The highlight of this week’s lesson was decorating a dummy cake, but we began by learning how to cover a cake with royal icing and how to pipe several types of flowers.
You can finish a cake with royal icing, ganache, or buttercream; for this class we used royal icing. I had never learned the proper method for icing a cake so it still looks smooth and neat. My usual approach is a thin layer of buttercream so fondant adheres well, so this technique was a little different. I forgot to photograph my iced dummy cake, but it turned out very smooth and tidy. Without a photo I can’t prove it, but I was pleased with the result.
Piping flowers was enjoyable to watch and practice. The instructor made it look effortless during the demonstration, but when I started piping myself I discovered it was trickier than it seemed. I did manage to create some attractive blooms. Eventually I shifted to making “fantasy” flowers instead of trying to recreate a specific real flower, and that approach suited me. The piped decorations looked quite charming and added personality to the designs.
The best part of the day was decorating the dummy cake using the piping techniques we’d practiced over the past weeks. I covered my dummy with pastry-pink fondant first, then piped royal icing details. Everything came together nicely and I’m really happy with the finished design. The combination of smooth fondant and delicate piping created a refined, cohesive look.
Next week we’ll apply these techniques to a real cake. I’m already looking forward to seeing how the skills translate to an edible version and to trying new variations in color and piping styles.