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My Favorite Piping Tip: Wilton 4B

March 19, 2018 · In: Tools

When I first started making cakes, I was so pleased to find out that my local craft store had a whole two aisles full of cake decorating supplies! All of the tools in those aisles were Wilton and they became the foundation of my toolset for years to come. Although I have incorporated some other brands into my cake decorating arsenal I am most definitely still a huge fan of Wilton, especially since their tools have taken a beating from me over the last several years and have held up pristinely.

I wanted to shed a spotlight on my favorite piping tip of all time, the classic Wilton 4B. It’s an open star tip that I’ve come to love for creating unique designs on cakes and cupcakes. It really shines when you get a little crafty with color.

I once made a cupcake rainbow with my 4B tip by creating different shades of buttercream. I think there are 14 colors represented here.

rainbow cupcakes by sugar and sparrow

And made some monochromatic magic with a few different shades of teal.

monochromatic cupcakes by Sugar and Sparrow

I’ve created an under-the-sea inspired cake for a friend who loves diving. I love how it turned out looking like a coral reef.

under the sea cake by Sugar and Sparrow

And created a little sunny ombrè cake.

mango buttercream cake by sugar and sparrow

I’ve also used it several times to accent my cake designs. I just love that extra pop of texture it adds!

matcha cake by sugar and sparrow

Have you tried any of these looks with 4B? I want to see ‘em. Tag me on Instagram and show me!

By: Whitney · In: Tools · Tagged: buttercream, buttercream piping, buttercream piping tip, cake, cake decorating, cakes, cupcakes, piping, piping tip, wilton, wilton 4b

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Comments

  1. Mary Doherty says

    February 13, 2024 at 3:07 pm

    I love the cakes and cupcakes on this page. I was wondering if all the different sizes of stars were made using the same tip. If so, do I just keep squeezing until the star gets bigger? I’m a beginner cake decorator, I appreciate you help.

    Reply
    • Whitney says

      February 27, 2024 at 2:44 pm

      Hi Mary! Yes, all of these stars were made with the same piping tip (Wilton 4B) and that’s exactly how you’d get the different sizes – squeeze the piping bag until the star gets bigger. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  2. Monica says

    February 11, 2019 at 10:52 am

    Hi! How do you get the buttercream colors to be more muted? Mine always come out looking bright and neon-ish even if I add just a little bit of food gel.

    Reply
    • Whitney says

      February 12, 2019 at 10:09 am

      Hi Monica! I have the Americolor Nifty Fifty Kit and it includes a lot of muted color gels. Also, if a color is too bright I usually add a tiny bit of a slightly darker color to tone it down.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. A Year Older, A New Birthday Cake Recipe - Sugar & Sparrow says:
    June 7, 2018 at 11:06 am

    […] culinary torch. You can use some piping tips to pipe unique designs with the meringue (I’ve used Wilton 4B for the open stars and 1M for the rosettes) or keep with the traditional look of swirling the […]

    Reply
  2. The Tastiest Churro Cake Recipe - Sugar & Sparrow says:
    May 7, 2018 at 8:06 am

    […] Top with your favorite local churros or topper of your choice. In this design I’ve also piped a few open stars with buttercream using Wilton tip 4B. […]

    Reply

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HALLOWEEN CANDY BUCKET CAKE 🎃🍫🍬 this jack-o-lanter HALLOWEEN CANDY BUCKET CAKE 🎃🍫🍬 this jack-o-lantern cake is SO fun to make with two bundt cakes frosted with buttercream to look like a pumpkin candy bucket + lots of Halloween candy to fill it with. The perfect Halloween party cake!! 
 
A condensed tutorial is below but you can find the full tutorial link (with recipes I used!) in my bio + on my blog at  https://sugarandsparrow.com/halloween-candy-bucket-cake-tutorial/
 
🎃 Candy Bucket Cake Tutorial: 
 
1.  Bake two bundt cakes. I doubled my one-bowl chocolate cake recipe and divided it between two 9.5-inch bundt cake pans, then baked at 350F for 35 minutes.  
2. Fill and crumb coat the cakes in the shape of a pumpkin. I used my dye-free black buttercream recipe for this, but any flavor will do.  
3. Frost the cake. I used my vanilla buttercream recipe tinted with @americolor Electric Orange for the frosting. A flexible plastic smoother is KEY to shaping the roundness of the pumpkin (I got mine on Amazon) + I made my own little tool for the grooves from a leftover yogurt container. After I chilled the cake I hand-smoothed the finish with a little parchment paper to iron out the imperfections.  
4. Carve the jack-o-lantern. I chilled the frosting until it was firm to the touch, then used an X-acto knife to cut out the eyes and mouth. 
5. Add the handle. I inserted some crafting wire into hollow black licorice to create the candy bucket handle before sticking it into the cake.  
6. Fill with your favorite Halloween candy!  
 
