Miscellaneous

Beads

This is a simple method and once you understand it, you will be able to pipe just about any kind of cake trim that you want.

Getting Ready
Set up your practice board.

Insert a coupler base in your Featherweight bag and lock round tip 3 onto it with your coupler ring.

Fill bag half full with medium consistency Buttercream Icing.

Tip: 3
Icing: medium consistency
Positions:
- Bag: upright
- Tip: slightly above the surface

You'll practice this technique by piping rounded mounds of icing using tip 3.

Hold bag upright with the end of tip slightly above the surface. Start squeezing, applying a steady even pressure. As the icing begins to build up, raise the tip with it, but keep its end buried in the icing. To complete your shape, stop squeezing as you bring the end of the tip to the surface. Use the edge of the tip to shave off any point so that your end product is nicely rounded.

Some things to watch for:

A point where the tip was means that you have raised the tip out of the icing while you are still squeezing.
A depression where the tip was means that the icing built up around the tip because it wasn't raised as the icing mounded.
Unwanted ripples on the sides indicate uneven pressure, incorrect bag angle or icing which is too stiff. 

Positions:
Bag: 45° angle 6:00
Tip: wide end touching, narrow end straight up

Sequence:
1. Squeeze, loop to left.
2. Squeeze, loop right.
3. Add two streamers.

Hold the bag at a 45° angle 6:00 to the surface. The wide end ofthe tip should touch the surface and the narrow end should point straightup. While squeezing, move the tip up and around to the starting point andcontinue around, making a second loop on the right. The two loops shouldform a figure 8. Still holding bag in the same position, return to the centerand squeeze out two streamers.

(To use with floral sprays: tie your floral spray together with one bow,using medium consistency Class Decorating Buttercream Icing in the colorof your choice. The bow should be placed 1 in. below the focal point ofthe bouquet.)

NOTE: The bag shown in the picture is tipped much too much. Try holding your bag almost straight vertically and it will be much easier to make shells...Dolores

Tip: #21
Icing Consistency: Medium
Bag Position: 45° at 6:00
Hold Tip: Slightly Above Surface

1. Hold the bag in the 6:00 position so that you can pull the bag toward you. The tip should be slightly above the surface.

2. Squeeze hard, letting the icing fan out generously as it lifts the tip – do not lift the bag. Gradually relax your pressure as you lower the tip until it touches the surface.

3. Stop pressure and pull the tip away, without lifting it off the surface, to draw the shell to a point.

4. To make a shell border, start the end of your next shell so that the fanned end covers the tail of the preceding shell to form and even chain.

Tip: 16
Icing Consistency: Medium
Bag Position: 45° at 3:00 (9:00)
Hold Tip: Lightly Touching Surface
 

Steadily squeeze and move your hand in a tight up and down motion.
Continue piping up and down with steady pressure. To end, stop pressure and pull tip away. For more elongated zigzags, move your hand to the desired height while maintaining a steady pressure. For a more relaxed look, just increase the width as you move the bag along.
Repeat as you move in a straight line with consistent up/down motion.

Set up practice board
Prepare a bag with tip 1.
Fill bag half full with thin consistency buttercream icing.
Tip: 1
Icing: Thin consistency
Position: - 90°for sotas

Use tip 1. Hold the bag above the surface, squeeze to allow icing to drop in a random pattern.

Getting Ready
You'll need your practice board set upright on its stand.

Fit an icing bag with a plain tip 3, and fill the bag with stiff consistency icing that has been thinned with corn syrup.

Icing consistency is very important. The icing must be thin enough so that it flows easily out of the tip without breaking off as the stringwork loops are dropped. If the icing is too thin, it won't have enough elasticity to loop, and it will snap.

You'll know it's the right consistency if you can drop a loop of icing from your finger. If the icing isn't thin enough, add a few drops of water or corn syrup, mix well, and try again.

