How To Pipe Your Frosting To Get Beautiful Swirls??
Baking By serenelui Updated 23 Jul 2008 , 2:19pm by sweetideas
Hey all... can anyone tell me how to get beautiful cupcakes swirls like this?? http://iheartcuppycakes.wordpress.com/2008/05/11/mothers-day-cupcakes/
I've bought 1M tips and use them all the time but my cupcake swirls always turn out flat and not like a nice beautiful mountain of frosting like this... what am i doing wrong?? 
Does anyone have any tips of getting their swirls to look like the blog above? Please help!!!
Hmmmm..... 1M tip was my first thought but you said you already have it.
In order to build up the icing into the nice mound, it works best to start from the outside and work in, using each row of icing as a base to build up higher and higher into a peak. Not sure if I am describing this welll...can anyone else help?
serenelui - when you were using the 1M tip, how were you putting it on the cupcake? Maybe if we know what you were doing that didn't give you the results you wanted, we can help give some hints to make it work better for you. 
if the icing is not mounding up it sounds like your icing might be too thin. Make sure it's thick enough to stand on its own or else it will just mush down. If your thin is too thin I would add some powdered sugar to thicken it up to support itself more.
is 1M a big star tip? start near the edge and build up on each layer (like laying bricks? does that help? not very discriptive-i agree with bathoryjones, make sure you're starting with a thicker consistancy icing and try that hth
I once watched a show where they were doing cupcakes like those ones and the trick is actually to stack two swirls of frosting, not one continuous one. I tried it, and sure enough, it worked. First make a regular swirl and then on top of that one make a narrower one, ending with a pointy tip, and voila! A beautiful tall swirl! Hope this helps. It really does work!
Here's a link to see how icing is put on cupcakes to make the icing look layered.
thanks for all the advice you guys..
bathoryjones: my icing is usually pretty thick and yup.. it can stand on its own, i.e. it holds the star shape even after piping..
awolf24, michellesArt: i pipe my cupcakes from the outside in.. have tried to overlap the icing so that the next inner layer rests on the previous layer.. but they never seen to be able to get high enough to get that beautiful mountain of icing that i want. i'll try and post a picture of what mine turned out to be.. maybe you guys could give me more pointers after seeing the pics ;p
SharonK1973: erm.. do you have pictures to show what you mean.. haha.. i don't really understand what you meant :p
KieslerKakes: thanks for the link.. i'm waiting for it to load so i can check it out :p
unfortunately i can't post a picture here.. but here's a link to the photo i uploaded on flickr... i hope you can see it clearly i'm not much of a photographer.. :p
could someone take a look and see what i'm doing wrong 
thanks a million guys!!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21799685@N05/2668413942/
i don't know what you're doing wrong because i used to not be able to make swirls too 
until i started making SMBC. now my swirls are decent enough. i use 1M too.
Looks like your icing is soft and you need a bigger star tip..
http://www.cheftools.com/prodinfo.asp?number=02%2D0312+++07
It should look at least as big as the one on the bag!..And then you layer in circles. almost like doing a beehive..
Edna 
I use the 1M tip as well, and swirl from the outside in, then do a smaller swirl the opposite direction on top. You need to use buttercream that is fairly thick..not quite as thick as roses, but not as thin as icing a cake with.
I love doing it this way as I can ice them really fast and just line then up and get them done
serenelui..I answered this question you asked me on the cuppy thread ! But what icing do you use also ?
i agree with fiddlesticks, sometimes the icing you use is a big factor.
I think you need to squeeze harder so that more icing is coming out of the tip. It looks like your have pretty narrow strips of frosting but with the 1M tip you can get a big fat swirl so I don't think the size of your tip is the problem. Try using more pressure on your piping bag...
Hi edna... i'll try again by making my icing stiffer... and trying tiggy2's suggestion of squeezing more icing out.. if those don't work.. i guess i'll really have to get that tip!!
KieslerKakes thanks for the video.. it did help quite a bit.. i saw her adding more frosting in the centre of the frosting before adding the frosting in the centre.. so hopefully can try that trick as well to see if it works.
cupcakeshoppe.. i haven't tried using SMBC yet... but if everything else doesn't work i'll definitely try it!!
Thanks all.. i'll have to try all the tips and hopefully it works!! wish me luck
here's my first swirl using SMBC and 1M. not perfect but decent enough LOL
hi loriemoms... i actually bought the 1M tip from my local bakery shop and from what i can see.. the tins look fully open... so guess its really something that i'm doing wrong :p
ooo.. those cupcakes look delicious!!! and your swirls are beautiful.. why can't i get mine to look like that... *pout*... btw.. could i ask what size are your cupcakes in the picture?
Just as an example, here are some "regular" size cupcakes I did with regular powdered sugar/shortening/butter buttercream and the 1M tip:
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1232934
And here are some I did with IMBC:
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1217657
Serenelui, From what I could see on Flicker it looks like you're not putting your swirls on top of each other but rather piping them in a row next to each other. When swirling lay the next layer almost on top of the previous one.
You might be able to find some information in this video helpful! I definitely picked up a few tricks here
HTH!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWfAd73_9Do&feature=related
serenului, those are regular sized cupcakes. i didn't put as much frosting on them as i wanted because i didn't think i made enough.
The technique I am talking about is the one that fearlessbaker is talking about. Put on two swirls on top of each other. Put a swirl on and then a second one on top of the previous one.
I agree... a "beehive" is what it is. But for newbies, try a "mound" in the middle like making roses, but flater. THEN pipe on the "swirl". You get instant height because you started with a mound.
Cheater method 1- pre-ice like "grandma" did with a small mound, and then pipe swirl.
Cheater method #2- Pipe on a flatter swirl over the center area- like 1/2 of the cuppy, then swirl with the #1 tip on top of all.
thanks everyone for your very helpful tips!!! i'm making some biscuits today but will definitely be making some cupcakes tomorrow when i have time will try my hand at piping those swirls again. Hopefully with all the wonderful tips and help you guys have provided me i will succeed this time!!! :p I'll let you know how it goes
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