Tennis-tastic cakes

Here are some of my latest cakes - this time with a tennis theme.

This is my first attempt at making run outs ie piping royal icing into shapes, in this case some old-fashioned looking tennis rackets.

How to do brush embroidery

To decorate a cake using brush embroidery, you will need:

·      Miniature cakes covered in sugarpaste

·      Small quantity of royal icing

·      Small bowl

·      Clean, damp cloth

·      Small palette knife

·      Piping bag

·      No 4 nozzle

·      Small brush

·      Water

1.    Give the royal icing a good mix and make sure it’s really smooth, especially if you made it a few days before

2.    Fill your piping bag with the royal icing, keeping any spare in an airtight container or if it's in a bowl, covering with a clean, damp cloth to prevent it from crusting over

3.    Pipe your chosen design onto the cake - using a thickish line 

4.    While the icing is still damp, using a small damp brush, draw the icing into the centre of the shape to create a 3D “embroidery” effect

Tips:

·      Make sure your brush isn’t too wet and make sure to pipe a thick enough line, as the centre of the shape / flower should be covered with icing

What a peach

I'm having a very orange-infused week, inspired by all the bright tangerine shades going down the catwalk. This cake, with my first attempt at a technique called "brush embroidery", is a very subtle peach, but bright and colourful is never far away chez les Warty...