I’m currently converting most of my recipes to being palm free. One technique I love to use is piping cold process soap onto cupcakes.
(psssssssst! We have a new eCourse dedicated to all things piping! Learn to pipe cupcake soaps, on loaves, individual flowers and more in Piping Perfection!)
I make whipped soap also but this isn’t whipped soap. Its simply just waiting for the soap to get thick enough and then piping it. Super easy to do! So here is the recipe that I used:
Palm-Free Piping Soap Recipe
Base Oils
- Coconut Oil (76 deg) – 90 grams (30%)
- Cocoa Butter – 45 grams (15%)
- Olive Oil – 120 grams (40%)
- Avocado Oil – 30 grams (10%)
- Castor Oil – 15 grams (5%)
Lye Solution (5% superfat)
- Water – 84 grams
- Sodium Hydroxide – 42 grams
This is not a full tutorial. It just briefly describes what I did. If you are new to soapmaking, please download our FREE soapmaking guide!
First, I created my lye solution and set it aside to cool!
Then, I melted the coconut oil and cocoa butter, then added the olive oil, avocado and rice bran. Everything is ready to go.
I brought the mixture to a light trace and divided it out into three parts.
I added pearl mica for the white base and then colored two parts purple and blue. I poured the base into the cupcake liners.
Then I waited until the purple and blue set up enough to pipe. I waited about 10 or so minutes and stirred every now and then to check the consistency. Once it was thick enough I put it in a piping bag with a 1M tip. I like to set mine in a cup to hold things up straight while I fill the bag.
I didn’t have enough hands to take pics of the whole process but I start with a blob in the middle.
(2020 Update – we now have a piping course! Check it out here!)
Then starting on the outside…spiral to the inside.
And add glitter! I don’t know why…but I always have to top cupcake soaps with glitter.
Let these cure for 4 weeks.
-Amanda
I Have one doubt.. plz reply
The percentage of rice bran oil is not mentioned in the ingredients list..
Can i know how mch to add ?
This recipe doesn’t look very big, I was wondering how many cupcakes it makes (the base molds I would use are 3.5 ounces). Should I shoot for making only 2 or 3?
Amanda, I haven’t tried the frosting recipe yet, however I noticed a discrepancy in the instructions. You mention blending the (“coconut oil and cocoa butter, then added the olive oil, avocado and rice bran”). The problem I am having is that you don’t mention the use of rice bran oil in the list of ingredients.
Please explain.
You’ve probably gotten your answer by now, but I would advise running the recipe through a soap calculator to determine if your soap is balanced in its skin qualities. This is what I use: http://soapcalc.net/calc/soapcalcWP.asp
Thank you for this wonderful cold process frosting recipe. I have tried many, without success. Your recipe was on target. Just what I wanted in a frosting. Cupcakes, here I come.
Denise
I have tried so many recipes for the frosting. It all got to hard to pipe. So I tried this recipe. I guess it worked ok. It was very oily. What did I get wrong? How long does it take to cure and dry? So far it has been 4 days.
Well, the article says 4 weeks, so I would think 4 weeks would be a safe bet, don’t you?
Really interesting
How long can you wait before piping the soap. Can you wait until the next day? THANK YOU
Hi Amanda ! Thanks so much for posting this recipe! I’m new to soap making (etsy.com/shop/SweetTootsCo) and I’ve been looking for a good soap frosting to use on my cupcake soaps. Do you think this will stick on cupcake bath bombs too?
Hi, thank you so much for sharing this piping recipe! I’m new to soap making n quite frankly have not been interested in making soap until I see the artistic side of it! I went n bought some piping tips n I’m so looking forward to try your recipe! By the way, I want to find out the curing part for these cupcakes. How do you store them while curing as I normally have a little wooden box w silicone mold in it. Thxsss!
me too. I have been searching and I am so happy with the technique. Although, I used for loaf of strawberry jam. 🙂
It made 6 cupcakes with left overs I would say 7 cupcakes
How long does this take to be firm enough to ship out? I know it’s a lot of olive oil but the coconut oil is what scares me in such high amounts. Do you think if I SF it to 9 or 10 it will not be so drying to sensitive skin (slot of kids live cupcake soaps). Thanks in advance. Love
all soap firms up pretty quickly- however, the soap needs to cure a min. of 4 weeks. the longer the better. shipping anything sooner than 4-6 six weeks isn’t recommended.
You’ve probably gotten your answer by now, but I would advise running the recipe through a soap calculator to determine if your soap is balanced in its skin qualities. This is what I use: http://soapcalc.net/calc/soapcalcWP.asp
Hi, just a quick one :why there’s no essential /fragrance oil in the recipe? Thanks
Hi, just a quick one : why there’s no essential /fragrance oil in the recipe? Thanks
hi Luke – liz from NZ and have tried this recipe – its amazing – just watch out for the shea butter – gives a curdled/ricing effect sometimes – just sometimes – i have added fragrance oil to this soap with no problems either – i actually love this soap for cupcakes
hi – i am from new zealand and am quite new to soaping – the only question i have for this awesome video is – how many cupcakes do you make before frosting them?? cant find any info as to how many – i figured that if i poured the correct amount of cupcake bases then i could divide the topping into 2 and colour each one individually but not sure as to how many you make from this recipe – i would really appreciate your help on this as i want to make these as gifts as you have done an amazing job and its not fussy or complicated at all – thanks – liz
Hello! I was wondering if you could offer some insight for me. I tried to do some piping on some cp soap that I made, and it looked beautiful until I cut it, and both parts separated. Do you have any advice on how to avoid this?
