A Cupcake Tip Tutorial

I remember when I was little I would look at the bakery in the local grocery store and wonder how they made those beautiful swirls on cupcakes and cakes. I used to think they had to carve away at the frosting to make it look like that.

Thank goodness that isn't how it's done!

Once I learned how to frost cupcakes with piping tips, I never went back! It's about 503859 times easier than frosting with a knife, and it looks so professional. Easier and prettier? Count me in.

I use five piping tips for frosting cupcakes. Here they are!

[LVCC stands for "Little Venice Cake Company." I got all of these tips at Michael's.]

These are done on mini cupcakes, so keep that in mind when checking out the sizing on the cupcakes. 

1. Open Star

2. Closed Star

3. Round Tip

4. French Star Tip

5. Drop Flower

Cupcake piping tips are larger than traditional piping tips to help you get that perfect cupcake swirl. 

With minis, you can also do just a little squirt of frosting instead of the swirl. I did that with a few of the tips.

[LVCC 195]

[Wilton 1M]

[LVCC 1A]

Wilton 1M is the piping tip I use to always make that "Perfect Cupcake Swirl," but I like to mix it up with the French bakery tip [LVCC 195] and all the others occasionally, too! The large round tip [LVCC 1A] is good for if you're planning on decorating the cupcake with something just around the edge of the frosting and not on top, like this. 

I'm so glad I discovered that the cutest way to decorate cupcakes is also the easiest way! 

Happy decorating, everyone! 

Blueberry Galette

Blueberries are my favorite snack food.

I'm not saying I'm opposed to the occasional [bag full of] Sour Cream and Onion Lay's, but I think blueberries are a little better for your breath [and your hips] than those delicious chips.

My family buys our berries at Sam's club-- partly because we eat them so quickly that we'd have to take out a mortgage to buy them at Central Market-- and partly because they sell really stinking tasty berries.

I'm telling you, nothing compares to Sam's Club's blueberries. They're so big and fresh. Yum!

The first time I tried a blueberry, I spat it out [I was about 4]. Now I can't get enough of 'em!

Blueberry Galette

Yields: 9 inch galette

1 recipe Flakiest Pie Crust

3 cups fresh blueberries
3 tbsp flour
1/3 cup sugar

1 egg
Sugar for sprinkling


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.

2. Roll out the raw pie crust dough to about a 13 inch circle. Don't try to make it perfect-- it just needs to roughly be a circle. Imperfection is what makes it a galette!

3. Transfer the raw dough to a cookie sheet lined with silpat or parchment paper.

4. Put the blueberries in a medium bowl. Top with flour and sugar. Mix so that all of the blueberries are coated. If you need to add more flour and sugar, do so.

5. Put the coated blueberries in the center of the rolled-out dough and fold up the edges of the dough over the outer edges of the berries. Brush the beaten egg with a pastry brush on the dough that's folded up. Sprinkle the sugar on the egg washed dough.

6. Bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes, or until crust turns golden.

Bon appétit!