In Brief:
Icing: stiff consistency thinned slightly with corn syrup.
Tip: plain tip 3
Positions:
- Practice Board: upright
- Bag: shoulder level at 4:30 (7:30)
- Tip: lightly touching surface (to attach)
Sequence:
Dot surface as guide.
Squeeze, pulling straight out, letting loop drop.
Stop squeezing, attach.
Explanation:
With dots of icing, mark a row of equally spaced points across your upright practice board.
Use thin consistency icing in a bag fitted with plain tip 3. Holding the bag at or above shoulder level, in 4:30 (7:30) position, touch the end of the tip to the surface to attach the icing at the first dot.
While squeezing, pull the bag straight away from the surface towards you.
Continue squeezing to allow the icing to drape naturally. It will drop by itself. Do not move the tip down with the string. The end of the tip should be the same distance from the surface as the distance is from point to point on the board.
Stop squeezing, and touch the tip to the practice board at the next dot to attach the loop.
Repeat across the practice board.
As you are dropping the loops of icing, try to make them all hang down the same distance from the dots of icing so that they look identical. It's uniformity that makes stringwork such a dramatic border effect. You'll begin to find you get it as you practice. Note that you should not move the tip down as the string falls. Getting an even drape depends on letting the loop of icing fall with its own weight.

When you're doing stringwork on a real cake, make sure that the size of the loop and distance between loops is in proportion to the cake. Too small, and the loops are insignificant; too large, and they'll overwhelm your other decorations.

Pipe dog with royal icing. Use tip 6, hold bag at 90° angle, pipe a line of icing for body and a ball of icing for head. Pipe tip 4 legs, tail, snout and ears. Add tip 1 facial features.

In nest- use tips 1, 6, and 12. With tip 12, hold bag at a 90° angle and using a medium pressure let body build up. Relax pressure as you pull bag towards tail. Add tip 6 dot head and pull-out bead wings. Pipe beaks, combs, tail feathers and dot eyes with tip 2. On barn, using tip 6 and medium pressure squeeze out dot for head, then with the same tip use heavy pressure to pipe a curved shell easing pressure as you taper to tail. Tuck tip into body and pipe bead-motion wing.

Chicks
With tip 2 to pipe bodies and heads and follow ‘in nest’ procedure. Trim with tip 1 eyes, beads and wings. 

Use tips 1, 3, 12. Pipe top 12 ball of icing for body, add tip 3 dots for head and paws.

Using tip 1; add muzzle and ears; pipe dot eyes, mouth and string bow tie.

Clowns  Tips: 21, 67  Bags: Featherweight or Disposable decorating bag with tip 21, parchment paper with tip 67 Icing: medium consistency Positions: Bag: 90° angle Tip: slightly above surface when piping body; inserted into body when piping arms and legs  Sequence:  1. Squeeze out icing with steady even pressure to cover an area about the size of a 50 cent piece. 2. Begin raising the tip, allowing icing to build up, but keeping the end of the tip buried in the icing. 3. Stop at desired height, pull tip away. 4. Insert tip at base of body for leg, squeeze to draw leg out. Relax pressure, pull to a point for foot. Repeat for other leg and foot. 5. Insert tip into body at shoulder, squeeze as you draw arm out. 6. Relax pressure, pull to a point for hand. Repeat for other arm and hand. Make the body: Use tip 21 in upright position and the basic icing build-up technique to pipe body. Squeeze hard to builld up a generous base, then slowly fill out the body by drawing the tip straight up until you reach the desired height. Pipe the legs: Insert tip into the front base of the body and draw the icing straight out. Add the feet, drawing to a point as for the hands. You may vary the position of the legs. Draw the legs straight up at the knee and back down again to the foot, or cross the legs back down again to the foot, or cross the legs (bend the crossing leg at the knee for the natural look.)  Pipe the arms: Insert the tip into the body at the shoulder, then squeeze as you draw the tip straight down and then across the body. To form the hands, squeeze a little harder, then relax pressure, drawing them to a point. Stop squeezing entirely before you pull tip away. Add details: Using leaf tip 67, pipe ruffles for arm and leg cuffs using a zigzag motion. Add the head: Insert a small derby clown head into the top of the body. TRY THIS: Make color-striped clowns for your cake or cake circle by brush striping a parchment bag fitted with tip 21 in the colors of your choice.