Spray the top with rubbing alcohol before you pipe. It will stick then. Leslie
dear
good morning
We want to buy beautiful shapes and brilliant colors soap. We need Hamia display includes information and prices images.
How long does it take for this recipe to cure?
Also, how many cupcakes does it make?
Lastly, when I split the batch into three parts, how much of it is the base and frosting?
Please answer me because I am planing to make them this week.
Thank you and I enjoyed the recipe.
hi could you double the reciepe for me and tell me the oz for each ingredeint i am not familiar with the lye calculator and would like to make a larger batch
Hi is the 4.7 oz mean 4.70 oz or is 4.7 meaning under 4.10oz..? Also I been waiting for a half hr to pipe and it’s taking long to thicken ? Why? It’s says 10mins?
Ty
Your scale with vary on how many decimals it goes to. My scale reads 4.7.
How did your soap turn out? Different conditions make a soap move faster or slower including water and temperatures.
Made theses today they look lush made some mp soap topper to go on top ready for Christmas.
Thank you for the recipe ?
Awesome! Glad you like!
Hi how many lbs does this recipe make? Also I don’t know how to use a lye calculator would u be kind enough to run it through to doubling the reciepe please ..Ty
Mil Gracias!… Thousand thanks!
I have months just collecting for make soups, and now I going to make one tomorrow , thank to you, and your tutorials. My English it’s no too good,..Agradecida…
Just like therapy now a
I getting out of my depreciion. ?
The gelling question has still not been answered…I’m curious as well.
Beautifully piped! Even better that they are Palm oil free! Lovely!
Hello I am new to making soap. I make the real deal (cupcakes)! I am nervous about working with lye. No one does any bloggers discuss temperatures of the ingredients used. Can you help with this?
Hi Amanda,
I use to pipe my cakes which had sustainable palm in them, and now that I have gone palm free they go a bit flattish now lol.
You have your measurements in oz 🙁 and I only understand grams, so just wondering if you by any chance recall what your super fat % was?
I would love for my icing to have the extra umph again 🙂
Thanks heaps
Leanne
Would this recipe be drying for the skin with all that coconut oil?
Coconut oil is fantastic for your skin!
Not at 50% it’s not. Unless you SF it at a minimum of 10%. I didn’t see any info in the recipe as to what, if any, SF she used.
This recipe is fantastic! The bases pour beautifully and unmold easily. The frosting is easy to pipe and looks great. Just one question: If i want a pure white frosting, not a yellowish one, how would i achieve this, with which oils? I use coconut, shea & a light coloured olive oil but the “batter” always comes out yellow. Thanks! 🙂
I had never done piping before, so I cut the recipe down to just try the piping. I used titanium dioxide to whiten it. Also keep in mind u can use canola oil in place of olive and it will lighten the batter up that way as well.
Put Titanium Dioxide in your frosting and it will go really white.
Video says it is private. Did I not do it right? I thin I want to try to make some cupcakes soaps but still a little scared about doing the frosting. Thank you
I am curious to find out what blog platform you happen to be working with? I’m experiencing some small security issues with my latest website and I’d like to find something more safeguarded. Do you have any solutions?|
Hi, I just started reading about soapmaking a few days ago and plan to use it as a surplus to my stand at farmers markets. I was wondering why you are trying to get away from using Palm Oil? Also- Is there a resource for recipes for scented soaps? Your blog has been a great help to me so far and I LOVE the cupcake idea!! Thanks.
Hi ! I looooooovveeeee your cupcakesbthey look so real! However i have a question, is there any kind of replacement for the shea butter? Thanks a lot !
Hi ! I looooooovveeeee your cupcaked they look so real! However i have a question, is there any kind of replacement for the shea butter? Thanks a lot !
I made these a few years ago (and still do). I let them gel, in fact I force gel. And I spray with alcohol just as Amanda has described which has helped with preventing “Ash”. I also scent the cupcake and ‘frosting’ separately with a nice compatible scent blend (EO’S). I use natural colourants and do not use Palm for environmental reasons. Happy Soaping! xo
OMG.. it looks fantastic!!
Question….what’s wrong with palm? I’m new to soap making and EVERYONE has given me a list of where to get palm or where to find shortenings that have palm in it. Then I seen this “palm free”. I trans out shea and replace mango butter in its place cuz I’m allergic to shea…so I was wondering if its an allergy or is there some bad thing it does to the skin…let me know.
Thanks.
