Two Tone Icing Swirls
These two tone swirls are a simple way to make cupcakes look pretty and impressive, and add a bit of a wow factor to a standard treat.
This can be done with more than two colours, but I have found three is the maximum for each colour to come out clearly, since fitting more into the piping tip can be a challenge.
You'll need:
First, make your buttercream. Beat together 100 g (approx. 1 stick) softened butter and 200 g (about 1.5 cups) icing sugar with a little vanilla essence or lemon juice until pale and fluffy. If it is too stiff beat in a little water, but make sure it remains firm enough to be piped. This makes enough to pipe tall swirls onto 4 cupcakes.
Divide the buttercream into two bowls, and colour each of them your desired colour. I am embracing Blue as the theme for the week.
Lay out a large rectangle of clingfilm, and spread your first colour onto it in a long stripe. Roll up the clingfilm to make a thin sausage of icing. Do the same with your other colour.
Cut off one end of each sausage. Prepare a piping bag with tip, and put the icing tubes into it. Arrange them so that both icing colours fit into the piping tip. Squeeze the air out of the piping bag, and test out your icing by piping a small line. Both colours should be visible. If they aren't, rearrange the icing suasages and try again.You might need to redo to make them thinner.
Pipe a two coloured swirl on to each cupcake. For a simple swirl, start at the outer edge ofthe cupcake and squeeze out the icing while slowly twisting your wrist anti clockwise, coming into the centre to finish off.
Serve up to your impressed friends, and eat.
This can be done with more than two colours, but I have found three is the maximum for each colour to come out clearly, since fitting more into the piping tip can be a challenge.
You'll need:
- Some cupcakes (shop bought or home made)
- Butter (room temperature)
- Icing Sugar
- Vanilla essence/lemon juice
- Food colouring
- A piping bag and tip (I use a large closed star tip)
- Clingfilm
- Scissors
- Bowls, spoons, general kitchen equipment etc.
First, make your buttercream. Beat together 100 g (approx. 1 stick) softened butter and 200 g (about 1.5 cups) icing sugar with a little vanilla essence or lemon juice until pale and fluffy. If it is too stiff beat in a little water, but make sure it remains firm enough to be piped. This makes enough to pipe tall swirls onto 4 cupcakes.
Divide the buttercream into two bowls, and colour each of them your desired colour. I am embracing Blue as the theme for the week.
Lay out a large rectangle of clingfilm, and spread your first colour onto it in a long stripe. Roll up the clingfilm to make a thin sausage of icing. Do the same with your other colour.
Cut off one end of each sausage. Prepare a piping bag with tip, and put the icing tubes into it. Arrange them so that both icing colours fit into the piping tip. Squeeze the air out of the piping bag, and test out your icing by piping a small line. Both colours should be visible. If they aren't, rearrange the icing suasages and try again.You might need to redo to make them thinner.
Pipe a two coloured swirl on to each cupcake. For a simple swirl, start at the outer edge ofthe cupcake and squeeze out the icing while slowly twisting your wrist anti clockwise, coming into the centre to finish off.
Serve up to your impressed friends, and eat.