Celebrate with Christmas Trees  As the holiday draws near spruce up your cakes and gingerbread houses with these festive trees. Getting Ready  Insert coupler base in your Featherweight bag and lock tip 352 onto it with your coupler ring. Fill bag half full with medium consistency Royal Icing for practice. Tip: specialty tips 233 and 352 Icing: medium consistency royal icing Positions: - Bag: 90° angle at 6:00 - Tips: slightly above the surface Sequence: 1. Cover tree former with wax paper. 2. With royal icing and tip 352 pipe a line of icing around base of cone. 3. Pipe 352 leaf petals. 4. Randomly add 233 pine needles. 5. Continue to pipe leaves and pine needles. Wrap wax paper around tree former and secure with tape. Tuck excess wax paper under opening of former. Hold tree former in your left (right) hand. As you pipe the rows of petals turn the former out to the ends of your fingers the same way you would turn your flower nails. Using royal icing and tip 352 pipe a line of icing around base of cone. Now pipe a row of 352 leaves around base turning the former as you work. Continue to pipe 352 leaves, randomly adding 233 pine needles until you reach the top. Let dry-when dry, remove from former and push excess wax paper up inside hollow tree. Note: Ice Cream Cones may be substituted for the tree former.  Snowman (1 1/4 in. high)  Use tips 1 and 3. Pipe tip 3 ball of icing for body, add dot of icing for head; pipe hat top and add a string for hat brim. Pipe tip 1 dot and string facial features, buttons and scarf.

Corn  Use tips 2, 349. With heavy pressure, squeeze out a thick line of icing. Cover line with tip 2 rows of beads. Add tip 349 leaves.                 Cornstalks  Use buttercream icing and tip 352. Start just below where brown "ropes" will go, using medium pressure pipe elongated stalks to bottom edge of cake. Above "rope" area, add tip 352 pull-out stalks. Pipe tip 3 "ropes".

Cow Head  Use tips 2, 3, 4, 12, 81. Use tip 12 and hold bag at a 45° angle to cake. Starting at neck, squeeze with medium pressure and move bag upward, increasing pressure to build up head, with a continuous shell-like motion, return to neck. Pipe a tip 4 dot snout with medium pressure. Add tip 81 "petal-motion" ears, tip 4 dot eyes, pull-out dot horns, tip 2 dot pupils, nostrils, lashes and string hair.

In Brief
Icing: thin consistency
Tip: plain tip 1
Positions:

Bag: slightly less than 90° angle
Tip: close enough to cake so that icing attaches without scraping cake with tip and without flattening icing strings.

Sequence:

Beginning and ending at edge that will later be covered with a border, pipe a meandering icing string line.
Move tip up, around and down to produce a lacy effect (should look like a series of "R's" or "S's").
Do not let lines touch or cross.
Let dry before adding other icing trims.
Explanation:

Hold your decorating bag at slightly less than a 90° angle.
Keep tip close enough to cake so that icing attaches without scraping cake with tip and without flattening icing strings.
Always begin and end cornelli lace at edge that will later be covered with a tip 14 border.
Cornelli lace is a series of smooth "R's" or "S's".
Cornelli lace lines never cross or touch.
Cornelli lace does not follow any type of pattern.

For standing legs, pipe tip 5 on pretzel sticks. Let dry. Attached to sheep. Tuck tip into sides, pullout lying legs. Add tip 3 hooves, tip 13 zigzag fur.

Holding your decorating bag at a 45° angle in the 3:00 (9:00) position, touch the wide end of tip 104 to surface with narrow end facing down and away from surface. As you squeeze with an even pressure, move tip up and down slightly for a ruffled effect.