As with Eme above, whose question seems to remain unanswered, I’m also keen on knowing whether cupcake cp soaps need to be gelled the same as loaf soaps, or are they so small, that it doesn’t really matter?
Or should they be put in a large box, perhaps (so as not to ruin the tops), and covered over?
Thank you so much for posting this! I’ve been looking for a good tutorial on how to do this for what seems like forever!
Could you tell me, how many ounces is the finished soap cupcake?
Thanks again! 🙂
Thank you so much Amanda for the great effort you put in this blog and thank you a million for the important info you post for every one.
can’t thank you enough wish you all the best.
Hi. I absolutely love this site! What I would like to know is, did you make the bases prior to piping (i.e) 24 hours before ? If so, are there any prepping tips before you begin to pipe onto the bases ? Also. was the base made of CP soap? Thanking you for your time and what you have already shared.
I ran the soap recipe on the calc and the INS is a whopping 183 with a cleanse factor of 34- far above the recommended max of 22. Is the recipe correct or is there a typo?
Hi Kelly, I take the numbers and properties that Soapcalc gives you with a grain of salt. Yes, coconut oil can be drying, but not with a higher superfat or the right balance of other oils. Olive oil is very soft upon unmolding but cures out to be super hard. I’ve just never been a fan of following properties and such that soapcalc gives because I’ve found them to not be true to my experience with various recipes and oil properties.
I need a color tutorial. What do I put my color in? soap or oil then mix wih the soap? I’ve found that when I mix the color in soap, it traces too quickly for me to do anything with. And when I mix the color in an oil, it doesn’t mix well with the soaps. Clearly I need help. Help!
Thanks
Wonderful, inspiring soap, thank you so much for sharing. Did you cover the soaps, did they go through gel phase?
Maybe I missed it somewhere in here, but would like to ask just one thing. How many soap cupcakes will this size batch frost?
These are really beautiful!
They are so cute!! Thank you for sharing. I have seen those cups on Amazon.com but they seem expensive. Do you have a source for them that you would be willing to share? Thanks .. Kim 🙂
Oops… I see the comment on the cups now that I posted the same question. Sorry.. lol. I am always on the lookout for a good palm free soap recipe and just your recipe in soapcalc and it’s a really drying soap as written. Cleansing is way above and conditioning is below suggested ranges. Did I miss something? Thanks 🙂
Hi Kimberly – I don’t put alot of stock in what Soapcalc says a recipe is going to feel like. There are just so many more factors at play and I don’t judge a recipe until I’ve used it on my skin. This recipes does have a high amount of coconut oil but also has a high amount of olive oil to balance it out…along with the shea butter. You can also superfat a bit higher if you want.
Thank you for your reply and sorry I am WAY late in responding.. lol. I realize now that I have several dozen batches of soap under my belt that the numbers on soap calc can be misleading. I have made a coconut only soap bar that is wonderful but the numbers on soap calc were through the roof!! 🙂
Love this…..I want to make some………….thanks for the recipe.
I’m gonna add your website to my list of TO WATCH ! I love it. I loved your cupcakes, they look fabulous. I make my own cosmetics, but they don’t look so good ! Thanks for sharing such cuteness
Love them- great jobg! 🙂 Can ya tell us about the cups?
Hi Jennifer – They are thicker cardboard baking cups that are made to stand alone. Similar to these… http://www.joann.com/wilton-standard-ruffle-baking-cup-24-pkg-rose/zprd_02414035a/ I couldn’t find the exact ones online but I did get them from Joanns.
thx- pretty neat to just pour in the cup and be done 🙂
Cute cupcakes! I’ve not tried piping soap yet. Thanks for showing us how.
Another amazing and so inspiring recipe by Amanda…I definitely will be giving this a try
How do you not get soda ash on them? Mine always have white ash. Do you let them cure uncovered, room temp on a shelf? Thank you!
You can spray with alcohol to help reduce ash. I’ll check when I get home and see if they have ash.
Curious if these ended up with ash or not. Thanks 🙂
Nope, no ash. I spray with alcohol to help prevent ash. Once right after I’m done and then again twice more in two hours and then about 4 hours.
Could you buy a similar alcohol in UK? I have huge problems with ash? many thanks
Hi Tracey, I’m not sure. Check your local pharmacy and see if they have it.
This looks great and thanks for the info. I’m going to try this before summer is over.
Thanks for sharing this. I haven’t ventured into the world of piping yet (despite the fact that I’ve taken cake decorating classes at a NYC culinary chool). For some reason it makes me nervous. I guess I’m afraid of acceleration or something. I’m going to give this a try with your tutorial in hand. 🙂
Just recently started reading your blog and you really inspire me! Beautiful work! Very pretty cups too. Where can they be found Amanda? Are they normal cupcake sized or condiment cups?
Your cupcakes look great. I’ll have to give it a try. How much soap do you set aside to mix for the frosting?
Спасибо за рецепт.
Давно хотела кексы сделать, теперь еще и рецепт есть.
so pretty! Love the cupcake cups-they seem to make great molds!