How to Make a Decorative Frosting Border

(gentle electronic music)

[Narrator] Frosting borders.

Decorating cakes takes practice,

but once you've learned how,

it can really transform your cakes.

To pipe a border on a cake,

you'll need a pastry bag

that's set with a decorative tip.

We're using a large star tip.

You can frost using any kind of frosting you'd like,

chocolate, vanilla, buttercream,

or even plain old whipped cream.

With the top of the bag folded down over your hand,

fill the bag with a spatula.

Then, gather the open end of the bag in one hand,

forcing the frosting to compress down toward the tip.

If you have a pastry scraper handy,

just use it to force the frosting towards the tip

so that it doesn't come squishing out the top.

With the other hand,

hold the sides of the bag near the tip.

If you've never piped decorations before,

it can help to practice on a plate

before decorating the cake.

Try it a few times.

When you're done practicing,

just scoop up the frosting off the plate

and reload it into the bag.

Now place the tip where you want to add the decoration,

and using both hands,

apply gentle, even pressure

to squeeze the frosting onto the cake.

Our tip makes big, round star shapes.

Pull up slightly as the decoration gets bigger.

When the decoration is the size you want,

finish it by releasing pressure on the bag,

and then pulling the tip away.

The frosting should be stiff enough

that it will hold a shape,

but soft enough that it's not too hard to squeeze.

If you need to adjust the consistency,

check your recipe.

It should tell you how to make

the frosting thicker or thinner.

Repeat the decoration all the way

around the edges of the cake,

both on top and at the base.

Look at what a difference the frosted borders make.

(gentle electronic music)