Food hack: How to make two tone icing

Pimp your cupcakes with this easy trick to make two tone icing. It really is a simple as it looks, with no extra equipment needed. Pipe swirls, flowers or blob onto top of your cupcakes or cake to make them look vibrant and perfect for special occasions.

If you’re looking for a new cake or cupcake decorating technique to add to your repertoire, check out this easy two tone icing trick. Made in just a few simple steps, this easy icing will transform your basic cupcake or simple cake into a show stopper!

This easy hack shows you how to make perfect two tone buttercream every time, without the need for any extra equipment. Pipe swirls, flowers or blob onto top of your cupcakes or cake to make them look fun and vibrant for special occasions.

All you’ll need to create this effect is a batch of basic buttercream and your two favourite colours. We opted for yellow and pink food colouring. 

  • Split your buttercream into two portions and colour one the first colour and then the other batch with the second colour.
  • Add the buttercream into a piping bag, one colour at a time, making sure one colour sits down on one side and the other colour sits down on the opposite side of the piping bag.
  • Push the buttercream down towards the nozzle, squeezing the bag slightly.
  • Pipe onto your cupcakes or cake and watch the magic happen before your very eyes!

TOP TIPS: Try with pastel colours, neon colours or theme your cakes for Christmas or birthdays. We used cupcakes to show you how simple it is to make this two tone icing but you could decorate bigger cakes with this technique too.

Give your two tone icing even more of a twist by not only picking different colours, but choosing different flavours too - how about chocolate and vanilla? Lemon and lime? Cherry and almond? You could match the flavour and the colour accordingly.

Jessica Dady
Food Editor

Jessica Dady is Food Editor at Goodto.com and has over 10 years of experience as a digital editor, specialising in all things food, recipes, and SEO. From the best food hampers to cookbooks, from the best cake stands to kitchen appliances, Jessica has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to must-have food products. A passionate baker, she spends some of her time creating celebration cakes for friends and family including her two lucky children.