1. Piping techniques
Before we start piping onto the cake however Ceri demonstrates some techniques that we will be using. This way we can practice beforehand and ensure we don’t ruin the final cake. Ceri shows us shell borders, barrel, beading, rope icing and the different ways in which they’ll be used.
For the full tutorial see Vintage piping techniques
2. Decorating the cake
Now it’s onto the cake! Ceri takes those techniques he showed us in the previous lesson and transfers them onto the cake. Ceri is using a PME number 3 nozzle with soft peak icing for this lesson. He starts by adding a running shell around the base of each tier. Ceri advises not to use a turntable as well as not icing more than 2 inches at a time to ensure accuracy. Remember to always keep that nozzle clean. A small, damp paintbrush will be your best friend for this whole tutorial and you will definitely want it at the ready for this lesson.
3. Adding the shells
In this lesson, Ceri is using a PME number 13 star nozzle and is going to add some more running shells but this time to the edge of the middle tier. There is a different technique used for these larger shells as you do one a time. Then it’s onto vertical shells which are added to the bottom edge of the cake and are done in sets of 7. This is where the cake really starts to look pretty.
4. Adding the barrels
Ceri now adds 12 barrels to the bottom edge of the middle tier. You want the barrels to be as uniform as possible and each one should have the same amount of loops, overall thickness and tapered ends. It’s a lot to think about and do in one fluid movement. By now, you will start to appreciate the importance of forward planning with this style of royal icing and that it’s definitely not something that should be improvised.
