The art of piping buttercream frosting into beautiful designs is a journey that can last a delicious, detail-oriented lifetime. While you may not be able to prepare for every style and trend shift that arises in your time as a baker, having your fundamentals down will allow you to create beautiful artwork regardless of what shape you’re going for. One such trend currently taking social media by storm is the shaping of buttercream into fluffy yellow popcorn kernels. Food Republic spoke to Sandy Folsom, school director at the Wilton Sweet Studio, to get her advice on how to get the perfect popcorn shape (or “pop flowers” as they’re sometimes called).
“You’ll want to use a small open star tip like [number] 16 or [number] 18 and a stiff consistency buttercream tinted yellow,” Folsom stated, recommending Wilton Sweet Studio’s Golden Yellow Icing Color. “Hold the piping bag vertically, very straight, and touch the tip to the surface. Using firm, steady, and even pressure, squeeze until the buttercream starts to push up over your piping tip.” Once the frosting creates a ball at the bottom, release and remove the bag and you are left with a beautiful bubble of frosting with a top that looks exactly like a piece of popcorn. You can then add speckles of color for more detail — consider doubling up on yellow for extra butter, add dots of red to imitate tajín, or simply keep as is when you add these adorable decorations to your baked good of choice.
The right kind of buttercream makes all the difference
When it comes to crafting the perfect buttercream popcorn kernels, nailing the consistency is key. First, decide on what kind of buttercream you want to use. There’s French, Swiss, and Italian buttercream – all are similar with a few crucial differences. French buttercream is richer than the other two due to its use of egg yolks, but it’s not great for piping. Italian holds its shape the best, while Swiss is a lighter frosting than its counterparts.
There’s also American buttercream, which is simpler to prepare than the former three, but can be overwhelmingly sweet. American buttercream’s use of powdered sugar can also leave it with a grainy texture, which is why Russian buttercream may be better. This frosting style starts with a base of sweetened condensed milk, eliminating the texture issue. Ultimately, the right kind of buttercream for decorating comes down to your personal flavor and texture preferences.
Once your buttercream is ready, the piping of the popcorn shape should be pretty simple, though Sandy Folsom does have one other piece of advice. “We’d recommend piping these onto parchment paper and then placing in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before transferring them to your cake or cupcakes to help them hold their shape,” the expert shared. If you get to this step and realize you don’t have a piping bag, don’t worry. There’s a simple parchment paper hack to replace it. Just take a sheet of parchment paper, roll it into a cone, cut the bottom tip off, and frost to your heart’s content.
