18th September 2012 // 2 Comments

National Cupcake Week tutorial: How to pipe cupcakes!

To celebrate our launch and National Cupcake Week we decided to feature decorating tutorials from Monday to Friday instead of our usual weekly ‘Tutorial Tuesday’. What better way to begin than with how to pipe cupcakes! We have used dummy cakes in this tutorial to demonstrate which we recommend for practice purposes.

What you need:
A batch of cooled down dummies (or dummy cakes)
Buttercream
A Spatula
Our ‘Cupcake Kit’ OR…
- The following tips bt Ateco 848, 808, 868 and 855
- Disposable piping bags
- Sprinkles or cake glitter

Step one: To pipe a cupcake choose your desired tip (we have featured examples of four classic cupcake swirls below using the Ateco 848, 808, 868 and 855). A technique we continue to find useful is to pipe your cupcake in two seperate steps. The first step of this technique is to swirl a bottom layer directly onto your cupcake to form a base stopping when you have a ‘peak’ in the middle (as shown above).

Step two: Using the ‘peak’ you created as a guideline begin to pipe the second layer of your frosting. Reducing the size create a similar swirl atop of the one you did in the first step (as seen in the pictures above). Not only does this add hight, now you have a beautifully decorated cupcake!

Please note: If placing your cupcakes in a box the added hight may need to be considered.

We have compiled a ‘Cupcake Kit’ for anyone interested in cupcake decorating. Featured in our kit is 60 random design cupcake cases, a pot of Rainbow Dust cake glitter chosen at random, the four Ateco tips demonstrated above and a pack of 10 12″ Ateco disposable decorating bags all for only £17.50! This kit is perfect for both beginners and professionals alike and, of course, for those who would like to celebrate National Cupcake Week.

Enter our competition by liking us on Facebook (if you haven’t already) and commenting/sharing

4th September 2012 // 1 Comment

‘Tutorial Tuesday': How to make your own sprinkles!

What you will need:

256g of icing/confectioner's sugar
1 egg white
1 tablespoon of room temperature water
colourings and flavourings (We recommend flavourings by Foodie Flavours and colourings by Americolor or Squires Kitchen)
Parchment paper
Piping bags fitted with small writing tips (We recommend Wilton round tips 3-6)

Step one: Combine all of the ingredients (except the colourings and flavourings) together in a large bowl. The mixture will become thick and sticky so be prepared for a little work.

Step two: Now you can add whatever colour or flavour you wish to the mixture.

Step three: If you require multiple colours divide the mixture into separate bowls.

Step four: Fill your piping bag(s) with your sprinkle mixture and pipe long lines or dots onto a flat surface with parchment paper. Note: If you make dots they will end up having the shape of chocolate chips.

Step five: Leave to dry out for 24 hours (This is essential!) and then you can chop them up using a spatula.

Step six: Now sprinkle onto your baked goods and enjoy!

28th August 2012 // No Comments

‘Tutorial Tuesday': How to pipe buttercream roses!

What you will need:

A cupcake
A piping bag full of buttercream
A large closed star piping tip (Ateco 855)
Sugarpaste leaves or butterflies to decorate
Edible glitter (optional)

Step one: Begin to pipe from the middle of the cupcake making a ruffled centre of buttercream.

Step two: Work your way around the middle you have created.

Step three: Continue piping around the cupcake until your rose is the desired size.

Step four: Now cease piping to end your rose. This will create unfinished look, however, the leaves or butterflies will cover this up.

Step five: On the unfinished section of your rose place a sugarpaste leaf or butterfly. Now your buttercream rose is complete!

We used the rose piping technique to create a small batch of raspberry cupcakes for an cupcake selection box order of thirty (boxes only go up to 24 hence the odd cookies and cream cupcake nestled within the raspberry rose cakes).

The flavours in this order include: (from left to right) After Eight peppermint and chocolate, Pink Velvet with gourmet vanilla buttercream, Peanut Butter Fudge, Lemon, Cookies 'n' Cream and Raspberry Rose.