Price Points: Cake decorating combs

Cake decorating combs | H is for Home

While browsing cake recipes on Pinterest this week, I realised what the one thing would be to make my home-made cakes look much more professional. Cake decorating combs may be pretty cheap, basic tools, but they can make a huge difference to the look of the end product.

For a little over a pound, you can give your iced/frosted/butter cream cake a smooth, attractive finish. Each of the combs featured has at least three different types of ‘teeth’ – giving you a choice in the width/depth of the lines/swirls you make on the top and sides of your sweet creations.

  1. Polypropylene decorating comb: £1.18, Nisbets
  2. Ateco aluminium cake decorating comb: £3.78, Amazon
  3. Wilton 3pc icing comb set: £14.99, eBay

Gimme Five: Piping bags

'Gimme Five' blog post banner

Selection of five piping bags via @hisforhome

As you may have read a couple of weeks ago, I made a batch of profiteroles (and some éclairs later on in the week). I fished out my piping set, forgetting how completely inadequate it had been the last time I’d used it.

I should have realised that it was going to be a false economy when I picked it up at the supermarket. The bag with 6 metal nozzles cost all of £2. I used it once when I made some cupcakes. It was very fiddly – the bag was way too small, it could only hold a few tablespoonfuls of icing. By the time I piped the éclairs with cream, the bag had split and cream was actually diffusing through the whole thing; I’d only used it three times!

I’ve now thrown out the bag – I’ve held on to the nozzles and coupler so am in search of a large, decent, durable piping bag. When looking online I read quite a few reviews from buyers, there were endless one-star reviews; complaints about some brands of bag splitting at the seams after just one use. I didn’t fancy buying single-use plastic bags, too much waste, so here are some of the reusable piping bags in the running.

  1. Cotton Thermo standard piping bag – 28cm: £2.99, Nisbets
  2. 2 piece piping bag set by Cake Boss – 20cm & 30cm: £11.95, Wayfair
  3. PME premium icing bag – 30cm: £6.75, Divertimenti
  4. Master Class professional 50cm icing and food piping bag: £5.10, Amazon
  5. Large icing bag – 30cm: £5.65, Lakeland