How to: reverse shell decorating technique

Reverse shells look spectacular as top and bottom borders and as framed areas on your cake.

What you need:
- Buttercream icing
- A decorating bag
- Tip 21 


Instruction

Step 1: Fit the decorating bag with tip 21 and fill 1/2 full with medium consistency icing. Hold the decorating bag 45°; the tip should be slightly above the surface. Squeeze bag to form a shell. As you begin to form a shell, squeeze hard, letting the icing fan out. To form curve, lift tip up and over the shell as you move tip from 9:00 (right or left handed) to 12:00 to 6:00. 

Step 2: Relax pressure, lower tip. Pull tip straight towards yourself at 6:00 to form tail.

Step 3: Repeat with another shell, curving from 3:00 (right- or left handed) to 12:00 to 6:00. To continue the reverse shell border, pipe a chain of swirling reverse shells, with the fan end of each new shell covering the tail of the previous shell. If you are making the border on a round cake, turn the cake as you go so that the back of the bag is at 6:00 and you are working towards yourself.