Let’s talk about a skill that every home baker should have in their dessert toolbox: piping. Trust me, you don’t need to be a professional pastry chef to create beautiful swirls, rosettes, and borders.

Start simple. Load your buttercream or whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Practice on a sheet of parchment paper—just squeezing out pretty dollops. Steady pressure and a smooth circular motion are key. When you’re comfortable with that, move on to simple rosettes: start in the center and swirl outward, releasing pressure gently at the end. If you’re feeling adventurous, try writing words with a small round tip or experiment with multi-colored frosting by painting stripes of gel color inside your piping bag before filling it.
Remember, no one is perfect at first. If you make a mistake, just scrape it off and start again. Piping takes patience and practice, but the results are so worth it. Soon enough, you’ll be decorating cupcakes and cakes worthy of a bakery display!