Piping whipped cream icing vs buttercream

The brands that used to work may have changed their formulation in response to carageenan shortages. If they use less emulsifier, a lower quality product, or different emulsifiers such as guar gum, locust bean, or xanthan gum, the stability of the whipped cream may suffer. If the cream you can get isn't stable enough, you can add unflavored gelatin to stabilize it. Method is in 'Joy of Cooking', or here.

May2013: Looks like carrageenan is still on the USDA organic list Shortage has eased, but whipping problems could still be due to variations in quality of supply.

You have three options:

1. Prepare for drippage. If you're doing a lot of small items in particular, you set up a wire rack over a sheet pan, and just let it drip down. For the small items, you can dip into the glaze, then invert and place on the rack, like you would glaze a donut.

2. Add a barrier. Make a thicker icing that won't flow, and pipe right at the edge to give it a little bit of containment, then flood the top with the thinner icing. You'll need the cake nearly level for this to work well.

3. Pipe it on. You need an icing that's just thinned to the point where it will slump and flow back together, but not so thin it'll flow off. Use a piping bag (or plastic bag with the corner cut off) to make lines close enough together so the icing forms a solid covering. You may want to start at the outer edge and make a ring like #2, then work inward. This can work for more uneven cakes, as it doesn't need to be perfectly level, but it's more effort to get the consistency right.

Exact technique and consistency is going to depend on how thick (depth) you want the icing. It's always easier to thin it (doesn't take much added liquid) than to stiffen it back up.