Learn how to pipe canned frosting with my easy hack. Your friends and family will never know the difference and your cake will still look gorgeous!
Well, I took an unintentional few week’s off from blogging. Life has been extra crazy and I would like to partly blame life for that. But that’s the beauty of owning your own business and being your own boss. During my few weeks off I was party planning and prepping for my daughters 1st Birthday party. I haven’t been too open about it, but I’m sure you’ve noticed if your a long time reader that I’ve started sharing quite a few dairy free recipes. That would be because last year I found out my newborn daughter had a dairy allergy. Thus–forcing me to go dairy free since I was breastfeeding. So what does that have to do with piping canned frosting? *MOST* canned frosting’s contain NO DAIRY! So while I was party planning and trying to figure out what the heck I was gonna do about her first birthday cake. That’s when I put two and two together that I could probably stiffen up some canned frosting from the grocery store so that I could still pipe it and make the birthday cake of my her dreams. I always envisioned her first birthday cake being stocked full of rosettes so that’s what I wanted to do. Needless to say, it worked!
Now–hold on right now. I know I’m about to get inundated with HATE mail because I fed my one year old canned frosting. I recognize their is so much “stuff” in canned frosting. Not all good for you. However; sometimes you have to live a little and try and forget about what is in it. Yes–this comes from me a relatively health conscious individual. Yes, I realize I could have made vegan buttercream. However, I did not have time to test nor did I have the energy. Some times you just need an easy short cut and that’s why I’m sharing my “hack” for how to pipe on canned frosting. You just need two ingredients, a piping bag and piping tip and you are in business!
The best part is that none of my guest knew that it was canned frosting on the beautiful decorated rosette cake! It will be our little secret. I will admit that the already sweet canned frosting becomes even sweeter with my method of adding more sugar to the frosting. I’m not sure if their is a way to get around this. Nor have I tested any other methods. I hope that if your wanting to achieve a beautifully decorated cake but don’t have the time that my method for piping canned frosting comes in handy!
How to Pipe Canned Frosting
Equipment
- 2D Piping Tip or any piping tip of your desire
- Piping bag
Ingredients
- 2 16 oz. canned frosting any flavor
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Empty both cans of frosting in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Pour in ½ cup of powdered sugar. Mix on low speed until powdered sugar is incorporated then whip on medium speed for 30 seconds.
- Turn the mixer off, lift the paddle attachment and see if the frosting is stiff and thick. If it still seems a little on the soft side add in the additional ¼ cup of powdered sugar. Repeat step one with mixing until stiff.
- Using a piping bag place the 2D piping tip in the bag (for rosettes). Fill your piping bag ¾ of the way and begin piping on rosettes. Once frosting is almost done, repeat by filling bag and piping on more. Do this until your cake is full of rosettes.
Planning to do this for piano recital cupcakes! How many cupcakes can you do from one can once you mix it up this way?
Hi Laura, To be honest I’m not sure because I only ever did this method with a cake. I would like to guess and say about 2 dozen but I’m not positive. I’m so sorry I could not be of better assistance.
Hi Katie. I’m a beginner and am attempting to make a number cake. Since it will be a strawberry funfetti cake, I was planning to pipe the icing straight onto the top of it (just the top). But you mentioned putting a base layer of regular icing before piping. Do I need to do that before piping or can you just pipe straight onto the cake without putting a base layer? Thanks for this article, super helpful.
Hi Sara, Thank you for reaching out. You can pipe just on the top of the cake and keep the sides frosting free. However, I don’t know how that will look aesthetically. Look up how to crumb coat cake on Google–even if you left the edges more “raw looking” with some frosting I think it will look better and give your cake a little more appeal. But ultimately–it’s up to you! Either way, good luck!
Can you do this to ice cookies also? I struggle to get Royal Icing to the right consistency, so I thought I’d give this a try. Would I add confectioner sugar to make it pipe-able and water to make it flood-able? TIA
Great question, Lisa. I have never tried with frosting cookies. I’ll have to give it a try one of these days.
