Icing bags and syringes

Personally I didn't like using icing bags, much preferred a syringe although I'm far from an expert.
Icing bags were too messy.

Well.... there was one cake for a grandson who wanted a penguin cake. It was hilarious but he, at 4, loved it
I made a panda cake for DS once which turned out well but no piping involved.

Good luck!

You can buy ready filled small icing syringes, I think

Dr Oetker (other makes available)

I like a bag as it's more controllable in my opinion... BUT, it's easier to use a sugarpaste/fondant mix and cut shapes out for decoration if you want something easy.
I like to mix with a little petal powder to make these but if you are in the uK and google Wilton fondant cut-outs you will probably find lots of help/ideas.

Regarding recipes, I use Peggy Porschen these days. There's lots of her stuff online too but she is more "fussy" than some others (which I don't mind as I do it so little). Or you can simply buy paste/fondant in numerous colours too.

Just remembered- I did a cake covered in 3D flowers once using the silicone moulds and pressing the coloured icing into it. There must be 100s of these available now in different designs. These were nice on top of little fairy cakes too.

I find a bag easier to handle, as I have RA in my hands/wrists, and don't make the icing too stiff. The consistency of Betty Crocker frosting is just right! Have you tried edible printed cake toppers? There are thousands on Ebay or Amazon available in icing or wafer form (icing look better).

Don't make the icing too soft either!

I did once for a birthday cake for DD, iced in a rush, and the icing slid off gently as she was blowing out the five candles.
Two little boys shouted 'Yuk, yuk, we're not eating that cake' but managed to force down a good slice each.

I recently found a set of edible letters for birthday cakes - used them for a Gdd’s birthday cake. They were in Asda, with all the other cake decorating stuff. Would that be an option?

This is from Tesco £2, there are other makes and colours, I expect most supermarkets and Amazon does them.

Yes, similar to the Dr Oetker ones, thanks Elizabeth27

Thank you for all the information, everyone. I will check out our local supermarkets (all two of them) for the little tubes of colour and other goodies. I'll never have studied that part of baking sections so carefully before! I'm reminded of my American friend's confusion when confronted with the different flours available here. She was used to only the American "all purpose" flour.

Shysal, thanks for your comment about why you prefer a bag to other methods of icing writing. I think I'll get a bag and practice. Practice makes perfect they say; I feel that anything not absolutely an illegible splodge will have to do!

Wish me luck!

Definitely a bag, it is so much easier to control the flow of icing and is much more manoeuvrable than a syringe. Also easy to use one hand for the bag and the other to rotate your turntable.
Completely agree with Shysal, if you have any dexterity or strength issues a bag is the best option.
Don’t be tempted to fill the bag too much, that way mess and frustration await!

... and fold the top of the bag well down before you try to fill it for less mess.

I always use a disposable bag as taught by my Domestic Science teacher at school. As someone said, don’t overfill the bag! I prop my filled icing bag in a mug between icing sessions. I also use a cake turntable which makes it so much easier when decorating a cake.

Disposable bag for me too - much easier to control than a syringe. Just half-fill at most to help with control. (and stickiness!)

I buy a roll of disposable bags and use one for each colour if using more than one. I tried a reusable bag but then it took ages to dry before could do second colour.
You can make your own bags from greaseproof paper, but I've never got the hang of it! Lots of posts on YouTubee.

Good luck!

I tried a reusable bag but then it took ages to dry before could do second colour

The bag I used was reusable, it came with different nozzles and a turntable.

Disposable bags must be a new invention since then.

I try not to do icing as the disposables are single use plastic, but once in a while...

I'll get a roll of disposable bags. They will probably last for the rest of my life and then one of my descendants can inherit them ?