Q re frosting cupcakes

[Anonymous]

I want to frost cupcakes in that fluffy frosting "swirl" style you see on bakery cupcakes, instead of just with a knife as per my usual. Can do this without buying a to. of equipment? I tried it by putting store bought frosting into a ziplock and cutting off the corner of the bag and squeezing, but it just pipes a thin stream of frosting that sagged as soon as I started making the swirl pattern. Does it work better with a certain kind of frosting?

[Anonymous]

Get an icing gun. http://www.amazon.com/Wilton-415-0906-Dessert-Decorator-Plus/dp/B003B3OK9A

You have to make your frosting thicker. Why are you buying store bought? Icing is one of the easiest things to make. Just add more powdered sugar, less water/milk and it gets thicker (which should work for store bought too).

[Anonymous]

Your frosting is too thin if it is sagging. I like using the plastic disposable pastry bags and a tip - either round or star shaped, These are cheap - $1 for the tip. I use about 1 stick of butter or crisco, 1 tsp of vanilla, 13-15 tsp of water and a pound of confectioners sugar sifted. You want a medium consistency. If yours is sagging, you have a thin consistency. If it's too stiff, it will work but it will be hard on your hands.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get an icing gun. http://www.amazon.com/Wilton-415-0906-Dessert-Decorator-Plus/dp/B003B3OK9A

You have to make your frosting thicker. Why are you buying store bought? Icing is one of the easiest things to make. Just add more powdered sugar, less water/milk and it gets thicker (which should work for store bought too).

No. Really. Don't.

Disposable icing bags and a couple of icing tips. And just say I to store bought icing. Ewwww.

[Anonymous]

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/decorators-buttercream-icing-109260

Leave out the meringue powder if you don't have it. Just use a tad less water.

[Anonymous]

I make this frosting:
http://www.food.com/recipe/vanilla-buttercream-frosting-from-sprinkles-cupcakes-222188

Very easy with basic ingredients.

And use a plastic frosting bag with tips. Super easy and much yummier than store frosting.

[Anonymous]

I like 7 minute frosting...lots of recipes for it on the web. Pipes easily and sets up well.

[Anonymous]

I have gotten some of the plastic tips and then cut the corner off a heavy-duty ziplock bag to use as a pastry bag. You probably want a frosting that has some structure like a Swiss meringue rather than just a sugar/butter buttercream.

[Anonymous]

The temperature and thickness of the frosting can make or break it. Too hot and it will melt, too cold and it won't come out of your pastry bag.

I saw a video of that stiff swirl icing that I think was this:
http://www.woodlandbakeryblog.com/drum-roll-buttercream-is-here-tada/

[Anonymous]

Watch some youtube videos to learn the right consistency and technique - that's how I learned, and people always assume that I bought them somewhere. All you need is a plastic bag, then you can graduate to piping bags and tips if you want, but a plastic bag is enough to make them simple and nice.