You don’t need a professional piping bag to ice your cakes and bakes. A simple sheet of baking parchment or greaseproof paper is all you need to give your bakes a professional finish.
Give this simple piping bag technique a go when you’re next icing biscuits or adding buttercream to a cupcake. It’s easy-to-make with items you’ll have around your home and can be adapted to suit the style of icing you’re working with.
To make a piping bag you will need:
- Greaseproof paper or baking parchment
- Scissors
Optional:
- Peg
- Piping nozzle
- Glass, cup or mug
How to make a piping bag:
1. Unroll the baking parchment and fold the sheet into a triangle, then unfold. Cut along this crease so you’re left with a triangle of paper.
2. Take one of the corner pieces and curl it under itself so the point meets the centre.
3. Repeat with the other corner piece to form a cone shape.
4. Push the two points further around so the parchment overlaps and forms a ‘w’ shape at the top.
5. Fold the ‘w’ shape flaps over and inside the piping bag. Hold in place with a peg.
6. Snip off the end of the piping bag. If you’re piping a simple glacé icing, of water mixed with icing sugar, a small cut at the bottom of the piping bag and you’re ready to pipe.
7. If you’re piping a thicker butter cream, you’ll need to make the cut further up the piping bag to make a bigger hole. You might like to slot a piping nozzle into the hole to give your icing a more decorative look.
8. Place the piping bag inside a glass or cup, the deeper the better. Not only is this a handy technique for holding the piping bag whilst filling, but also the cup will catch any icing that might fall out of the nozzle. Spoon your icing mixture into the piping bag. Turn the top edge down and carry on folding down the top to push the icing down towards to nozzle. You’re ready to pipe!