Hello Katie,
I plan to make a rainbow cake tomorrow for my friend’s daughter’s birthday however I picked up Pillsbury Creamy Supreme white Frosting and Wilton Pink Creamy Deocrator Icing Medium consistency .Since both are dairy free and the kiddo is allergic I thought these are better to use.
So I am confused about
1. Bake my cake tonight let it cool completely and put it back in fridge overnight in an airtight container , or bake it tomorrow n let it cool before i decorate it ?
2. Do i still need to mix powdered sugar to either of the frostings?
3. Would it be ok to use the Pillsbury Creamy Supreme and add food color for different Rossettes? Assuming that powdered sugar is not needed ?
I plan to make rossettes in 3 layers with 3 different colors.
4. Since it will be layered cake , can i use the white frosting in between layers?
Thanks in advance.
Hi Pallavi, You can bake the cake ahead of time and/or same day. Just make sure it has ample time to cool. You need the powder sugar to stiffen the icing in order to make it pipeable through a piping bag. If not, it will not be stiff enough to pipe. I do not have any experience piping the Wilton Pink Creamy Decorating Icing. Sounds like it could be pipeable without adding sugar? Yes, you can add dye to the Pillsbury. Yes, you can add regular frosting in between layers and you’ll need to frost around the cake before piping. All of that can be with regular frosting without any sugar added. You add the sugar so that the frosting is stiff and can be piped on for the rossettes. Hope this answers all your questions! 😉
Hello can I use a whisk instead of a mixer?
Hi Sharanda, Yes, you can–but you will be in for a workout. If you have a hand mixer that might work better as you will really need to work in the powder sugar into the frosting!
Hi!
Omg Thank you so much for replying me!! This is perfect! I shall try this and let you know how it turns out. Thank you!!
Sidrah.
Excellent! Can’t wait to hear how it turns out!
Hi
Thanks for this! Very helpful. However I have few questions as I am new to this and super confused.
So i have store bought frosting. Various flavours/colors. White to cover the entire cake, and purple/pink/blue only to make flowers. How should I do this??
Should i whip the white one (without powdered sugar) and spread all over the cake (i am after a fondant look)? Or should I use it direct from the box?
If I need to whip, please let me know if I should whip with or without powdered sugar?
For the flowers through piping, should i use it straight from the box or should I whip it with powdered sugar to make them stiff??
Please help me 🙁
Thanks
Sidrah
Hi Sidrah, I am here to help! Yes, frost the cake with the white frosting as is no whipping and at room temperature. Not refrigerated. In face, none of the frosting should be refrigerated for frosting and/or piping! Then, whip each color separately with the powder sugar so that you can pipe. You will need to place each color in a separate piping bag with a piping tip. It’s up to you on how you want to pipe the colors; rows of purple/pink/blue or spaced around randomly. Once you have the first three colors piped on the cake you can start alternate and work around each color. Hope this answers your questions! Feel free to ask me more questions if you have any more!
Should the canned forsting be at room temperature or can we use it directly from the refrigerator for forsting and piping on the cake
Yes, always use canned frosting at room temperature for frosting and piping. It just spreads so much easier.
Hi Katie
Thank you for your suggestion. Could you kindly tell me from the basic like how to start frosting the cake and how to piping. Because this is the first I am planning to do forsting and piping. After baking the, do we need to keep the cake in refrigerator to make it chill. And after forsting also should be keep it in the refrigerator and then make piping on the cake.
Hi Rohini! These are all great questions! I’m planning to update this post with a video in the next month! So I’ll definitely make sure I update with all these questions you’ve asked for other readers. In the mean time here are all your answers.
1. Always let your cakes cool to room temperature. I’ll bake the day before, let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate over night. You do not need to refrigerate, but I like to break out the process through a few days.
2. Always use frosting a room temperature. I like the whipped frosting for spreading on to the cake as a base. As for the actual piping frosting either whipped or regular works just fine.
