Here, at Gurgaon Bakers, the leading customised cake shop in Gurgaon, our team of bakers love decorating cupcakes. Dainty flowers, big swirls, fondant toppers – we have quite a few tricks up our sleeve for creating picture-perfect and tasty cupcakes. While it may seem complicated, decorating cupcakes are a breeze, with our secrets.
Here, in this guide, we share with you some of our top decorating tips for creating beautiful cupcakes for all occasions.
1. Carnation Decoration
For this you need, the #104 piping tip (also known as petal tip), a batch of smooth buttercream icing tinted in your favourite colour and a piping bag. Fit the bag with the piping tip and fill it with buttercream icing.
Now hold the cupcake in your left hand (right hand for left-handers) and the piping bag in the other side. Start by piping a single petal on the outer edge of the cupcake. Apply pressure firmly on the top of the piping bag and gently move your wrist up and down to create a petal. Continue making overlapping petals until you complete one row around the edge of the cupcake. Next pipe an inner row. Repeat till the entire cupcake is filled with petals.
2. Petal Spiral Decoration
This method also uses the same piping tip. Fit the piping bag with the #104 petal tip and fill it with buttercream. Pipe ruffles around the edge of the cupcake. Hold the cupcake in one hand and apply firm pressure to the piping bag using the other side. Alternatively, you can also use a rotating cake stand for this decoration. Place the cupcake in the centre of the stand. Rotate the tray slowly with one hand, while piping with the other.
3. Classic Cupcake Swirl
This style is what you see on most cupcakes. It has plenty of frosting in a pretty swirl. Though it looks intricate, it’s quite easy. Fit your piping bag with a medium or large star tip and fill it with buttercream. Start from the outside edge of the cupcake and slowly pipe around the circumference.
The classic swirl can be made more beautiful by using two or three colours of frosting. Here are two different ways you can fill your piping bag with two or more colours.
(i). The Double Bag Technique
For this method, you will require piping bags of two different sizes. Fill the small piping bags with different coloured frosting. Snip a small hole along the bottom edges of the bag with a pair of scissors. Then, fit a large piping bag with a star tip or any other decorative tip. Insert both the small bags into the big bag. Make sure they are aligned. Now squeeze the outer bag to get a beautiful double coloured swirl.
(ii). Plastic Wrap Technique
Cut a piece of plastic wrap and lay it flat on your work table. Scoop out one large spoon of buttercream frosting in a log down the centre of the wrap. Next, scoop out the second frosting and place it parallel to the first frosting. Fold the wrap to form a two-toned log. Twist the plastic wrap to seal the buttercream inside it. Now, drop the wrap in a large piping bag and pull out the log through the opening of the piping tip.
*While using two or more colours, make sure to squeeze out a test swirl on a parchment paper or plate to see if the colours come out uniformly.
4. Rosette
For this frosting technique, you require a 1M tip, also known as rosette tip. Start by piping a swirl on the centre of the cupcake and move towards the outer edge. Make sure to keep your piping bag perpendicular (at 90-degree) to the cupcake to get the perfect rosette. This frosting style makes your cupcake look like a freshly-bloomed garden rose, hence the name.
5. Spatula Swirl
This is a classic cupcake frosting style that many popular bakers use daily. It doesn’t involve any piping bags or tips. All your need is a small icing spatula. Place a large dollop of buttercream on the centre of the cupcake. Use your spatula to spread the dollop around till you create a swirl in the centre. Rotating the cupcake with one hand, while holding the spatula on the other makes for the perfect swirl.
Frosting Cupcakes is Easier than you imagine
While it looks like hard work, frosting cupcakes is incredibly easy. Practice these different styles of frosting techniques on parchment paper till you get the hang of it. No worries about wasting frosting. You can scoop your trial frosting, add it to the piping bag and keep on going.
Also, if you would like to order a batch of freshly-made, beautifully frosted cupcakes in your favourite flavours, all you have to do is connect with our team on Whatsapp. We also conduct hands-on baking classes in Gurgaon helping you learn the best techniques. Get in touch with our team to know more about our courses.
Happy Baking!
