Swirl

Photography by the Cupcake Around the Corner

I always wondered how bakeries managed to make their cupcakes have near to perfect frosting…was it the metal tip they used? the type of frosting they were using? How did they do it!!? Then one day I was experimenting with a batch of cupcakes I had made and think that is when I figured out the trick. Here’s how I suggest you make the perfect swirl on top of your cupcakes…

1)    Squeeze out one big blob of frosting onto the middle of the cupcake

2)    Then start spiraling and swirling around the cupcake

a.    Start on the part of the cupcake that doesn’t have frosting yet

b.    Once you’ve done a whole circle like this you can start to do the same around the blob.

Cheers!

Become a Fondant PROfessional

How to Use Fondant:

I’ve always loved using fondant. Not only is it super fun to use and decorate with, but also quite simple, and it ALWAYS will look amazing! Here are my tips on how to use it:

1)     Buy pre-made fondant from a cake or baking store (the brand I use right now is Wilton, but I’m sure any brand would be fine) and bundle it into little balls about the size of a golf ball

2)     Roll the ball out flat so that it is about half a centimeter thick.

3)     Once it is rolled out, pick it up carefully, and place it on top of the cupcake

4)     Cut around the edge of the cupcake, taking away any excess fondant and now you are done!

If you want to add color to the fondant:

1)     Stop everything you are doing once you have rolled the balls of fondant

2)     Add about half a drop of food coloring to the ball

3)     Spread the food coloring out by squeezing the fondant with your hands and fingers until it is solidly the color that you want

4)     If you want it darker, just add more food coloring of course – always start out with a smaller amount of food coloring than you need because once it’s in, you can’t do anything about it, sorry!

Decorating after the layer of fondant:

With the extra fondant you have after covering the tops of each cupcake, you can decorate more on top of the fondant layer. I am not the complete expert at fondant decorating, but my box has some pretty cute ideas with very straightforward instructions as to how to decorate.

This is the fondant brand I use at home... 

Photography by the Cupcake Around the Corner

Cheers!

Frosting by Ziploc

Do you ever find yourself making cupcakes, and see that you’ve run out of frosting bags, or decorating tips? I know I do all the time! The solution I have for this (which in my opinion is actually even better than using the special bags and metal tips) is to use a Ziploc baggie to apply frosting to your cupcake. How do you do this?

1)    Make your frosting

2)    Empty the frosting from the bowl to the Ziploc baggie (probably should be the gallon sized one, but it will depend on the amount of frosting you are making)

3)    Cut off the corner of one of the bottom corners on the baggie

a.    MAKE SURE you know what size you want the frosting to come out.

b.    I would recommend to cut no more than a ½ inch hole (when the bag is laid flat)

4)    Make sure that your bag, now filled with frosting, is securely shut at the top

5)    Now you can start decorating your cupcakes!

a.    Make sure you are squeezing the frosting from the top to the bottom – not from the bottom to the top (that would make the bag burst and all of the frosting fly out!)

Good Luck!!