How to Use the Best Cake and Cupcake Piping Tips

The greatest cake and cupcake piping tips for cake decorating, with instructions on how to utilize them to create stunning patterns.

Some buttercream piping tips will be used over and over again in cake decorating. I’ve compiled a list of my favorites and what I believe to be the greatest piping tips.

First and foremost, you do not need a plethora of piping tips. You don’t need every single one of them. You may choose what you believe you will utilize the most.

There are certain piping tips that you will return to again and again, and the good thing is that they are typically affordable, so you can build your collection as you are able.

Many of these pipe tips have many applications. I’ll demonstrate how to pipe with each and show some examples of cakes I’ve used them on.

Don’t forget to watch the video at the bottom of this page to discover how to pipe using these suggestions.

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You may buy these suggestions from Amazon by following the links provided below each illustration.

The 2D and 1M tips are extremely similar and are excellent for constructing rosettes. Rosettes may, of course, be made in a variety of ways.

Check out the video in this article, but if you want to learn my preferred tip for piping rosettes, you should read Better Buttercream Rosettes.

These are also great for making simple rosette flower wreath cakes like the one below:

They’re also my favorite tips for cupcakes and work well as huge shell borders.

(Lemon Sour Cream Cupcakes)

8B & 6B Tips:

Get the 8B Piping Tip Here

Get the 6B Piping Tip Here

I use these tips to pipe dollops along the tops of cakes and cupcakes. I also like to use them as bottom borders on cakes.

These are also fantastic for wreath cakes, unicorn cakes, cake tops, and huge borders.

(Oreo Insanity Cake)

4B & 32 Tips:

Get the 4B Piping Tip Here

Get the #32 Piping Tip Here

These star tips are a little smaller than the previous ones, but they’re still useful for borders and cake toppers. They are also excellent for stuffing flowery wreath cakes.

Here are some ideas for cupcakes:

103 & 104 Petal Tips:

Get the 103 Piping Tip Here

Get the 104 Piping Tip Here

There are many other sizes of petal tips, but these two are my favorites. They produce beautiful medium-sized flowers and roses.

21 Star Tip:

Get the #21 Piping Tip Here

There are several sizes of star tips, but this is the one I use the most. It’s a smaller size that’s ideal for a variety of uses.

Here are some examples:

(Easy Patriotic Star Cake)

(Giant Peppermint Candy Cake)

352 & 67 Leaf Tips:

Get the #352 Piping Tip Here

Get the #67 Piping Tip Here

These are excellent all-purpose leaf tips. The 352 tip is more typical of a leaf.

And the 67 can make a more ruffled leaf.

These tips are fantastic for flowery cakes, but they may also be used to fill in gaps.

(Cake Pop Christmas Tree)

233 Grass Tip:

Get the #233 Piping Tip Here

The grass tip is clearly useful for grass, but it is also useful for generating fur.

Here are some examples:

(Loaded Easter Blondies)

(Easy Teddy Bear Christmas Cake)

4 & 5 Round Tips:

Get the #4 Piping Tip Here

Get the #5 Piping Tip Here

When it comes to cake decorating, these are your workhorses. For some, the sky is indeed the limit. I use them to fill in gaps in flowery cakes; they’re fantastic for piping berries into those gaps.

They’re also fantastic for constructing flower centers, writing messages, and pretty much any other piping you can think of.

Here are some examples:

(Easy Piped Spring Cake)

(Floral Initial Cake)

Video on how to pipe with these tips:

Now that you’ve got a ton of ideas, start piping!

Check out this article for some additional piping advice: 12 Quick & Simple Buttercream Cake Borders

  • 12 Simple & Easy Buttercream Borders to Pipe
  • Anatomy of a Decorated Cake
  • How to Freeze Buttercream and What to Do With Leftovers
  • Vanilla Bean Buttercream

FAQs

What is the most used piping tips for cupcakes?

The most common pipe tip is the 1M. It’s often known to as the Wilton 1M tip, although any 1M tip, such as Loyal or PME, will work. It’s a wonderfully sized star tip that’s great for piping rosettes on cupcakes or creating intricate borders to the sides of your cake.

What is the best piping tip for beginners?

An open star cake tip is the greatest tip for decorating the top and sides of a cake if you’re a novice. It’s simple to use and allows you to make neat borders and amusing decorations. What exactly is this? A leaf tip may also be used to make a lovely border.

What do the different piping tips do?

Piping Tips in Various Styles
Round Piping Tips: Excellent for outlining details, making dots and lines, and filling in forms.
Open Star Piping Advice: Make stars, shells, flowers, and rosettes out of paper.
Closed Star Piping Suggestions: Ideal for decorating stars, flowers, and fleur-de-lis on cupcakes.

What is the best piping tip for top of cake?

104 Wilton

This huge petal tip may be used to make frills, ruffled borders, and swags. It’s also ideal for piping flower petals onto cakes and cupcakes!

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