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.
Do you want to know how to do this rope decoration technique? Click here!
A nice technique for finishing your piped baskets/. Excellent too for western or nautical theme cakes
What you need:
- Buttercream icing
- A decorating bag
- Tip 21
Instructions
Step 1: Fit the decorating bag with tip 21 and fill 1/2 full with medium consistency icing. Hold the decorating bag 45° angle. The tip should be lightly touching the surface. Using a steady, even pressure, move the tip in a gentle sideways "S" curve. Stop pressure and pull tip away.
Step 2: Insert tip under the bottom curve of the "S" shape.
Step 3: Squeeze the bag with steady pressure as you pull down, then lift the tip. Move up and over the tail of the "S" as you continue to squeeze and form a hook.
Step 4: Keep spacing as even as possible and "S" curves uniform in thickness, length and overall size. Be sure to tuck the tip into the bottom curve of the previous "S" before you begin squeezing, to insure the clean, continuous look of a rope.
Want to see some cakes with this rope
decoration technique? Click here!
