Royal Icing Christmas Wreath

I've had tip #71 by Magic Tip in my possession for months, but I've never used it. I was never really sure what the point of it was; it's basically a star tip that looks like it's been stepped on (it's flat on one side). As I was pondering which tip to use to pipe a Christmas wreath, I gave that one a try and I think it worked quite well. You'll also need a small round tip like the #2 to pipe berries, and a tip to pipe the bow; I used the petal tip #101. You'll also need a flower nail, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, parchment paper squares, a glue stick, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick. 

Hold the tip, flat side down, against the surface, and rotate the nail more slowly than you pipe; your pressure should be fairly firm. This is what will cause ruffles to form. When you reach the point where the two ends meet, overlap the ends a little, stop pressure and pull the tip away. You might neaten up this area with a fingertip after touching it to the dusting pouch. 

 If you're going to pipe a bow, do it over the junction of the two ends. I piped the two loops of the bow first, with the wide end of the tip in the middle and the narrow end angled outwards. Move your hand in a tight "C" motion while piping for each side.

 The tails of the bow are just short squirts of icing; there's no real direction for them.

 Switch to the #2 tip and pipe berries, which are nothing more than dots of icing. Pipe all the dots, then tap down any peaks with a dusted fingertip. The wreath would be perfect on a Christmas cupcake, but it would really look great on the door of a gingerbread house!

Royal Icing Apple Pie

Imagine my surprise when I looked up British Culture on Wikipedia and discovered in the cuisine section that apple pie has been consumed in England since the middle ages! And here I thought nothing could be more American. Anyway, in my ongoing quest to pipe something British or Olympics-themed every day of the 2012 games, I piped a tiny little pie. The first step is to stick a parchment paper square to a flower nail with a dab from a glue stick. You'll want to have a Styrofoam block handy to rest the nail in. 

 Pipe a "pie pan" with a round #12 tip, held at a right angle to and just above the surface. Pipe a ring…

 …then fill in the hole in the center…

 …then tap the disc flat with your fingertip after touching it to a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of cornstarch and powdered sugar.

Let it firm up for a while, then pipe a lattice with a flat, narrow tip. I love the look of the serrated tip #46 by Magic Tip (even though a flat tip probably would have been more realistic). Start by piping a straight line across the center. Neaten the ends with a dusted fingertip.

 Proceed with the basketweave technique. Pipe three (or so) cross pieces…

 …then pipe a little "spacer dot" in between each of the ends of those cross pieces.

 Pipe two more lines, parallel to the first line…

 …and finish off with short cross pieces, filling in any holes. Touch the dusting pouch and tap the outer edges smooth.

 Switch to a round #4 tip and pipe a squiggly line for the crimped edge. This would be cute on top of any apple dessert, like muffins.

How to Fill Cupcakes

Ever since I was squirreling away loose change found under couch cushions to buy Hostess snack cakes in the '70s, I've been entranced by filled cupcakes. I always wondered, how does that wonderful stuff get in there? After years of being convinced that cream fillings must be the work of fairies or some other elfin folk, I finally discovered a more likely method (for consumer-grade kitchens, anyway): Wilton tip #230 (the bismarck tip). Here it is, in all its statuesque, chisel-tipped grandeur, alongside an empty disposable 12" pastry bag and…one of my husband's pint glasses, which will make a lot of sense shortly. 

Start by snipping an inch or so off the bag and drop the tip in. You don't need to use a coupler, because it's highly unlikely you'll need to change tips on a bag full of filling. 

Fold the top of the bag over so about half the length of the bag is a cuff. Place the cuff over the pint glass with the tip resting somewhere near the bottom of the glass. This is about as close as it gets to spontaneously growing a third hand. 

Now, put your filling into the bag. You can pretty much use any viscous substance, within reason. In this case, I'm using the filling that comes with a box of Betty Crocker FUN da-middles cupcakes. You can use pudding, pre-made fillings available at cake decorating stores, Oreo Ultimate Icing or S'Mores Dessert Icing, or even peanut butter and jelly; try loading up two separate bags with two different tips. 

Squeeze all the air out of the bag; make sure the icing is getting all the way to the end of the tip…

…and then stick it into the cupcake at an angle. Go in a little less than an inch. Gently squeeze while you withdraw the bag. 

Here's the yummy yet unsightly exit wound, as it were. Don't worry; it'll be covered up in no time.

Come at the cupcake from the other angle and do the same thing. Now your chances for getting a mouthful of cream filling are DOUBLED! Are you starting to think of complementary flavor combinations?

Fill a pastry bag with any color and flavor for the top. These three cupcakes were all made with the same tip: #105 by Magic Tip or Ateco (one of those that is shaped a little like a tiny castle turret); definitely among my faves for being versatile and unusual, with its squared-off grooves.  

I'm curious to hear about your favorite cupcake fillings!