Introduction: DIY Leaf Piping Tip & 8 Buttercream Leaves

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About: I make wedding cakes, cookies and treats and have a bunch of tutorials for them up around the place. My YouTube channel is probably a good place to start if you want to check some out, it's the same handle as …

Don't bother with fancy piping tips! Did you know you can make the most versatile leaf nozzle using just a disposable piping bag and a pair of scissors?

In this instructable I'll show you how to do just that, and 8 different styles of leaf you can make with the same one piping bag hack. This is my go-to leaf tip, which you can see in a few of my past videos.

This method works great for any type of buttercream or royal icing, as long as it has peaks firm enough to hold their shape.

Watch the video here:





I used this trick to pipe the leaves in my buttercream rose video here: https://youtu.be/nJP4nrH-1sc

My channel: https://m.youtube.com/c/FFEAbySawsen

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The video shows all of the steps, but if you prefer to read a little first, head on to step 1...

Step 1: Prepare Your Piping Bag

Get yourself a piping bag, and fill it with the buttercream (or icing) of your choice.

I used English buttercream here, which is just equal parts butter & icing (powdered) sugar, and a few drops of milk if needed, with a dab of green gel colour.

There's more info in the description box of the video, here: https://youtu.be/nJP4nrH-1sc

Prepare some sharp, clean scissors, then on to the next step!

Step 2: Watch the Video!

Watch the video to see exactly how to cut the tip of your piping bag, and pipe all the leaves. It's here in case you haven't clicked yet: https://youtu.be/nJP4nrH-1sc
Once you have your bag ready, you'll be able to pipe the following leaf styles:

1. The wheat sheaf - imagine it in golden yellow, wouldn't it look just like a ripened stalk of wheat?

2. The fern frond - technically I don't think it's called a frond, but its one segment of a fern leaf - ferns have lots of these in increasing sizes, all joined to a central stalk. If you've seen a fern leaf you'll know what I mean. You could just use it as an individual leaf too.

3. The short ridged - this is my go-to leaf for buttercream roses, mint leaves or similar. A great staple for any buttercream flower arrangement.

4. The short smooth - as above but without ridges... Add a little variety to your bouquet :)

5. The short upright - great for when you have a large space to cover, these little clusters of leaves point upwards and give a 3-D effect

6. The lightly veined - this one is a little tricky to master. Like a cross between 3 & 4, with subtle veining to add character.

7. The ridged upright - a great 3-D version of the ridged leaf, perfect for filling spaces between larger flowers in any buttercream design.

8. The woven plait - not sure if this counts as a leaf, but look how beautiful it is! This braid effect can be made simply, with the same handy dandy piping bag. Great for a border, a basket effect or whatever else.


Now you know how to make all of these! Yay!

On to the next step!

Step 3: Practice!

Like the saying goes, practice makes perfect! You'll get better and more confident in your piping as you learn, until eventually you'll be able to make perfect little leaves in seconds.

Any time you have some spare buttercream lying about just pop it in a piping bag, trim, then pipe away on a sheet of baking paper like I did in the video.

If you like what you make, you can even pop the sheet in the freezer, then store the frozen leaves in a little plastic bag until you're ready to use. Simple!

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Check out my YouTube channel for more video tutorials & recipes at my channel, here: https://m.youtube.com/c/FFEAbySawsen

Sweet dreams,

Sawsen
:)