Tip: Ateco 806
Grass:
This one’s self-explanatory, adventurer – frosting that looks like grass. S’right there in the name. This tip also makes great shaggy monster fur in a pinch!
Place tip in the middle of the cupcake touching the surface, and squeeze bag to form grass. Pull straight up while keeping steady pressure on the bag, and when strand is long enough (about one-third of an inch), release pressure and pull away quickly. Grass
will be neatly formed only if you stop squeezing before you quickly pull the tip away.
Tip: Wilton 233
Multicolor Frosting:
This takes some extra work to put together, but comes out quite impressive. You can keep it as simple as a two-color combo, or go up to five for a stunning rainbow effect, like the Rainbow Dash cupcake from the Cutie Mark Cupcakes recipe on page 176.
Fill up to five disposable piping bags with each different color of frosting. Do not fill them as full as you would a regular piping bag, as they will all need to fit back into one bag at the same time (Figure 5). Cut the tips off each bag, and drop them all together into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip (Figure 6). Twist the back ends all together and squeeze until you see all your colors coming out of the tip at once (Figure 7).
Starting at the outside edge of the cupcake and rotating at the wrist, make two and a half rotations, making each one smaller to create a dome. Release pressure and pull up once you reach the center of the cupcake (Figure 8).
Tip: This works with any tip as long as it’s large, but an Ateco 845 or Wilton 1M has the best effect for a ruffled star shape, or use an Ateco 806 for a round coil.
Frosting Troubleshooting
I can’t even squeeze it out of the bag!
If you find that your frosting is very hard to pipe, it may be too cold. It should be at room temperature when frosting, and so should your cupcakes, so they don’t just melt their frosting right off.
Nope, it’s room temperature and it’s still not coming out.
If the frosting is too thick, it will be difficult to pipe and may even break when you attempt to pipe it in a curve. Pop it back into the mixing bowl, add in some milk (or liquid non-dairy creamer or coconut oil for the vegan Butterless Buttercream), and mix until it has a silkier texture, fit for piping. Usually the longer you whip your frosting, the easier it will be to pipe.
No sprinkles are sticking to it!
Buttercream may develop a crust on top as it sits, which will make the sprinkles just bounce off like arrows off that sweet new armor you just equipped. Make sure to sprinkle early and sprinkle often! If you miss your sprinkling window, give your frosted cupcake a quick spritz of water from a spray bottle set to the ‘fine mist’ setting, and you’ll be back in business.
How to Dye Fondant
While fondant can be purchased in a variety of colors, I find it’s easier to take white fondant and dye it as required.
Only use gel dye to dye fondant, and always wear gloves when you do, as the dye is very hard to get off your hands. Protect the table you are working on with a piece of waxed paper, and never set dyed fondant down directly on any surface you don’t want dyed.
Gloves worn should be plastic and not latex, as latex will stick to the fondant and drive you bananas. If you can’t find gloves, you can also pop your hands inside two plastic or ziplock bags and handle the fondant that way.
Add dye to fondant using a toothpick, a little bit at a time (Figure 9). Be careful – you can always add more dye, but you can’t remove any once it’s mixed in. Fold the fondant over on itself, sandwiching the gel dye inside, and stretch, then fold again (Figure 10). Repeat until all dye is incorporated and color is even.
How to Roll Out Cookie Dough Like a Boss
Step up your cookie rolling game with the following rolling technique:
Take freshly mixed dough and place a big blob between two sheets of waxed paper.
Roll it out to the desired thickness (usually one-third to one-quarter of an inch) (Figure 11).
Place the “rolled dough and waxed paper sandwich” you’ve just made on an upside down cookie sheet and pop it into the refrigerator (Figure 12).
Continue rolling out your dough between sheets of waxed paper and adding it to the pile on the back of the cookie sheet until you have used up all the dough. By the time you are finished, the first sheet of dough will be completely chilled and ready to cut (Figure 13).
Cut cookies shapes with a cookie cutter or use a printed Geek Sweets template (Figure 14).
Here’s why rolling out your cookies this way rocks – they’re easier to lift and put on the cookie sheet when the dough is chilled through, and you don’t end up incorporating additional flour into your dough, which can make your cookies dry and tough. Not to mention your kitchen won’t look like you were on the losing end of a messy bout with some vengeful spirits.
How to Cut Cookie Shapes Using a Geek Sweets Template
Visit books.geeksweets.net to download the specific template mentioned in the recipe. Print at 100% and cut out cookie shapes along dotted lines. Place template onto cookie dough surface and cut around edge using an X-acto knife or a sharp paring knife (Figure 15). The template will get greasy as you go along, but will hold together. You can store templates
in a ziplock bag for future use if desired.
Use the waxed paper under the dough to help you lift intricate shapes onto a cookie sheet. (Figure 16).
Chill and reroll leftover dough,
