The Easy Trick To Piping A Cake Like A Professional

For each friend group, there is almost always one who's in charge of cake making. Yes, for every kid's birthday, best friend's promotion, or mom's retirement, you may find yourself called into action to create a cake. And amateur cake decorates are capable of doing a lot of impressive things, as you can see by a quick search on TikTok. But it's often the fundamentals of cake decorating that cause gaffs, especially when it comes to piping fine lettering or designs in icing. However, there's a simple trick that can make this way less daunting. 

One easy mistake that amateur bakers can make is putting too much frosting in their piping bags, especially as they transition from doing larger piping to finer detail work. The heavy icing bag adds unnecessary pressure to the piping tip, which makes it harder to coax the icing out in nice, clean letters. It also makes it harder to wield the bag with control — think of the difference between writing with a regular pen versus an oversized one. The trick is to give yourself less icing to work with, even if your bag is full. If this sounds familiar, the solution is simple as TikTokker savsgotcakes shows; just push the excess icing up, leaving just about a half cup in the bottom section, then twist the bag to keep the sections separated. This easily gets rid of the extra buttercream issue, allowing you to add those oh-so-delicate details without having to apply as much pressure. 

@savsgotcake

How to Write on Cakes✍🏼🍰 1. Don't overfill your piping bag! 2. Twist the bag – this will make it so much easier on your hand 3. Practice your spacing and letters over and over again! 4. Keep the piping tip straight up and down when writing If I didn't answer any question please ask in the comments💗✨ #cakewriting #buttercreamwriting #buttercream #cakedecorating #cakedecorator

♬ Cumbia Buena – Grupo La Cumbia

While the cake decorator shown here is referring to letter writing, this trick will work for any piping issue if you find you are having a hard time getting controlled, precise distributions of icing. If you find yourself still struggling to make the icing flow properly after twisting the bag into sections, there are a few possible issues. One is that your icing is too thick; in this case, add the buttercream or royal icing back to the bowl and begin to thin it out with one teaspoon of milk at a time. A small amount can make a big difference in the viscosity, so don't add too much at once. 

There can also be tricky mechanical issues with the piping bag and tip itself. Clean the tip thoroughly and check for any possible blockages such as old, dried frosting. And even with the twisted bag trick, there may be some trial and error. Always keep the pressure at the top of the section with your thumb and index finger so you don't have a frosting gush or cause the icing to flow out the other end. But ultimately, a lot of cake decorating comes down to technique. Be sure to hold the piping bag perpendicular to the cake's surface area while applying pressure to the piping bag. Stop applying pressure as you hold back in order to control the icing and prevent drooping. All of these tips combined can help you pipe like a pro.