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Skills Training and Combat Tricks

Masterful baking comes from sweet foundations. And practice, practice, practice.

As a budding baking adventurer, you’ll want to become proficient in a variety of skills that will aid you on your journey. Your charisma stat may be through the roof, but if your dexterity is lacking, you’ll end up with more frosting on your tabard then on your cake. Today your training in the foundational skills required for the recipes outlined in this book begins. The trials ahead may be dark and full of terrors, but you’ll be ready – let’s get started.

How to Portion Out Buttercream

When portioning out how much buttercream you’ll need to frost your cupcakes, it’s a good idea to use an ice cream scoop or disher, with one scoop per cupcake (Figure 1). If you only need 5 cupcakes with green mint frosting, put 5 scoops of your prepared buttercream in a separate bowl, then tint and flavor it before putting it in the piping bag. Then if you have any leftover buttercream, you can save it for later in the fridge, wrapped in a square of plastic wrap.

How to Fill a Piping Bag

Drop a piping tip (or a coupler, if you’re using a

small tip) into the bag. Using scissors, cut off the tip of the bag, removing only as much as it takes for the coupler / tip to just stick out of the bag (Figure 2). If you cut it too wide, the opening will stretch under the pressure of piping and launch your piping tip across the room, along with a gob of buttercream frosting. Slide your large tip out until taut, or attach the small tip and outer ring of your coupler.

Hold the piping bag in your left hand around the middle, and fold the edge over your hand. Using your right hand, fill the bag with frosting using a spatula (Figure 3). You can use the edge of your left hand to wipe the frosting off the spatula. Do not overfill! Fill the bag just over halfway and no more, or you won’t be able to twist it shut without it oozing out of the back of the bag.

Twist the bag closed until all of the air is pushed out of the bag and the frosting comes peeking out of the tip. You’re ready to go!

How to Frost a Cupcake

Now that you’ve got your piping bag full of buttercream frosting ready to go, let’s get to piping! Different tips have different effects, depending on the type of frosted cupcake you’re looking to make, but almost all of them require the same motion – rotating at the wrists.

A common error I see when people are learning to frost a cupcake is that they move their upper arms and hands in small circles over the cupcake, like they’re stirring a pot. Instead, make sure you are rotating only your wrists, and in circles that, with each rotation, grow smaller. Usually it takes about two and a half rotations to get there. When you reach the center of the cupcake, release pressure and pull up quickly for a pointed tip. This gives you much more control over your movements and keeps you centered over the cupcake. Watch someone making ice cream cones from a soft-serve machine – it’s the same movement, just upside down!

It may help (or hinder!) to pick up your cupcake in your other hand while you pipe, as opposed to keeping it on a flat surface. Give both methods a try and see which you prefer.

Pictured are some of the different frosting effects that can be achieved and the tips used to create them:

 Classic Rosette:

This technique is common for a reason – it’s super easy! The ridges fall however they feel like falling and hide any imperfections, air bubbles, or required restarts.

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.

Tip: Ateco 845 or Wilton 1M

 Flat Rosette:

This is your classic “I’m going to jam a bunch of stuff on top of this cupcake so it can’t be super tall” frosting technique. It also looks very pretty on its own!

Starting at the center of the cupcake and rotating at the wrist, make two and a half rotations, making each one larger until you reach the edge. Release pressure and wipe the last bit of frosting around the outside edge so it blends in.

Tip: Ateco 845 or Wilton 1M

 Princess Rosette:

This ruffle-icious technique uses a star tip with more prongs to create a shape much like a bridesmaids’ dress from the 80’s. I won’t lie, adventurer – getting the hang of this one takes some practice, so test it out on some waxed paper first, then scoop the testers back into your frosting bowl once you’ve got it down.

Make one rotation around the edge of the cupcake, then make a bunch of tighter circles, quickly and closer to the center, letting the ruffles fall as they may.

Tip: Ateco 849

 Flat Top:

This is like a Classic Rosette, but with less height and a large round tip. Great for cupcakes where you will be dipping the tops in sprinkles, graham cracker crumbs, or melted chocolate.

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. Press down harder and do not lift up as much as you would with a classic rosette. Once you almost-but-not-quite reach the center of the cupcake, release pressure, and instead of pulling up, continue rotating and blend the tip of the frosting with the rest so it sits flat.

Tip: Ateco 809

 Tall Coil:

This uses the same technique as the Classic Rosette, but with a smaller round tip. It’s not recommended you use this style for chocolate frosting, lest the coil resemble… well… poop (unless that’s the effect you’re going for, like with our Poopcakes on page 120!) It also uses a smaller round tip than the Flat Top, as it would otherwise be an overwhelming amount of frosting. And that’s coming from someone who’s DTF: Down to Frost.

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.

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, and repeat the process until you’re all out of dough.

How to Dam and Flood a Cookie

Almost all cookie decorating starts with this one crucial step, which will ensure that your frosting stays where you want it to. Royal icing oozes like lava, slow but unstoppable, but the Dam and Flood technique will keep it in its place.

First, make sure your cookies are completely cooled! No piping onto toasty warm cookies. Fit a piping bag with a #3 Ateco or Wilton tip, and fill with prepared royal icing. Prepare a second bag filled with the same color with a #5 tip. Make sure to cover any remaining icing with a wet paper towel or cloth so it doesn’t dry out.

Pick a spot and begin piping an outline of icing onto the cookie with the #3 tip (Figure 17). Your icing should flow in a solid line from the piping tip and not break. If it’s breaking, it is likely too thick. This creates a border or “dam” so the ‘fill’ icing does not flow over the edges (Figure 18).

After allowing the dam to dry for a minute or two, fill the middle of the cookie with the same color frosting from the bag fitted with the #5 tip (Figure 19). The reason for the larger tip is so it is easier to fill quickly. At this point, I like to pick up the cookie and give it a little wiggle to get it to settle nice and flat (Figure 20).

Keep a toothpick handy to pop any air bubbles or help push frosting into any intricate corners of your cookie shape (Figures 21 and 22).

Allow to dry completely before adding any additional frosting elements. (Or else don’t, if you need to press anything into the wet frosting, as you do with the Melted Snowman Cookies on page 246.)

How to Use Luster Dust

Luster dust can be painted onto just about anything to provide a little drama. It’s completely edible and completely faaaaabulous.

To paint onto chocolate or fondant: Luster dust will stick much better to both chocolate or fondant with a little condensation. Put the chocolate or fondant pieces in the fridge to chill for 5-10 minutes, then bring back to room temperature. Condensation will soon start to form, and when it does, get dusting with a large, soft brush (Figure 23). For even quicker condensation formation, wave your fondant piece or chocolate very quickly over the steam from a kettle (being very careful not to scald yourself)!

To paint small details: For a little gold button or any other equally tiny detail, mix luster dust with a few drops of vodka or other alcohol and paint it on with a tiny details paintbrush (Figure 24). Alcohol will evaporate, leaving the concentrated luster dust behind.