If you’ve been a baker for years, you’ve probably observed how cake decorating has changed over time. I can still remember the time when soft cake icing was popular, and fondant cakes about a decade after. This time, we’ll be learning about a trending way to design cakes, and it’s called Russian tips.
Ever seen cakes toppings that look like real flowers? That’s probably your first glimpse of Russian tips, without you knowing it. Also called Russian piping tips, these gadgets are used to make intricate patterns of cake icing. All you need to do is attach these specially designed piping tips to the end of the pastry bag (or piping bag), and decorate your cakes and cupcakes to your heart’s content.
In one glance, you can already see the difference between traditional pastry bag tips and these new attachments. Traditional tips contain common hole shapes such as dots, stars, hearts, and geometric patterns. In contrast, a Russian tip contains holes that look like a combination of curves, dots, and swirls in a single device.
What’s weird about Russian tips is that there’s no evidence that they came from Russia. I guess it just sounds sophisticated that way!
Why Are Russian Tips Trending?
If you’re wondering why Russian piping tips are all the rage these days, here are some reasons why this must-have cake decorating tool has set the new standard:
Creates Fantastic Designs
Decorating cakes may sound easy, until you see how awesome the output of Russian tips are. By using this kind of piping tip, you can create intricate floral designs, as if you plucked out flowers from your garden and placed them on the cake.
Easy To Use
At one glance, you’ll probably think that only an extremely skilled cake designer can pull off amazing feats of icing decorations. Once you wield a pastry bag with a Russian piping tip, you’ll instantly notice the higher level of intricacy and quality of your cake designs, even if your skill level is near zero.
All you need to do is squeeze the frosting-filled pastry bag, and out comes an instant flower design! You don’t have to make individual petals anymore.
Social Media Loves Them
The rise in popularity of Instagram has provided a platform for dainty and decadent pastries to be featured through pictures. It’s through this social media sharing that beautiful cakes have been featured, and Russian tips was put on the spotlight.
Tips in Using Russian Tips
Eager to make your own exquisite cake decorations? Check out these Russian Tips tips! (get it?)
Know what frosting consistency works best
The beauty of Russian tips will only shine if your frosting has the right consistency. For instance, loose frosting may make it difficult for you to design highly intricate cake designs. In other words, you need to check whether your cake design needs firm frosting or a creamier one.
Start with flower designs
Want to instantly amp up your cake decorating skill level? Try creating your first flower using frosting and Russian tips. Start with a basic five-petal design, and gradually add other details such as the flower’s center, as well as additional petals.
Learn to make leaves
Your next assignment is to learn how to create a leaf. These will complement your floral designs, and can even hide some imperfections around the cake.
Have a plan
Before you wield that Russian tip, think about your cake design first. It would be better to draw your cake design on paper, and then analyze how you would create each part of the design.
Create cake design elements individually
If you’re planning to top your cake with multiple flowers and decors, here’s a pro tip: make each flower individually and on a separate platform.
The reason has something to do with human error. If, for some reason, you created something that has an imperfection, you can scrap that and make a new one. Imagine doing that directly on top of the cake – you will have to pull the bad design out of the already-perfect cake!
Once you’ve created each element, you may start assembling them one by one over the cake, until you have completed the entire cake design.
Add some slight color mixes in the pastry bag
You can inject a little excitement for cake designs made from Russian tips, by adding a dash of extra color in the frosting. For example, you may mix some light pink highlights into white frosting. From this, you can create natural-looking petals in white-pink gradients.
Mix and match different Russian piping tips
Who says you can’t play with the Russian tips? Go ahead and experiment! When designing a unique flower, you may use one Russian tip for the center, another one for the central petals, and a third one for the outer petals.
Practice, and practice!
You can’t expect to become a Russian tips expert in your first try. In fact, your first creations may look weird or something out of a horror film (although I hope not!), but don’t be discouraged. All it takes is practice.
Carve out some time to perfect your use of Russian tips. It would be great to document your progress from Day 1 to present. In time, you should be able to see the fruits (and flowers) of your labor, and witness how your skills improve as days and weeks go by.
Russian Piping Tips Inspiration
Looking for great ideas to start your new cake designs? Here are some inspiring samples of cakes and cupcakes designed with Russian tips.
Final Word
Cake decorating is an ever-changing industry, with standards evolving every now and then. While Russian tips are still trending, why not try it on your own cake creations? Get ready to impress everyone with your cake topping expertise!
