After I posted the initial recipe for brown sugar buttercream, I’ve had a ton of emails asking if I could do some sort of frosting “how-to” tutorial on the blog. I promise, friends, it’s really not as hard as it looks to pipe out professional fluffy clouds of frosting yourself.
All you need for this little project is a large plastic bag, a pastry tip (you can get this at Michaels for about two dollars), a large rubber spatula and a bowlful of frosting. Mmmmmm frosting.
So gather your utensils and meet me back here stat. I’ll show you how to do this:
And this!
And, in my classroom, licking the spoon (or whisk attachment) is completely okay and, actually, totally mandatory for success.
Did you gather your supplies?
Large plastic baggie:
Pastry tip (I like to use a large star tip for most cupcakes because it’s fun):
Bowl o’ frosting:
I found another simple recipe for buttercream (if you don’t feel like going the sugar syrup route) here. You could also tweak that to do half shortening and half butter if that more floats your boat. Shortening is great because it’s way more stable than butter, making it ideal to frost wedding cakes and other lovely confections with. For you vegans out there, I’ve also tried to use the Earth Balance “buttery sticks” and it’s worked out very nicely as well.
So, now it’s go time. Snip off the very tip of your plastic bag and stick the pastry tip in, like so:
The tip should just be able to fit…you don’t want it loose or else the frosting will squeeze out! Now, fill the bag half full with frosting, squeeze out the extra air and seal shut.
Get your cupcake ready! Or cake, or cookie or….arm.
Hold the bag with both hands about an inch above the cupcake. The hand you use to write with should be on the bottom and you should have a pretty good grip on the bag. Squeeze a little bit with your bottom hand so that you have a dollop of frosting down. Now, as you continue to squeeze, move your hand in a circular motion around the top of the cupcake.
It might take a few cupcakes until you get it down, but once you do, you’ll be a frosting queen (or king?) forever. Use these cupcakes to impress boyfriends, husbands, bosses, parents, friends and apartment leasing agents.
Happy Tuesday!
Jessica @ How Sweet
September 28, 2010 at 6:39 amI love frosting cupcakes with a pastry bag! I usually don’t use the star, but it is really fun and pretty. I usually just used the biggest hole opening and put a big glob of frosting on!
Rachel (Two Healthy Plates)
September 28, 2010 at 6:40 amI love when homemade cupcakes look professional – thanks for sharing your tips!
Jil
September 28, 2010 at 6:41 amLovely! and I totally didn’t know Michael’s sold piping tips – runnnning there.
Tracey @ I'm Not Superhuman
September 28, 2010 at 6:52 amSo easy. Thanks for the tutorial. They look so much cuter than when I spread the frosting.
megan @ whatmegansmaking
September 28, 2010 at 6:54 amI have been waiting for this post! Thank you Jenna! My cupcakes don’t always turn out looking the best. I think it’s the tip I use though. I want to get a large star tip like you mentioned. And I love the plastic bag tip…cleaning out a pastry bag is not high on my list of things I love to do.
Angharad
September 28, 2010 at 6:57 amI need to get a pastry tip. Today. Frosting like that just looks so much better. So professional and pretty and just plain lovely. I’m trying to think who has a birthday coming up, but on second thoughts, I think my arm will frost nicely…
Allie (Live Laugh Eat)
September 28, 2010 at 6:57 amThank you for this tutorial! Your cupcakes are beauties!
Natalia - a side of simple
September 28, 2010 at 6:58 amThis post makes me want to pull out my old Candyland board game and pretend I’m Queen Frostine!
Amanda
September 28, 2010 at 7:00 amI love frosting cupcakes. I use the plastic cuplings with the tip. I didn’t realize you could just stick the tip in the bag without creating a mess. Great post!
marisa @ vinyasa mama
September 28, 2010 at 7:02 amI was just thinking about this yesterday. What great timing – thanks for posting!
Lea @ Healthy Coconut
September 28, 2010 at 7:07 amI did the same thing this weekend too, but I don’t have any pastry tips so the frosting was coming straight from the ziplock hole.
