Browse Decorating Techniques

3-Dimensional Rock Climber

Difficulty: Medium

Our 3-dimensional rock climbers can scale your cake in a variety of poses. Make them in advance with royal icing. After piping the outline harness, add a shoestring licorice rope.

5-Petal Flower

Difficulty: Somewhat Easy

The delicate blossoms of the 5-petal flower are made on a plastic wrap-covered flower nail. The wrap conforms to the shape of petals better than waxed paper and makes lifting easy.

Apple Blossoms

Difficulty: Somewhat Easy

This springtime flower is virtually the same as the wild rose, but uses a smaller tip. Pipe apple blossoms about the size of a penny and dry them on flower formers.

Aster

Difficulty: Somewhat Easy

The aster is such a popular flower, due to its textured sunburst of petals that point almost straight up. Great for Mother’s Day or shower cakes. They can be made ahead of time using Royal Icing or piped directly on your cake using Buttercream Icing.

Baby Booties

Difficulty: Easy

The perfect little topper for your baby shower cupcakes.

Bachelor Button

Difficulty: Somewhat Easy

The handsome Bachelor Button is an excellent choice on men's cakes and in summer floral arrangements. They look terrific in blue, white, pink or lavender.

Ball

Difficulty: Easy

The ball shape makes bold borders and is the first step to learn for figure piping. Vary the basic look by adding stars, dots or spirals on the ball shapes.

Bead

Difficulty: Easy

The bead shape makes great borders or frames and makes great accents to letters and designs.

Bluebell

Difficulty: Medium

Bluebells are a smaller, slightly shallower version of the lily, made in the smaller 1 1/4 in. lily nail. Pipe them in white, pink yellow or the traditional blue.

Bow Loops

Difficulty: Somewhat Easy

Open-air loops in royal icing add a festive touch of color to crown your cupcakes!

C-motion

Difficulty: Somewhat Easy

This is a great technique to use as waves on water or for beach scene cakes! For water, use blue colored icing — or try a two-tone look using blue and white icing in the same bag.

Campers in Sleeping Bags

Difficulty: Somewhat Difficult

Fast and fun to decorate, our campers in sleeping bags come together in a few easy steps. Simple bands of icing form the bag, then add a pillow and a figure piped camper.

Carnation

Difficulty: Somewhat Easy

A carnation is a welcomed flower in any season—try it with a striped bag (stripe on narrow tip side) for lovely color variation.

Carrots

Difficulty: Somewhat Easy

Use this carrot technique to top off your favorite carrot cake cupcakes!

Christmas Trees

Difficulty: Easy

Grow a forest of Christmas Trees using ice cream cones as your base. Cut the cone to any size—just dampen to where the base will be and use a scissors or a small paring knife to cut around the cone.

Chrysanthemum (Mum)

Difficulty: Medium

The Chrysanthemum is a fall classic that’s easier to pipe than you would think. The secret to success--the curved opening of specialty tip #81 used with a simple leaf-making motion.