5 Inexpensive Frosting Tools For Unique Birthday Cupcakes

[Jay Howard]

If you want to take your cupcakes to the next level, there are a
variety of tools under twenty dollars that will help you add a
professional touch.  These tools will not only make your cupcakes
beautiful, but will also save you time and help avoid messes. 
They'll expand your cupcake decorating repertoire and inspire new,
tasty ideas.
1. Decorative cupcake wrappers - Laser-cut paper wrappers fit around
the bottom and sides of standard cupcakes. They are slipped on the
cupcakes once they are cool and frosted.  Wrappers can be
different shapes and colors to match your theme.  Far more
elegant than your typical cupcake wrappers, these add an artistic
touch to your cupcakes.
2. Food decorating pen -  For finer details and designs on
cupcakes, you'll find a food decorating pen is similar to a refillable
pen or pencil, only with frosting . Because it handles like a pen, it
has a natural feel and gives a high degree of control over the
frosting.  They are great for thick or thin lines or borders, and
can also be used on cookies, cakes or brownies.
3. Dual icing bag - You may be familiar with the standard pastry
piping bag.  This version pipes two adjacent streams of frosting
at once.  The dual bag is great for contrasting colors, textures
and flavors of frosting. For example, you may have a coffee and a
chocolate flavored frosting to pipe together on chocolate cupcakes.
4. Icer tube - Here's another tool that's an extension of the pastry
bag.  The icer tube is great for a neat, mounded frosting finish,
either perfectly smooth or with grooves. They're also handy for
frosting large numbers of cupcakes at a time, or frosting the tops and
sides of a regular cake.   The icer tube is guaranteed to
save you time and minimize mess.
5. Reusable silicone baking cups - To use baking cups, simply fill
each with cupcake batter and bake on a cookie sheet. In addition to
making perfectly moist cupcakes, silicone cups are non-stick and
virtually mess-free. These reusable cups also clean up beautifully and
are dishwasher safe.
Each of these tools will run between ten and fifteen dollars each, but
if you enjoy frosting cakes and cupcakes, they'll help expand your
decorating capabilities and generate more ideas for awe-inspiring and
delicious cupcakes.