The Contemporary Buttercream Bible (20 page)

common point and that there isn’t a big gap in the

centre (C).

C

3 Cut the tip off a piping bag and use yellow-tinted

buttercream to pipe dots in the centre of each of the flowers (D).

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D

4 Pipe some leaves using a leaf nozzle (see

Sunflower and Leaves) (E).

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E

Tip

Try using the two-tone effect described in the

Ruffles section of Piping Textures and

Patterns. Since these flowers use a small

amount of buttercream, they are not heavy so

you can pipe them on the sides of the cake.

Just make sure you use a bit of pressure as

you pipe so that they stick to the cake.

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Daisy

1 Pipe a small guide circle, then using a small petal nozzle (Wilton 104), position the nozzle flat to the

surface of the cake with the wide end facing towards

you. Continuously squeeze the piping bag with even

pressure and follow a long U-shape, but without the

space in the middle of the ‘U’, until you create a

small petal.

2 Repeat the same process and pipe more petals

(A), allowing them to overlap a little, and making

sure that they all meet at one common point and

don’t leave a big gap in the centre. Continue until

you have completed the circle of petals (B).

A

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B

3 To pipe the centre of the flower, cut the tip off the piping bag and, using yellow-tinted buttercream,

pipe in a continuous circular motion with even

pressure, until the spiral creates a dome (C).

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C

4 Pipe some leaves using a leaf nozzle (see

Sunflower and Leaves) (D).

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D

Tip

For the daisy, your nozzle needs to be

completely flat on the surface and you must

start from the centre of the flower. Just

remember these three words: squeeze, up and

down! For the flower centre, you can either

pipe a dome or use chocolates or candies for

an interesting touch.

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To create this cake…

• 15 × 10cm (6 × 4in) round cake

• 1.3–2kg (3lb–4lb 8oz) buttercream

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• Paste

colours:

light

chestnut

(Sugarflair

Chestnut), dark chestnut (Sugarflair Chestnut),

violet, (Sugarflair Grape Violet), light green

(Sugarflair

Gooseberry),

orange

(Sugarflair

Egyptian Orange), yellow (Sugarflair Autumn Leaf)

• Piping bags

• Small petal nozzle (Wilton 104)

• Leaf nozzle (Wilton 352)

• Palette knife

• Scissors

• Cake stand or covered cake board

Crumb coat the cake (see Crumb Coating in

Buttercream Basics) and place on a stand or

covered cake board. Cover the cake with 300–400g

(101⁄2–14oz) of light chestnut buttercream and use a

palette knife and 100–200g (31⁄2–7oz) of dark

chestnut buttercream to create a streaked effect

(see Blending in Palette Knife Techniques). Colour

the remaining buttercream in the following

quantities: 150–250g (51⁄2–9oz) each of violet, light green and yellow, 250–350g (9–12oz) orange and

leave 200–300g (7–101⁄2oz) uncoloured. Pipe the

daisies first with plain petals and yellow centres,

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then the violets with violet petals and orange

centres, following the relevant tutorials above. Pipe some leaves between the flowers in light green (see

Sunflower and Leaves).

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Chrysanthemum and Daffodil

Chrysanthemums are mostly known for their

vibrant colours and shape. Adding them gives a

much bolder and more daring look to a cake than

some of the more conservative flowers. Creating

chrysanthemums involves a repeated piping action

which delivers excellent results. Daffodils too are

very popular flowers, ideal for a spring time cake,

and despite the ‘trumpet’ at their centre they

actually involve a very easy piping technique.

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Daffodils are one of the first signs that spring has

arrived, while chrysanthemums bloom at the end of

summer, so these flowers are plucked from

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different seasons – but in cake decorating you’re

the boss and you can do what you like! No one

could argue that the sunny daffodil and the rich and

exciting colours of the chrysanthemum don’t belong

together on a pretty cake stand, especially when

they are presented in these cute spotted cups. For

these two flowers, the bigger they are the better

because the form is more obvious when the petals

are larger. Chrysanthemum nozzles come in

different sizes, so go ahead and experiment with

them.

Chrysanthemum

1 Start by piping a guide circle. Using a

chrysanthemum nozzle (Wilton 81), position the

nozzle at a 20 to 30 degree angle with the curved

end down and against the guide circle. Gently

squeeze the piping bag with even pressure while

pulling out with a quick stroke until you reach the

desired length of petal – about 5mm (1⁄4in). Repeat

the process to create one layer of petals (A).

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