Quick Prep
16 oz (454 g) Egg White Royal Icing (page 273) 8-in. (20.3 cm) round Styrofoam attached to a 10-in.
(25.4 cm) round cardboard cardboard circles or squares Xacto knife
metal spatula
medium-size paper cones
12-in. (30 cm) flex or disposable pastry bags coupler
PME 0, #5 round metal tip, and #18 star tips
P R E PA R I N G T H E R I N G S
Select a ring design pattern from Appendix 1. Carefully trace or copy enough of the pattern to decorate the cake. Place the pattern on a sturdy cardboard piece and tape down the ends. You may need more than one cardboard to accommodate
R I N G D E S I G N W I T H T R E L L I S W O R K 167
Decorator’s Hint
Another option is to outline the scrolls with the PME 0 tip and then overpipe them with the #0 tip. This is the classic way to create a larger filigree, but it may not be practical when time is a factor.
Keep this technique in mind, however, because it forms a much more delicate filigree and is desirable for competition pieces.
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Decorator’s Hint
Pyramid piping is not limited to filigree lace pieces. Use this technique directly on a rolled iced cake when you want del-icate piping without the fuss of piping simple lace.
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Decorator’s Hint
Try using an un-iced 8-in. (20.3 cm) round Styrofoam instead of an iced round. The process for icing an 8-in. (20.3 cm) round Styrofoam in Meringue Powder Royal Icing takes 2 to 3 days.
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the number of rings needed for this project. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly over the pattern and tape it securely with masking tape.
Place 2 oz (57 g) Egg White Royal Icing in a medium-size paper cone with the
#5 round tip. Position the tip between the angles of 45 and 90 degrees. Touch the left or right inner curve of the ring. Raise the tip about 1⁄4in. (6 mm) from the surface and allow the icing to form into the shape of the ring. To end the ring, touch the surface and slightly drag the tip. Pipe the rest of the rings and let dry at least 1 to 2 hours or overnight (see Illustration 11.7).
A S S E M B L I N G T H E R I N G S
Carefully remove the rings from the plastic wrap and place them in a shallow container. Rebeat any leftover icing. Load a pastry bag or medium-size paper cone with 5 to 6 oz (140 to 170 g) rebeaten icing. Place the Styrofoam on your work surface and use a #18 star tip to pipe large shells (see Lesson 1). Be sure the shells are together, as their job is to hold the rings in place.
Pipe the shells on the inside edge of the Styrofoam. Before the shells begin to dry, carefully place the rings, curved ends in, between each shell. After placing five or six rings, check that the rings are evenly and properly spaced between the shells. Continue attaching the rings until all the spaces between the shells are oc-cupied.
P I P I N G S T R I N G O N T H E R I N G S
This is the most exciting part of ring design. Piped strings encase the rings, giving them a nautical look. Load a medium-size paper cone with 1 oz (28 g) Egg White Royal Icing and the PME 0 tip. You may wish to stand when piping this part of the exercise.
The first set of strings begins at the top center of the rings. The strings are carefully piped toward the surface of the cake top, then picked up from the cen-ter to the outside edge of the cake.
To begin, position the tip at a 45-degree angle at the center point of any given ring. Lightly touch the surface of the ring, apply pressure to the cone to begin the icing flow, and raise the tip 1 to 2 in. (2.54 to 5.1 cm). Pipe the strings in a counterclockwise direction if right-handed or clockwise if left-handed. Let 168 L E S S O N 1 1 A D V A N C E D R O Y A L I C I N G P I P I N G A N D D E S I G N S K I L L S
Decorator’s Hint
The rings can be piped from a brand-new 12-in. (30 cm) flex pastry bag or plastic disposable bag. With either type, the tip should be held at a 90-degree an-gle when piping the rings. These pastry bags can hold 8 to 10 oz (228 to 283 g) Egg White Royal Icing.
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Illustration 11.7
Piping rings from a pattern.
the strings drop to the second, third, fourth rings, and so forth. After eight to twelve rings, you may need to stop to prevent the strings from breaking. To stop, carefully touch the surface of one of the rings. Stop the pressure and pull away.
Turn the cake and continue to pipe strings where you left off, stopping after every eight to twelve rings. Once you have gone completely around the cake, end the first round of strings by touching the surface of the ring where you began.
Begin the second round of strings by moving the tip toward the surface of the cake top, about 1⁄8in. (3 mm) from the first. Repeat the process for piping strings for as many rounds as you choose (see Illustration 11.8).
When you get closer to the surface of the cake, the rings are more difficult to pipe continuously. You may need to put an object under one side of the cake to tilt it toward you or away from you, giving you a better angle. At this point, you will need to connect one ring at a time. When you get as close as you can to the inside of the cake’s surface, position the tip back at the top center of the rings and continue piping rings toward the cake’s outside edge. Again, when you get close to the outside edge, you will need to connect one ring at a time.
O V E R P I P I N G T H E R I N G S
This is the trickiest part of this lesson. Each ring is to be overpiped with the same tip used to pipe the rings. The overpiping gives a neater and cleaner appearance to the design. The difficult part is tilting the cake away from you or picking up the cake in one hand and tilting it as you overpipe each ring.
Place 2 oz (57 g) Egg White Royal Icing in a medium-size paper cone fitted with the #5 round tip. Place an object under the cake at the 6 o’clock position, raising the front of the cake to an angle between 45 and 80 degrees. Position the tip at the inside end of one of the rings. To do this, carefully lean over the cake, being careful not to break the rings. Apply a burst of pressure and carefully lift the icing and let it rest over the ring. Move your hands and the icing toward the outside edge of the cake and carefully touch the ring to end the piping. Continue piping until all the rings are overpiped.
This skill is not easy and requires a lot of practice. If the cake were real, this would be the only way of accomplishing the task. When you are practicing with Styrofoam, you can lift the cake with one hand and tilt it inward and outward as you overpipe the rings.
T R E L L I S ( D R O P S T R I N G )
This is a beautiful extension to the ring design cake. The trelliswork can vary to each individual’s taste. Following are three examples:
1. Each or every other ring is connected with a trellis. This motif extends completely around the cake. The next row of trellis is the un-trellis rings. Two rows of trellis piping, trellis and un-trellis, are considered one set. The second set of trelliswork drops slightly lower than the first but follows the same pattern.
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Decorator’s Hint
Don’t worry about starting and stopping on top of the rings. Once the rings are encased, the rings will be overpiped with the #5 round tip (see later in this les-son), covering any signs of stopping and starting.
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Illustration 11.8
Piping strings on the rings.
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Three sets are usually needed to complete the trelliswork, but you may opt for just two (see Illustrations 11.9 and 11.10).
2. Groups of five rings are attached to create a long trellis. Attach the rings all the way around the cake and let the trellis dry for 10 minutes. Go to the center point of the first trellis and actually touch the trellis with the icing from the PME 0 tip. Pull the string up and move over to the center point of the next trellis. Lightly touch the trellis with the icing.
Continue with this technique until you have gone completely around the cake. Let dry for 10 minutes.
Go to the center point of the second row of trellis and pipe a third row, following the same pattern (see Illus-tration 11.9).
3. Every other ring is connected with trelliswork, similar to the first option. However, instead of piping a connecting trellis between the empty rings, pipe a second row of trellis exactly where you started but slightly lower than the first row. Continue with a third row of trellis (see Illustration 11.10).
Review drop string piping in Lesson 4.