Pastry Decorating

I took a few simple pastry decorating classes over the course of the month, to learn and perfect some basic techniques and pick up new ones.
I had a great time doing it, and knowing all these tips and tools will really come in handy. Of course, half the fun is eating the icing straight from your spatula! Here are a couple of things I made.

* Wilson decorating tips, offset spatulas, food coloring and disposable icing bags are important tools to have handy.

∞ Moist chocolate cupcake topped with piped butter-cream flowers, swirl of frosting and sprinkled with silver sugar crystals. ∞

∞ Cake pops: made by crumbling vanilla sponge together with a dollop of white butter-cream frosting until a “dough” is formed, then molding into pop shapes. Frozen for 15 minutes and then coated in chocolate, colorful decorating chocolate and non-pareils. ∞

∞ A chocolate cupcake filled with cream, then evenly spread with butter-cream by an offset spatula. Flower is made of fondant. ∞

The basics, when you get the hang of them, are not hard at all, but you need to have patience and be prepared to make many batches of cupcakes, or multiples of whatever base you’re using so you can keep practicing until it comes out exactly the way you want to.