piping cupcakes - i cant do it help!

pinkparrott

Hi all, i'm going to make halloween cupcakes and usually decorate them with icing and chocolate , do monsters and spiders webs etc but i wanted to have a go at piping some in buttercream in purple and orange etc and then sprinkling them with sugar sprinkles etc.

However I cant pipe!!:mad: I've made the buttercream ok but i only had small disposable greaseproof paper bags and a metal nozel and it just wouldn't work it all squirted out the top and the nozel fell off and it squirted out the bottom etc what a mess:o

anyway anyone want to give me some top tips,
whats the best type / size of bag to use?
do i put the nozel inside the bag?

also good buttercream recepies / chocolate butter cream recepies please.

i'm going to go buy a new bag etc tomorrow what should i get? I dont mind spending a bit as i've got 2 young kids so i'll be making them again for birthdays etc.

many thanks , will have to practice lots before saturday.

CurlyTop

Hi

I bought Lakeland's own version a while ago for £10. something or other. I noticed recently there is one by Tula in a tin for £9 something, which I would have preferred if only because of the tin. I'd never iced up until get the icing set, but have found this one ideal for icing cup cakes. The bag I got is nylon and the nozzle sits inside. There are 7 different nozzles. The only thing is that they are largeish nozzles so won't be able to do fine writing with them.

As for the icing, I guess and if it goes over and looks sloppy, just add more icing sugar. Not ideal I know but I think the recipe I saw was 12oz of icing sugar to 4-6 oz of butter (but I cheat and use Stork which is cheaper and some vanilla extract - much nicer).:cheesy:

Hope this helps.

pinkparrott

hi curlytop, many thanks
i'll have a look at the lakeland website, and theres a lakeland in Harrogate which i could get to before saturday if they have them
many thanks.

jordylass

I bought my icing set in one of those cheapish shops that has everything. It was about £4, it is plasticized nylon and has loads of tips.
This icing has to be the best I;ve made for cupcakes, but any buttercream will do.

Bunny200

I haven't tried it myself but yesterday I stumbled across this which has loads of help on the consistancy and recipes for buttercream and techniques. I must admit I was going to do the same thing for halloween so I'll be reading this again on Saturday!

greenbee

I use disposable icing bags which you get on a roll from lakeland (I wash & reuse them though!), as it means that if I get messy I can simply change bags and use another one.

You need to get your buttercream to the right consistency for the nozzle you are using. If you are using a large nozzle, it will need to be a much stiffer consistency than if you are using a small one.

If you are using small metal nozzles, you will need a relatively soft consistency (you can add liquid glucose to help with this), and you will also do better using a coupler and a large icing bag than trying to use a small bag with the nozzle directly in the bag.

Use the a big bag (you can freeze leftover icing), as it gives you more control. Assuming you are right handed (as this is the easiest way for me to describe it) hold the bag in your right hand with the top turned over to make the opening clear, and fill about two thirds full with buttercream. Twist the top so that there is pressure on the bag and fold it over. You need to hold the bag so that you can apply pressure evenly and guide it, so hold it with your thumb pointing down the bag and little finger at the top. If feels odd to begin with, but you can't pipe properly if the weakest part of your hand (little finger) is at the business end of the bag... use your left hand to support and guide your right arm.

Practice on some greaseproof paper first to get the effect that you want. Work out which things you can and can't do, and adapt your plans accordingly!

pinkparrott

thanks for all the tips everyone , i'll make sure i've got this page open tonight when i give it another go!.
i'll follow your plan greenbee,
also thanks bunny for the wilton site,
gooing to look for cake decorating supply shop in my area now ,
sound obsessed but i'm usually quite good at crafty/ baking things and this is really annoying me! i must i must get to grips with it, lol

valk_scot

Yes, you put the nozzle inside the bag, unless you're using the sort of nozzle that screws onto a lock ring in which case the ring goes inside the bag.

I've still got lots of old Tala nozzles and such that I bought back in the 70's. Expensive back then but they never wear out after all. So it's worth getting a good set with strong reusable bags imho, if you're going to be using them a lot.

Other top tip...and this is going to sound really silly but it works...is to wear a glove on the hand you hold the icing bag in, if you're using buttercream. Why???? Well, the heat from your hand will cause the butter to melt and oil, so wearing an insulating glove will stop this happening. Not a thick unweildy oven glove though. I use a cheap Thinsulate fleece one.