What Is A Cake Decorating Syringe And How Do You Use One?

When it comes to cake decorating, most people think about using pastry bags with special tips to create beautiful designs. Working with a pastry bag can be challenging and messy, though. Fortunately, there's another tool that can help bakers design amazing cakes, too. The cake decorating syringe, also called an icing or piping syringe, can be a great addition to any home baker's toolkit.

The cake decorating syringe is a versatile instrument. It usually is sold with an array of nozzle tips so that many different types of decorating effects can be achieved. These tips help create petals, leaves, rosettes, and other designs on your cake. You simply load up the syringe with the frosting or icing of your choice and begin adding all sorts of flourishes to your desserts by pushing down on the syringe. Using the syringe makes decorating easier by giving the user more control over how much and how fast the frosting comes out.

The way to work the decorating syringe depends on its design. Some have a handle near the top and the syringe's plunger while others have finger loops near the plunger. In any case, you want to grip the syringe firmly and apply slow, steady pressure on the plunger so that the frosting or icing comes out evenly. The style of the syringe makes it great for design elements, such as piped borders and swirls.

The tool can also be used to insert fillings in such desserts as cannoli, cupcakes, cream puffs, and other treats. It even has some savory uses as well. The syringe is a great way to fill your deviled eggs. And while this tool looks a bit like a cookie press, don't try to use it as one. The consistency of cookie dough is usually too thick to go through the syringe's small opening.

As far as kitchen tools go, the cake decorating syringe is an inexpensive way to up your dessert design game. You can buy one to test out for yourself for as little as $8. Some of the fancier ones, especially those sold in decorating kits, can cost around $25, which is still pretty reasonable. Decorating syringes are sold online by major retailers, such as Amazon and Target, and they may be available in your local craft store as well. A restaurant supply place may also sell them, too.

There are many models of cake decorating syringes to choose from. Many models are made out of plastic with some metal parts, but there are stainless steel versions available as well. Most of the syringe, if not all of it, is dishwasher safe if washed on the machine's top rack. This makes the syringe easier to clean and more conveniently reusable than a standard pastry bag.