Today, I worked on making cupcakes and practiced my piping techniques. I started by preparing the batter using the Betty Crocker Cherry Chip cake mix, as seen in the photos. After baking the cupcakes, I focused on creating two types of frosting for my decorating practice.
Frosting Fun: Stabilized Whipped Cream and Buttercream
While making the stabilized whipped cream, I initially struggled to find the perfect balance of gelatin and cream—my first batch turned out too runny, and I had to start over. However, once I adjusted the measurements, it came together beautifully, and I was thrilled with how well it held its shape…for the most part…during piping. On the other hand, the buttercream was a smoother process, getting the right consistency was easier, and I had fun experimenting with the vibrant pink color. The buttercream had a lot of a simpler recipe and was easier to make. My biggest win with the buttercream was creating crisp, clean swirls on several cupcakes, while my stabilized whipped cream frosting didn’t hold up as well on a few cupcakes after sitting out too long. These moments taught me the importance of patience and paying attention to the environment while working with different types of frosting.
The stabilized whip cream is white and the buttercream is pink.
Why Cupcakes First? Small Surfaces, Big Wins
Starting with cupcakes allowed me to focus on learning in smaller, bite-sized portions (pun intended!). My biggest win? Nailing a smooth, swirl design and making small little flowers with the pink buttercream—it felt so satisfying to finally get the technique right after a few failed attempts. However, not everything went as planned. My stabilized whipped cream frosting started to collapse on a couple of cupcakes…oops! It was a good reminder to keep the kitchen cool while working with delicate frostings. Despite the small fails, the size of cupcakes gave me plenty of opportunities to learn and improve with each one. I decided to start with cupcakes instead of cakes because the smaller surface area is less intimidating and provides a manageable space for practicing different piping techniques. This allowed me to focus on perfecting my skills without feeling overwhelmed.
Learning in Action: Online Resources to the Rescue
While working on my piping techniques, the online resource I used to improve my skills is linked below. I watched a tutorial on YouTube by Icing on Top- Becky’s Cakes that demonstrated various piping tips and designs, which helped me feel more confident in my practice. It helped me know which tip to use for which design you wanted.
Sweet Reflections: A Recipe for Growth
Throughout this journey, I experienced both moments of success and some challenges that shaped my learning experience this week. Achieving crisp swirls with the pink buttercream felt like a major accomplishment—it gave me a real sense of progress. On the other hand, my stabilized whipped cream frosting turned out to be trickier than I expected. Some cupcakes ended up with a droopy appearance when the kitchen temperature rose slightly, teaching me to adapt quickly and keep a cool environment when working with delicate frostings.
These ups and downs not only taught me lessons about frosting consistency and technique but also reminded me that every fail is a step toward improvement. Each cupcake became a small canvas, and the process of trying, failing, and succeeding turned into a recipe for growth. Reflecting on the learning process, I found that combining hands-on practice with the online tutorial and recipes made the experience more effective and enjoyable. Using different types of frosting also allowed me to experiment with textures and techniques, giving me a better understanding of how each frosting behaves.
Stay tuned for the process as next week I will move on to cakes!!
Breanna, I love how you’ve documented both your successes and challenges with cupcake decorating! I myself into the learning process of baking and frosting. The balance between frosting consistency and technique is key. Your detailed reflection on each type of frosting shows your learning progress, and I can’t wait to see what cakes will bring! The online tutorial sounds like it was super helpful too—piping tips are tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, they open up so many possibilities!
Looking forward to your post!
Poonam Soni
These cupcakes look so tasty Breanna! It’s really interesting to hear about the various unexpected challenges that tend to pop up when learning something new. It sounds like you’ve got some ideas on how to address those challenges for the upcoming weeks.
Your cupcakes look so good! I liked how you listed many sources. I also liked how you listed your struggles it made your post more relatable!
Hi Breanna, It is awesome that you were able to master the swirl design and the flower piping technique. I have also baked cupcakes a couple of times but I never did piping, your collapsing frosting lesson teaches me so much and shows that sometimes the small details make all the difference. Looking forward to your next sweet creations!