In order to cover the “not so pretty frosting” I used thinly sliced strawberries to top the frosting. It looked pretty.
I made the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars winning cupcake, the Vegan Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake cupcake π Very delicious!!!
Kristen
September 28, 2010 at 7:12 am“Get your cupcake ready! Or cake, or cookie orβ¦.arm.” Yes, I typically choose to use my arm when dealing with buttercream, I am happy to hear that this is a completely socially acceptable practice!
Nicole @ Geek Turned Athlete
September 28, 2010 at 7:17 amWow. Thank you so much! I need all the help that I can get! Is there any chance you can come up with a great recipe for gluten free cupcakes?
Heather (Heather's Dish)
September 28, 2010 at 7:22 ami love frosting cupcakes…probably the best part about them except for the eating part π
RhodeyGirl
September 28, 2010 at 7:24 amI love this tutorial- it is very useful!
Alyssa
September 28, 2010 at 7:24 amYou make that look much easier than I expect it to be!! π
jenny
September 28, 2010 at 7:27 amawesome! thanks for sharing
Bethany (One Girl's Taste on Life)
September 28, 2010 at 7:28 amLove this post though I totally think it is video worthy. Just to see you frost your arm… Thanks for sharing!
Julia
September 28, 2010 at 7:30 amThis little tutorial made my morning.
And now I really want some frosting.
Have a fabulous day!
grocery goddess jen
September 28, 2010 at 7:32 amOh my gosh, you made that look so easy. I should really just suck it up and buy the frosting tip thing, shouldn’t I?
Ryan
September 28, 2010 at 7:33 amKing.
And I wonder sometimes if you have a third arm just for taking pictures.
Marisa @ Loser for Life
September 28, 2010 at 7:33 amThank you for this tutorial, Jenna! I really needed it! If you could’ve seen the cupcakes I frosted last weekend for the husband’s birthday…. let’s just say that chocolate buttercream piped with the wrong tip in a swirly fashion looks like dog doo-doo. For real.
That’s one way to get me to not eat a cupcake π
Amber K
September 28, 2010 at 7:34 amThat is so neat! I had no clue it could be so easy.
Jill
September 28, 2010 at 7:35 amThere’s nothing prettier than a nicely frosted cupcake! Thanks!
Clare @ Fitting It All In
September 28, 2010 at 7:40 amThey look amazing! I definitely need to try your buttercream recipe.
Also – LOVE the way you boxed them up with that ribbon! Adorable!
Laura @ Backstage Pass to Health & Happiness
September 28, 2010 at 7:46 amI had been hoping you’d show us your frosting technique! Thanks for sharing π
Jasmine @ Eat Move Write
September 28, 2010 at 7:46 amI cannot believe how incredibly professional those look. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. You worked in a bakery and studied in France after all. Very cool, though.
Callie @ Callieflower Kitchen
September 28, 2010 at 7:46 amThanks for the tutorial, this is awesome timing! I was actually just scouring the internet this morning for frosting tips π
Miranda
September 28, 2010 at 7:47 amThanks for the info, we are doing a cupcake fundraiser this weekend and I am going to send this link to all of our helpers!!
Therese
September 28, 2010 at 7:48 amThanks for that, Jenna! And I do think the next time I make buttercream I’ll try the shortening route, I tend to only use butter and it doesn’t seem to come out as nicely!
Kelly
September 28, 2010 at 8:00 amThanks for posting these tips! I was definitely one of the people wondering in awe how to make cupcakes look that beautiful. I may just have to make cupcakes soon to practice that skill! Thank you!
Estela @ Weekly Bite
September 28, 2010 at 8:16 amLove this post! I’m so bad at making frosting look pretty π
cathy b. @ brightbakes.com
September 28, 2010 at 8:17 amthis was great….i think pumpkin cupcakes might be in my future! π
love ya,
cathy b.
Katherine @ Left Coast Contessa
September 28, 2010 at 8:20 amLove this post! Frosting cupcakes have always been an epic fail so thank you for this post.
