A piping bag, or pastry bag is a conical-shaped bag with a hole at the end, commonly made with baking parchment or plastic. It is filled with icing, frosting or sauce and used to decorate bakes with writing or a special pattern by twisting and squeezing down on the bag. Our easy video guide shows you the step-by-step technique for cutting baking parchment to make a triangle, before folding it into a cone. Cut off the tip to allow the filling to be piped and place in a nozzle for precision. Get more advice on how to master the this technique with our video on how to decorate a cake with piping.

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Steps for making a piping bag

  1. Unroll a length of baking paper and fold one corner up to make a triangle shape
  2. Mark the crease and cut the paper into a square
  3. Cut along the crease to make two triangles
  4. The centre of the longest side is where the nozzle will sit
  5. While holding on to one corner of the paper bring the other corner up and fold it around the apex of the triangle, securing it with a staple if you like.
  6. Snip off the end of the bag and drop in the nozzle
  7. Fill the bag with icing, fold over the top and it's ready to use
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Get more cake decorating inspiration:

How to decorate cupcakes
How to make buttercream flowers
How to buttercream a cake
How to make iced decorative biscuits
How to marzipan a cake

TIPS
FILLING A PIPING BAG

To make filling your piping bag easier, stand it upright in a mug or tall glass.

USING A PIPING BAG

Don't overfill your piping bag, and squeeze from the top as you ice to prevent icing leaking out of the top.

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