Russian Piping Tips Are The Answer To Your Buttercream Woes

While buttercream frosting is one of the simplest types to make, and tastes a lot better than fondant, it can be tricky to work with. Even if you're not a candidate for the Netflix show "Nailed It!", you may have tried time after time to make beautiful buttercream flowers, only to have them look more like a sorry tangle of weeds than the lovely garden you envisioned. If so, decorating expert Sandy Folsom has a tip for you. Or rather, a type of tip. Folsom, who is the school director of the Wilton Sweet Studio, recommends Russian piping tips as the solution for your decorating woes.

These tips, which can be purchased inexpensively (this 48-piece Russian piping tip set from Kootek is selling for under $6 at the time of writing), are specially designed to produce complex flower designs from just a single action. As Folsom says, "You can pipe buttercream flowers with just one squeeze — no couplers, flower nails, or waxed paper needed." She then goes on to add, "For cake decorating, you can use them in place of piping individual flowers or any time you would like to add additional visual interest." (Hopefully without offsetting the ideal cake-to-frosting ratio.)

Sandy Folsom feels that besides having the proper piping tips, consistency is key to having your frosting flowers turn out right. "Medium or soft consistency icing will cause your flowers to droop," Folsom warns, explaining that you won't get the stiff peaks you need, and that it will also be hard to pull the tip away from the frosting. If you find that your frosting is too soft, she advocates adding powdered sugar to stiffen it up. She also recommends making shorter decorations, advising "One simple squeeze should be enough to form your flower," and reminding us that the tip needs to be wiped clean between flowers if you're creating clusters.

In Folsom's opinion, buttercream made with a combination of shortening and butter has the best balance of consistency and flavor, although she notes that using shortening alone makes a stiffer frosting. She advises stirring the butter and shortening for five minutes before adding additional ingredients (which may include milk or cream, powdered sugar, salt, and flavoring) since this will make for smoother frosting. Other tips to ensure the best consistency include sifting the sugar, having all ingredients at room temperature, and using a paddle instead of a whisk to combine the ingredients, in order to avoid air bubbles. You should also keep the frosting covered with plastic wrap as you work, since otherwise it could crust over, and anything that might cause those Russian piping tips to clog should be avoided at all costs.