The Busy Girls Guide to Cake Decorating (6 page)

2 Position your nozzle (tip) just above your piping starting point. Apply an even pressure to the bag. As the icing starts to flow, allow it to ‘attach' to the starting point on your cake. Continually applying pressure, lift the bag up vertically away from the cake so that you are holding a line of icing 2–3cm (
³
⁄
₄
–1
¹
⁄
₄
in) long.

3 Keeping the pressure applied, move horizontally in the direction of the line, maintain the vertical position and ‘lay' down the icing exactly where you wish it to go. Naturally you will want to keep the line down close to the cake but the higher position gives you control of the piping and not the other way round! To finish, drop the line back down to the cake gently touching the nozzle (tip) down to secure the end of the line to the cake.

1 To pipe a snail trail, fit the piping (pastry) bag with your required nozzle (tip) and fill the bag as described on the previous page.

2 Hold the nozzle (tip) at a 45-degree angle to the cake in your starting position. Keeping the position still, squeeze the bag until the royal icing forms the size of bulb you are looking for. Release the pressure, stopping the squeeze and then pull the bag away in the direction of the snail trail. This will form the tail of the bulb.

3 Position the nozzle (tip) 5mm (
³
⁄
₁₆
in) from the first tailed bulb and repeat the process. Squeeze the bag until the bulb joins the previous tail, release the pressure to stop piping and pull the piping bag away to create the next tail. Repeat all the way around the cake.

1 To pipe a shell border, fit the piping (pastry) bag with a no. 8 or no. 43 star nozzle (tip) and fill the bag as described on the previous page.

2 Hold the tip of the bag at a 45-degree angle to the cake in your starting position. Keeping the position still, squeeze the bag until the royal icing forms the size of shell you are looking for. Release the pressure, stopping the squeeze and then pull the bag away in the direction of the border.

3 Position the nozzle (tip) 5mm (
³
⁄
₁₆
in) from the first shell shape and repeat the process. Squeeze the bag until the shell joins the previous one and then pull away in the direction you are moving. Repeat all the way around the cake.

1 To pipe buttercream swirls onto the tops of cupcakes, first prepare a batch of buttercream (see
Buttercream
).

2 Fit a large piping (pastry) bag with a large open star nozzle (tip) (Wilton 1M) and fill the bag as described on the previous page. Squeeze the buttercream down the bag towards the nozzle (tip).

3 Hold the bag as you would a smaller royal icing piping (pastry) bag in your leading hand. Position the tip hovering just above the cupcake at the outside edge of the cake.

4 Apply an even pressure to the bag and start to pipe the buttercream, moving in a circular motion around the outside edge of the cupcake as the buttercream flows. Move around the cupcake in one continuous motion in decreasing circles until you reach the centre.

5 Keeping the nozzle (tip) in the centre, release the pressure to stop the buttercream flow and the lift the bag upwards and away.

Miniature tins (pans) can be bought to bake evenly sized mini-cakes, however they are expensive. A much easier way of creating mini-cakes is to bake a sheet cake and cut and stack smaller circles.

1 Using the Madeira or chocolate cake recipes, mix up a batch of the 20cm (8in) round cake mix (see
Recipes
). Instead of baking the cake in a round tin (pan), bake it in a deep rectangular, roasting-type tin (pan). Grease it well and line the base with greaseproof (wax) paper (see
Preparing Tins
).

2 Bake in a preheated oven at 160ºC (fan)/180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4 for approximately 35 minutes until cooked and slightly springy to the touch.

3 Allow to cool slightly in the tin (pan) before inverting the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.

4 Once cooled, chill the cake in the fridge and then cut out 6cm (2.5in) circles using a straight-edged round cutter. Use two or three cut outs to create each cake, levelling and filling as you would a large cake.

Madeira and chocolate cakes need to be fully cooled before attempting to split them, otherwise you will end up with a pile of crumbs! In fact, chilling your cake will help when levelling it and cutting it into layers.

1 Take the tin (pan) used to bake the cake in and drop in a stack of small cake boards or a small bowl to lift the cake to the correct height. Carefully drop the cake back in. Adjust the height the cake sits at up or down as necessary. Keeping the blade of a serrated knife level with the top edge of the tin (pan), slice off the top of the cake so that it is perfectly level.