Kitchen Tested: The SpoonSpreader
Unlike most home bakers I know, I'm not yet married to a frosting method of choice. My Grandma Mimi (who did not believe in cupcakes and would instead make sheet cakes for the grandchildren) would dump entire bowls of vanilla buttercream on top of her chocolate cakes and swirl the magical mixture into place with her offset spatula. My mother would simply flip the cupcakes one-by-one upside down and dunk into a bowl of icing. I hadn't given it much thought until I met The SpoonSpreader.
Though I hadn't really used a pastry bag before, I assumed I'd prefer that mode of frosting application over what seemed like a slightly unhinged-spoon spatula amalgam (pun intended). The results I found were both surprising and delightful. The SpoonSpreader works with a little practice, as both a frosting scoop (when it's folded) and as a frosting spreader and applicator (when flattened again).
- It took me a couple of tries to find my groove, but once I started swirling the cupcake and the SpoonSpreader in harmony, frosting was quick, efficient and almost mess-free. Almost.
- It was a lot easier to use than it was to fill a pastry bag for piping.
- The piping kit I tested this against kept my hands cleaner, but only barely. If you don't mind sweet fingers, the SpoonSpreader is probably the tool for you.
- It's big enough to get a decent dollop of frosting, but it's not cumbersome (like my larger rubber scrapers or my silicone-head spatulas). It lent a delicate but decisive touch to the frosting procedure.
- Cleanup was hassle-free.
Though you won't be able to design fancy patterns with the SpoonSpreader as you would with a piping bag, the cupcake will still taste the same in the end — I promise.
Verdict: The time and mess it saved me earned it a permanent place in my kitchen gadget collection. And for the $5 price tag, I just may need to have it in every color.
Interested fans can find the cupcake recipes I used in the Food Network Cupcakes! App. I made Go-To Chocolate Mini-Cupcakes and topped them with Vanilla American Buttercream.