#halloweencake #pumpkincake #partycake #cakedecorating #bundtcake
These are 10 of the Halloween cake and cupcake rec These are 10 of the Halloween cake and cupcake recipes I’d make for a spooky party! 👻

Comment “HALLOWEEN” and I’ll send all of these recipes and cake decorating tutorials + even more from my Halloween baking archives – spooky classics like my dye-free black velvet cake and pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting, plus Halloween party cake tutorials and easy Halloween cupcake designs. 

https://sugarandsparrow.com/halloween-cakes-cupcakes-treats/

#halloweencake #halloweencupcakes #cakedecorating #halloweenbaking #halloweenpartyideas
DYE-FREE BLACK VELVET SHEET CAKE 🖤👀 if you’re look DYE-FREE BLACK VELVET SHEET CAKE 🖤👀 if you’re looking for a black cake that won’t stain your teeth, look no further! This sheet cake version of my favorite black velvet cake recipe uses black cocoa powder to create the dark black color for this whole cake without ANY food coloring, and it tastes just like Oreo cookies (but in deliciously moist cake form). Top that black buttercream with googly eyes for the perfect easy Halloween cake 👻

Comment RECIPE and I’ll send it to you or find it linked in my bio + at https://sugarandsparrow.com/black-velvet-sheet-cake/

You can also use the same ingredients and amounts for my black velvet layer cake recipe from a few Reels back! Just lower the oven temp to 325F and bake in a 9x13 pan for 30-35 min 🖤

#blackbuttercream #blackcake #blackvelvetcake #halloweencake #sheetcake
SNICKERS CAKE 🤎🥜 this truly tastes like a sweet an SNICKERS CAKE 🤎🥜 this truly tastes like a sweet and salty Snickers bar, but in cake form: decadent chocolate cake layers filled with soft chocolate peanut butter nougat and thick, gooey peanut caramel, all wrapped up in chocolate buttercream. Make this for the Snickers lover in your life!! 
⁣ 
Comment ‘RECIPE’ and I’ll send it right to you, or find it linked in my bio + at https://sugarandsparrow.com/snickers-cake-recipe/ 
⁣ 
#snickerscake #chocolatecake #caramel #birthdaycake #cakedecorating
BLACK VELVET CAKE 🖤 can you believe that this deli BLACK VELVET CAKE 🖤 can you believe that this deliciously moist all-black cake is made with ZERO FOOD COLORING?! The magic of black cocoa powder creates the perfect black cake + dye-free black buttercream for the ultimate Halloween party cake that won’t turn anyone’s mouth black 👻 plus it tastes like Oreo cookies so I’m obsessed!!

Full recipe (with black buttercream + my fave black cocoa powder) linked in my bio or at https://sugarandsparrow.com/black-velvet-cake-recipe/
 
You’ll also find recipes for a cupcake version, a vegan version, and a small batch version if you search “black velvet” at https://sugarandsparrow.com 
 
BLACK VELVET CAKE  
2 Cups (265g) all purpose flour 
1 2/3 Cups (340g) granulated sugar 
2/3 Cup (80g) black cocoa powder 
2 tsp baking soda 
1 tsp baking powder 
1/2 tsp salt 
1/2 Cup (120ml) vegetable oil 
2 large eggs, room temperature 
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract 
1 Cup (240ml) full-fat buttermilk, room temp
1 Cup (240ml) hot coffee or hot water 
 
INSTRUCTIONS 
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease and line three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans. 
2. In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients. Add the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk and whisk together. Slowly pour in the hot coffee (or hot water) and whisk until combined. 
3. Pour into prepared cake pans and bake for 32-36 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool before frosting with black buttercream. Full recipe (with frosting!) linked in my bio✨⁣⁣⁣ 
⁣ 
*If you can’t find buttermilk, mix together 1 Cup (240ml) whole milk + 1 Tbsp white vinegar as a substitute. ⁣ 
⁣⁣⁣ 
#blackcake #blackbuttercream #blackvelvetcake #cakedecorating #halloweencake

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