Kate
September 28, 2010 at 8:21 amWow, these look gorgeous, and those are some serious mounds of frosting! I’ve tried frosting cupcakes with a plastic bag + pastry tip before but had some issues, I’m thinking maybe my frosting was the wrong consistency. I’ll try out your recipe sometime though and hopefully I’ll get better results.
Brooke (Baking with Basil)
September 28, 2010 at 8:23 amI love the star tip too! It makes the cupcakes so pretty!! Great tutorial!
Maren
September 28, 2010 at 8:33 amThis is such a great tutorial. I love all your how to’s and I’m falling in love with your ‘new blog’. I totally realized that I’ve been holding my frosting back backwards. I always have my right hand on top and my left at the nozzle rather than the correct right handed way. Maybe thats why my frosting always looks… strange.
Katelynn
September 28, 2010 at 8:33 amI love using a plastic bag too. I bought a icing gun and I feel that it is very difficult to use. Those cupcakes look so yummy. I kept intending to use that buttercream recipe and end up just making my usual chocolate fudge frosting. But, I promise I will try it out very soon!
Thanks for the tips.
Mary (What's Cookin' with Mary)
September 28, 2010 at 8:40 amWhy Jenna… You cupcakes are quite… IMPRESSIVE! BWAHAHAH ;P
jenna
September 28, 2010 at 8:41 amfrosting is my favorite!! i love licking the bag clean when i’m done…hahah j/king…sort of.
π great tips!
The Wife of a Dairyman
September 28, 2010 at 8:49 amThanks for the tips! When you snip the tip of the plastic bag and put pressure on it with the frosting and frosting tip, does the hole become larger (rip open?) Have you ever encountered this problem?
Susan@MomSwimBikeRun
September 28, 2010 at 8:57 amYou make it look soooooo easy then I go and try and trust this they do NOT look like yours! haha I’ll keep working!
Laughter-Loving Stacy
September 28, 2010 at 8:59 amFun! I’ll give it another go, I always seem to mess it up, ha, ha!!
chelsey @ clean eating chelsey
September 28, 2010 at 9:28 amI love frosting cupcakes! It is super easy as long as you have a tip!! Thanks for the how-to – it makes me remember just how much I love frosting!!! I always make red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting at christmastime – I cannot wait to bust those bad boys out!
Lauren at KeepItSweet
September 28, 2010 at 9:41 amgreat tutorial!
Tina
September 28, 2010 at 10:24 amHow funny, just the other day I was asking someone how to frost cupcakes because mine always looks messy. I will try this technique tomorrow for the cupcakes that I am making for my Children’s literature class. Thank you for sharing what you know with us.
Kelly
September 28, 2010 at 10:29 amIs it wrong to hate icing? Yeah I am the one who asks for plain cupcakes, the center peice of cake and the cookie cakes that have nothing on them. Weird, I know.
MyThy as in "Mighty"
September 28, 2010 at 10:43 amJenna, thanks for the tutorial. I’m always intimidated w/ frosting/baking/breadmaking esp w/o a standup mixer (hello bday present?)
Can I just ask, how come you didn’t join the Project Food Blog hosted by FoodBuzz?
http://www.foodbuzz.com/project_food_blog
You would totally have my (plus many other’s!) votes!!! π
Food & Other Things
September 28, 2010 at 10:51 amYour cupcakes are so pretty…thanks for the tutorial! I feel like this something I could do!
Rachel @ The Avid Appetite
September 28, 2010 at 11:08 amI am always a fail at using this method and have considered the following:
– cutting too big of a hole in the bag
– my pastry tip isn’t up to par
-….I don’t know why else? I use the plastic bag method and inevitably the entire thing squeezes out! You’ve inspired me to give it one more go, however, with your great tutorial!
Lisa
September 28, 2010 at 11:24 amFantastic post and perfect timing! I’m going to make cupcakes this weekend I think.
Jessica @ The Process of Healing
September 28, 2010 at 11:49 amBeautiful.. you make it sound so easy!
Moni'sMeals
September 28, 2010 at 12:11 pmYour title sucked me in! Awesome post! thanks. π I might possibly just retire and frost cupcakes all day, works for me!
