frosting tips - part one

I decided to start my frosting tips with 2 easy techniques. The first is the swirl, the second is the rose.

For both techniques I use a 1M tip. It looks like this:

You can also use any tip with a large opening. I've also done this with just cutting off the end of a pastry bag, and not using any tip.

For the swirl, hold the decorating bag/tube at a 90 degree angle to the cupcake like this:

Then pipe around the edge of the cupcake, working your way into the center. Once at the center, stop your pressure on the frosting, then pull the decorating device straight up. Your first layer will look like this cupcake on the right:

For the second layer, do the exact same thing, but start further in from the edge. It will look like this when you are done :

Congratulations! You've just created the swirl! It's just that easy!

The rose is equally as simple. It is one layer, and instead of working from the outside in like the swirl, you start in the center and work your way out to the edge. Ta-da! You've just created this: