Cupcake Decorating Ideas

by Crafty Stella

How can I get the frosting to go on smoothly without it seeming to go limp? Do I have to add powdered sugar or does the heat affect it?

I tried to use the store-bought butter-cream that comes in the container but I had a problem making the icing stand to look fluffy.

What am I doing wrong?

Thank you for your help.




Thanks very much for your question.

I have only tried store-bought butter-cream on a couple of occasions to see what it was like. I tried both the vanilla and chocolate and didn't find it was very good for piping. It looked great for a very brief time and then I found it went limp, as you said, and I wasn't happy. I think it is fine for applying with a knife and covering with sprinkles but that's about it!!

The store-bought frosting obviously needs to be a bit thicker if it is to be piped onto the cupcakes. I haven't tried adding powdered sugar but you could probably add a little to thicken it to the right texture. The only problem could be making the butter-cream too sweet.

I always find that the best frosting for piping are chocolate ganache, buttercream, cream cheese frosting.

It may take a little longer to make but I think that if you have cupcake decorating ideas that involve more than butter-cream and sprinkles you will get the best results by making your own frosting.

Hot weather may affect your frosting. I usually find that if I am piping decorations, the heat from holding the piping bag can make the icing a little softer so I place the cupcakes in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes until the frosting has set and then it holds its shape.

I hope this helps.

Regards