Kelsey
September 28, 2010 at 12:37 pmMy roommate and I are trying to perfect this art!
Lisa @ bakebikeblog
September 28, 2010 at 12:50 pmoooh what great tips! Thanks for sharing π
Stacey (The Habit of Healthy)
September 28, 2010 at 1:00 pmYour cupcakes are so pretty and you make it look fabulously easy!
Cat
September 28, 2010 at 1:40 pmJenna, I was just thinking that you should have a page called something like “Meals to Fall in Love Over” or somethin’ of that nature. I believe you have a roasted chicken recipe of that nature and others that I was thinking about using for a boy that I like π Food for thought!
lauren
September 28, 2010 at 2:21 pmJenna, where do you get those cute boxes for the pastries and ribbons? I’m just saying, it looks about a thousand times better than paper plate/toothpicks/saran wrap that smush my attempts at baking goodness.
jenna
September 28, 2010 at 2:46 pmMichaels! They have everything there!
Therese
September 28, 2010 at 3:40 pmI’ve never had those cookies before but, thanks to you, I think I’ll be eating them for the rest of my life!
THANK YOU!
alison
September 28, 2010 at 4:40 pmI love that you can use a plain plastic bag. Thank you for this tip! I can’t wait to try it out.
stacey-healthylife
September 28, 2010 at 5:25 pmPastry bags and tips are the only way to go.
Annie@stronghealthyfit
September 28, 2010 at 5:58 pmSo cute. Frosting is fun!
Meaghen Calder
September 28, 2010 at 7:05 pmHi Jenna,
I appreciate your tutorials for what it gives to people who are novice with baking and cooking, but you are actually incorrect in your icing technique here. You are not supposed to hold your icing bag (or Ziploc bag) with both hands. You are supposed to hold it with just one hand, usually your dominant one, but whatever is more comfortable for you.
A quick google search will provide people with the actual technique to ice cupcakes.
jenna
September 28, 2010 at 7:18 pmI think it’s whatever works for you—that is the way I was taught in school.
Alaina
September 29, 2010 at 8:15 amAs an apartment leasing agent, I fully support this post and the use of beautifully-frosted cupcakes.
Rachel Wilkerson
September 29, 2010 at 6:30 pmI’m not going to lie, this terrifies me, BUT I am making really fancy cupcakes tonight and I think I need to go for it.
Seriously, terrified.
Also I literally LOLd at “or arm.”
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December 8, 2010 at 11:27 amJenna, what kind of tips do you use? I want a set for Christmas, but don’t know what the best ones are… any suggestions?
jenna
December 8, 2010 at 11:46 amThe Wilton set (from Sur la Table or William Sonoma) is great! That’s what I used at school. It has all the different sizes and kinds!
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December 9, 2010 at 7:28 amThanks! One last question…. how’d you get that awesome turquoise/blue color for the frosting in your other post?
kim
February 15, 2011 at 12:45 pmWhat size/number tip did you use?
Lisa
February 20, 2011 at 5:29 amI’m heading to Michaels this morning to get a tip! Birthday party at 2:00, cupcakes baked and naked — I was dreading spreading frosting on top and making them look oh-so-homemade. Now they will look oh-so-HANDMADE!
cherylea
May 4, 2011 at 12:36 pmThanks for the great frosting tip.. trying this tonight for birthday cupcakes for the kids @ school! π
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Addison
February 10, 2012 at 5:46 pmThe ziploc bag got like ten tiny holes in it and made a mess..not sure what i did wrong? I used the same exact baggie as you?
jenna
February 10, 2012 at 5:52 pmHow did it get ten tiny holes? From the frosting exploding? Be sure to seal the bag very, very well and not push too hard. Applying too much pressure might make the frosting become too much for the bag and explode!
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T
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Na'imah
December 14, 2013 at 3:44 amthank you for posting this way back in 2010 coz it came in so useful for me tdy! i had frosting tips and didn’t know how to attach them to a plastic frosting bag, so i asked google for help, and came to this. so thanks to you, i was able to frost cupcakes for the first time! π
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