3. You will want to lightly frost the cake before you pipe on all the rosettes. You can lightly frost using regular canned frosting. Not the stiffened type that I instruct on how to pipe. I believe I use almost an entire can of frosting. You can put the cake in the refrigerator while you are working on the pipable frosting. Then pull out to start piping if you decide to refrigerate.
4. I always love to use the Wilton website as a guide for piping techniques. I took a few of their cake decorating classes. You can reference how to pipe a rosette here. Hope this answers all of your questions!
Hi Katie
How can we had pink or some other color to forsting. I wants to prepare it for my daughter’s 1st birthday. I wants to keep rosettes.
Can I keep opened canned forsting in the refrigerator and use it next time. Will it have same thickness
Hi Rohini, I like to use this gel food coloring (affiliate link) whenever I’m tinting frosting. A little goes a long way–so I’ll add a little on a toothpick then continue to add a little more as needed. Canned frosting is good after being opened if refrigerated. I have always used all the canned frosting that I thickened to pipe. I’ve never tested thickening it then using some later on. Hope all that information helps you!
Hi, what type of store bought frosting did you use?
Hi Kenya, I’ve tried this method using both Betty Crocker and Duncan Hines. Both worked just fine! Any jarred frosting should work. Good luck!
My daughters birthday is coming up. I wanted to use this and practice ahead of time because I’m making her cupcakes. Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi Kimberly, thank you so much for taking the time to rate this recipe! I’m sure she is going to love her Birthday cupcakes!
Ive been looking for this hack!! woohoo! a few questions- 1) did it turn out too sweet? and 2) If I make it a few hours before and just let it sit at room temperature- Im ok if it doesnt harden BUT will it melt or anything??
Hi Shellbeee, glad you found this hack. It is sweet, but no one complained that it was overly sweet. I piped the day before and refrigerated the cake. I live in Florida and did notice that it did start to move a little bit. But overall the frosting is stiff. I think it will all depend on the temperature of where it’s sitting at.
Can you make this a day or two ahead of time?
Hi Rachel! I made this a day prior and piped it on my cake and then I refrigerated the cake until the next day until it was time for the party! Hope that helps answer your question!
I was wondering how it turns out, does it hold the shape well? and or does it set a little?
Hi Karen, It held it’s shape perfectly. I did refrigerate it the night before the party so that the rosettes would harden!
Thanks for the post! Can I use a hand mixer to mix the frosting and powdered sugar or is it best to use a spoon? Thanks I’m advanced!
Hi Lisa, I would definitely use a hand mixer if you have one to get that fluffly frosting consistency.
My 15 year old has a dairy allergy and a little girl in my class has one as well. I usually just spread the icing on my son’s cakes but I want to make cupcakes for my class and pipe icing so that all the kids in my class can enjoy the same treat and this is perfect. Thank you for this!
I don’t have a paddle attachment for my mixer, will it still be ok?
Hi, do you own a hand-mixer. I would use that. I would be afraid it might break a wire whisk attachment.
This does work. The cake looked great. Birthday cakes aren’t meant to be health foods. A few treats on occasion is fine and why the word “special” is often placed in front of “occasion”..
Hi Jayne–glad it worked for you! I agree– treats are treats and not always meant to be healthy. For my daughter, she had a dairy allergy but I still wanted a pretty cake for her first birthday. This alternative route worked best for me!
Great hack! Thanks for sharing 🙂 My daughter, too, has a dairy allergy (vomits, breaks out in hives, has an epi-pen kind of allergy), and any time I can use something pre-made, it makes life so much easier, as many things have to be made from scratch. I have found over the years, though, that I can also whip up a batch of non-dairy “buttercream” by replacing the butter in a standard buttercream frosting recipe with half Nucoa brand margarine and half butter-flavored Crisco – works like a charm when I have the time! Thanks again for sharing your quick and easy version 🙂
Hi Carrie, I’m so sorry to hear about how severe your daughters allergy is. I’m glad I could share this little hack with you. I’ll have to try the homemade dairy-free version one day!