A few weeks ago, I tried some of the classic Russian piping tips and you guys LOVED them! So I thought I’d give it another go with with another round of new piping tips! These are Russian Ball Piping Tips and I had no idea what to expect going in. The results were not as good as the classics, but the designs were all pretty interesting. Whichever you prefer more is up for you to decide! Click here to check out the classic Russian Piping Tips blog!

For this recipe, you’ll be working with various Russian Ball Piping Tips and my famous buttercream frosting (recipe here). I went for a more pastel colour palette and I loved the look!

This 11 piece set also came with a coupler. I tried it out for a few of the cupcakes, and it’s entirely up to you whether or not you’d like to use it.

I’m going to say this right of the bat: these are not cupcakes that you want to dollop. It simply will not work. These are more for rippling and layering so keep that in mind when you try these out!

Russian Ball Piping Tip #1

This piping tip has a wide and wavy opening.

For this technique, I did a squeeze and twist rocking motion. So I would pipe back and forth to create a ruffled and rippled high swirl.

Most of these piping tips had a hole in the center. I’m not sure if this is a design flaw, or a bonus opportunity. I took it as a bonus opportunity and filled the center with mini candies! I covered the hole with a giant pink gumball, and it really brought the piece all together.

Another design I tried was was a continuous swirl. So instead of rocking back and forth, I just decided to keep rotating and lifting slightly. I used a small pastry brush to push the frosting towards the center to cover the hole from the piping tip.

I also tried a low swirl where I rotated my wrist in one direction, and quickly changed another direction. I didn’t keep piping up so it didn’t get too much height. I topped the cupcake with a light coloured M&M candy.

I really liked this piping tip, and the pastel rainbow colours made it super cute!

Russian Ball Piping Tip #2

For the second piping tip I tried using the coupler. I added three colours of frosting (pink, purple and blue). Each colour went into each section of the coupler, so the colours came out separately.

I tried a low rocking motion on this one, and it gave a dainty rippled effect that looked quite nice. I placed a yellow candy in the center for garnish. I would say this was the most floral of all the piping tips.

Russian Ball Piping Tip #3

This piping tip is similar to the previous piping tip. I continued to use the coupler and just switched out the piping tips.

This piping tip had a floral looking design in the center, but it still had a hole in the center of the cupcake. I pushed the center together with a pastry brush, and I added a rock candy for garnish.

Russian Ball Piping Tip #4

This tip wasn’t my favourite of the bunch. I tried a high swirl with a back and forward motion. I thought the frosting looked a little brain like.

I piped with this tip again trying a lower continuous swirl, and I still wasn’t crazy about it. I thought the frosting colours still came out pretty messy. I topped them off with some emoji gumballs, because…well, they’re emojis!

Russian Ball Piping Tip #5

This one was my absolute fave! I tried three different techniques with this piping tip, and loved the results.

For the first pipe, I did a quick twist, turn, and pull and I got this amazing overlapping design. I’m not sure if this is a real technique, but I was pleased either way with the result. I also topped this cupcake with a pink rock candy!

The second pipe was SO pretty! I loved how each colour of frosting really stood out with this effect. Even with the hole in the center, I still loved this effect!

The third pipe also turned out to be so cute. I’m not sure if I was just obsessed with the frosting colours, but I think this one was better than the rest. I used a pastry brush to close the center.

Overall, to give my complete honest opinion, I didn’t like these nearly as much as I liked the floral piping tips. They were fine, but I wasn’t crazy about how the center always had a hole, and sometimes the frosting came out a bit messy. The designs were also kind of similar, so I don’t know if I would want/use all 11 that came in the set. While I did enjoy some of the outcomes, the floral russian piping tips are still my fave!

There are still 6 other tips from this set, so MAYBE they could prove me wrong. Should I try it? Would you guys want to see the pointed Russian Piping Tips? Let me know!

What You’ll Need:

• Buttercream Frosting
• Cupcakes to frost
• Russian Ball Piping Tips set (piping tips, coupler, and 10 disposable piping bags)
• Pastry brush (optional)

-Buy the My Cupcake Addiction Cookbook http://bit.ly/MCAbook
-Subscribe to my YouTube channel for 2 new videos each week! http://bit.ly/MyCupcakeAddiction
-Follow me on Facebook for short snappy sweet ideas daily! http://on.fb.me/1cOOpu6
-Share your sweets with me on Instagram http://bit.ly/134thON Use the #mycupcakeaddiction so I can see them & I’ll re-share some of my favorites!
-Sign up to our #SweetSquad for early access, exclusive offers and fun party planning tips