The Contemporary Buttercream Bible (37 page)

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because you will be painting straight onto a very

delicate buttercream surface. Nonetheless, result

will be more artistic compared to the other forms of

writing.

You will need…

• Food colouring gel/paste or lustre dust of your

choice

• Small round tip paintbrush

• Paint palette

• Water, rejuvenating alcohol, vodka or lemon juice

1 It is best to draft your message on a piece of paper the same size as your cake to make sure that your

words will fit and you are happy with the position.

It is also helpful to look at different fonts for

inspiration and variation. Use food colouring paste/

gel and slightly dilute it with either water,

rejuvenating alcohol, vodka or lemon juice (A).

Note that if you use edible lustre dusts, you may use any of these except water. It is best to use a small

round tip brush to paint your patterns or letters.

428

A

2 Dip your paintbrush in the food colouring and

wipe off the excess. Carefully write your message

directly on to the surface of the cake. On the first

go, the letters will be very light and just like a mere outline. At this stage you can make slight changes to your pattern. When you are happy with it, paint

over it again until it is the required colour (B).

429

B

Tip

We suggest using food colouring paste or gel

diluted with water, rather than vodka or lemon

juice so that it doesn’t alter the taste of the

buttercream. Paste or gel will give a deeper

colour than edible lustre dust.

430

Pattern Transfer

Does

your

handwriting

look

unidentifiable

sometimes, or even most of the time, but you want

very much to write a personal message on your

cake? Well, handwriting will not be an issue if you

use a pattern. You will just need to type your own

words in a document on your computer, carefully

choose your font style and there you go – you have

a clearly defined printed pattern.

You will need…

• Buttercream

• Piping bags

• Scissors

• Printed pattern

• Greaseproof (wax) paper/clear acetate or any

transparent material

1 Choose your font from your computer and type

your message in a document file. Before printing it

out, make sure you adjust the size to exactly how

you want it, so that it will fit on your cake, and flip it to make a mirror image before you print it (A).

431

A

2 Cut the excess paper from around your pattern.

Using clear acetate, greaseproof (wax) paper or any

clean transparent material to put on top of the

pattern, trace your letters by piping over them using a bag with a very small hole cut in the tip (B).

432

B

3 When done, take the tracing paper and position it

on to the cake, lightly press it down (C) and peel off (D). Re-trace or over-pipe again to finish.

C

433

D

Tip

It seems obvious, but before you print out your

pattern, don’t forget to check your spelling. It

takes just a second, especially if you use a

spellchecker, but will save you a lot of time if

you spot a mistake.

434

Embossing or Stencilling

Of all the writing techniques, embossing or

stencilling will give you the sharpest and most

intricate results. Here, you will be able to achieve

the exact shape, size and overall style of your

pattern because you will use embossers or stencils.

Using this tool also reduces the time you need to

finish you cake – you’ll have your couture cake

ready in no time!

You will need…

• Buttercream (slightly thinned)

• Piping bags

• Scissors

• Embossers/stencils

• Palette knife

• Writing nozzle 0-3 (optional)

1 Make sure that the buttercream is slightly thinned

(see Palette Knife Brushstrokes in Palette Knife

Techniques). If using an embosser, you just have to

press the tool slightly onto the surface of the cake, then over-pipe with buttercream.

435

2 If using a stencil, position the stencil on to the

cake and apply the slightly thinned buttercream

from a piping bag (A). Lightly spread the

buttercream with a palette knife (B) then peel off

the stencil (C).

A

436

B

437

C

Tip

Stencilling works best if you chill your cake in

the fridge for a short while. This will stop the

stencil sticking to the surface when you peel it

off and solidifies the pattern which prevents it

smudging.

438

Using Writing Creatively

There are times when spoken words are not

enough, and you would rather say it in style and

surprise somebody special by putting your message