The Piping Tip That Creates The Cutest Basket-Style Cupcakes

In order to create the adorable cupcakes you see on social media, you don't always need a ton of specialty tools or even a ton of skill — a few piping tips can make a world of difference in terms of how you're able to decorate your cupcakes. For crafting cute basket-style treats, pick up piping tip 46, also sometimes referred to as the basketweave tip. It has a flat opening that's straight on one side and serrated on the other, and it allows you to pipe out a ribbon of buttercream with small lines throughout it.

You may want to practice a bit on some spare parchment paper before using it on your cupcakes, though, as you do need to figure out how to best layer the horizontal and vertical lines of the buttercream piped with the 46 tip to craft that signature basket look. Once you have the technique mastered, you can use whatever color of buttercream you want, and pair your "basket" with anything from icing flowers, as TikTok user @cakedbyrach did.

@cakedbyrach

Make a flower basket with me 🌸🌼 I used chocolate buttercream and piping tip 46 for the basket weave 🤎 The flowers are icing decorations from Wilton. I made the handle with brown fondant and secured it by pushing it into the cupcake 🧁 #cupcake #cakedbyrach #cakeart #cakedesign #flowerbasket #caketok #cutefood

♬ you look like you love me – Ella Langley

You could also go with a seasonal alternative like tiny pumpkins for fall, ornaments for Christmas, or whatever you can dream up. Even if you don't decorate many baked goods, it's worth investing in some different piping tips — star-shaped tips, for example, can be used to pipe out perfectly shaped churros, while others might come in handy for piping picturesque mashed potatoes atop your shepherd's pie or easily filling cannelloni for a baked pasta dish.

Since the basket-weave pattern does require a fair bit of precision in order to obtain neat lines and layers, there are a few things you can do to help yourself achieve picture-perfect results. First of all, try not to overfill the pastry bag with your buttercream frosting, as that makes it harder to control your piping. About three-quarters full is a good rule of thumb. To avoid losing too much of your frosting or creating a mess, consider propping your bag in a tall container like a glass before filling it with your buttercream.

If you're using the type of piping bag where you need to cut out a small portion to insert your piping tip of choice, you'll also want to be careful with that step in the process. A hole that's too large or too small will yield an improperly positioned piping tip, which means you likely won't get the neat basket-weave lines you want atop your cupcake. A good piping bag cutting hack is to insert the tip into the bag and get it almost into position, gently score around the edge where you want to cut it, and then move the piping tip back slightly to finish the cut (in order to avoid damaging the tip).