Royal Icing Beehive

Today is Labor Day, which seems like a perfect day to pipe beehives in honor of Utah, "The Beehive State," where the motto is simply "Industry." All you'll need to pipe beehives is brown stiff consistency royal icing, tip #12, a flower nail, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, parchment paper squares, a glue stick, toothpicks, black food coloring like AmeriColor Soft Gel Paste in Super Black, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of cornstarch and powdered sugar. Start by sticking a parchment square to the nail with a dab from the glue stick. 

Hold the #12 tip at a 90 degree angle to and just above the surface.

 Squeeze out some icing, about the area of a penny. Stop pressure and pull the tip upwards, about 3 millimeters higher than its original position.

Repeat three times, depositing a slightly smaller "coin" of icing each time. When you're done with the 4th one, stop pressure and pull the tip away straight up. This shape won't look a thing like a beehive…

 …until you've touched a fingertip to the dusting pouch and lightly tapped the top down, forming a more domelike shape overall.

 When the icing has firmed up, use a toothpick and the black coloring to paint in a tiny "door" on the ground floor. These would make charming cupcake toppers for any event in the Beehive State (like Pioneer Day on July 24th), along with a swarm of royal icing bees.

 

Royal Icing Channel Catfish

I love it when whatever project I'm working on already happens to look like a squirt of icing; it makes the creative process that much easier. Tonight's creature is the official state fish of Nebraska, the channel catfish. These fish can grow to be 50+ pounds; I'm pretty sure this one doesn't even weigh a gram. All you'll need to pipe catfish are stiff consistency royal icing in gray (add a very small amount of a product like AmeriColor Super Black soft gel paste off the end of a toothpick to white icing), round tip #12, round tip #2, oval tip #57 by Ateco, parchment paper squares, a flower nail, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, a glue stick, a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of cornstarch and powdered sugar, and round toothpicks. Start by sticking a parchment square to the nail with a dab from the glue stick. 

Using the #12 tip, pipe an elongated teardrop shape about 1.25" long. Hold the tip at a right angle to and just above the surface. Decrease pressure as you near the end of the shape before stopping pressure and pulling the tip away.

When you start, angle the tip to form the fish's upper lip. 

 

 Switch to the #57 tip and pipe the tail fins. Hold the tip against the narrow end and pipe two short lengths of icing. Taper the ends of each fin with fingertips after touching them to the dusting pouch.

 Also using the #57 tip, pipe two fins on the back; the larger one should be toward the front. Pipe them in the same way you did the tail, except for holding the tip at a 45 degree angle to the surface and pulling it along at an angle.

 Pipe two fins on the sides in a similar way, holding the tip alongside the surface. With all of the fins, touch a fingertip to the dusting pouch and gently tap them where they join the fish's body to secure them.

 Switch to the #2 tip to pipe the whiskers. The catfish has 4 pair; if you feel like you only have room for one pair, that's OK. Hold the tip against the surface, squeeze briefly, and pull the tip away.

When the surface is dry, paint in the eyes. To make small dots, I like to smash the pointy tip of a toothpick against the counter before dipping it in the black food coloring and touching it gently to the surface. In addition to Nebraska, the channel catfish is also the official state fish of Iowa, Missouri, and Tennessee; this critter would be an appropriate cupcake topper for a celebration commemorating any of these states! 

Royal Icing Stuffed Bear

During the Olympics, there was a story about Harrods, and how the stuffed bear that inspired Winnie the Pooh was bought there. This bear also looks suspiciously like Paddington, so I thought I'd better give this post the generic name of "stuffed bear" so neither of them would feel left out. All you'll need to pipe a stuffed bear is brown stiff consistency royal icing, round tip #12, oval tip #57, a flower nail, parchment paper squares, a glue stick, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, a black food-safe marker or a product like AmeriColor Soft Gel Paste in Super Black, toothpicks, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 blend of powdered sugar and cornstarch. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick. 

 Hold the round #12 tip just above and at a right angle to the surface. Squeeze, then pull up for just over half an inch. Stop pressure and pull the tip away straight up.

 Touch a fingertip to the dusting pouch and use it to tap the peak into a rounded shape. Pipe as many bear bodies as you'll need and set them aside to firm up.

 Pipe as many teardrop-shaped heads as you can fit on a parchment paper square. Hold the tip just above and at a 45 degree angle to the surface, squeeze out a ball, then pull the tip away at an upwards angle. Set them aside to firm up.

Switch to the oval #57 tip to pipe the limbs. Start with the legs. Place the tip against the body about halfway back, pipe alongside the body for a short distance to firmly anchor the leg to it, then bring the tip upwards when you stop pressure to create an upturned foot.

 Next, pipe the arms. Stuffed anthropomorphic bears tend to have surprisingly long arms. Start at the shoulder, and end at the leg. For all the limbs, tap them into place with a dusted fingertip. You'll want to tap the top of the bear where the arms begin flat, as that's where the head will go.

 When the heads have firmed up, pipe the ears with the tip #57. Flatten the ears slightly between your fingertips so they aren't just a couple of balls.

 Once all of the pieces have firmed up sufficiently enough to be handled…

 …stick the head to the body with a dot from the tip #57.

 You can either draw on the nose and eyes with a food-safe marker like an AmeriColor Gourmet Writer, or dab them on (like I did) with a toothpick dipped in AmeriColor Super Black Soft Gel Paste (flat for the nose, round for the eyes). These would be darling cupcake toppers for any Teddy Bear's Tea Party or high tea for dolls.

Royal Icing Remembrance Poppy

During the Olympics Opening Ceremony, there was a reference to Remembrance Day (aka Poppy Day or Armistice Day), which reminded me of these stunning black and red Remembrance Poppies. I had to try my hand at piping them, and here's what I came up with. Start by sticking a parchment paper square to a glue stick.

 Pipe a base using a round #12 tip and black stiff consistency royal icing. Hold the tip just above the parchment paper, squeeze until the icing starts to build up, and pull the tip straight upward for about half in inch before stopping pressure and pulling away. The base will probably resemble a Hershey's Kiss. Touch your fingertip to a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 blend of powdered sugar and cornstarch, and tap the peak flat.

 When the bases have had a chance to firm up for about 15 minutes or so, pipe a #16 star in the center. Flatten it with your fingertip as well.

 Pipe a total of five petals with a #104 petal tip and stiff consistency red royal icing (I used Super Red by AmeriColor; the black is Super Black). Attach a base to the nail gently by the paper with another dab from the glue stick. With the wide side of the tip #104 about halfway down the base, pipe a wraparound petal just over halfway around the base. I used a gentle in-and-out sawing motion to gently ruffle the icing

 Here's the second petal, which overlaps the beginning and end of the first petal.

 Pipe three more overlapping wraparound petals, being sure to completely cover the black base. If you make several dozen of them, they'd be a perfect, edible prop for a pretty nurse costume (serving poppies from a tray)

Royal Icing Ladybugs

Yesterday's ant even bugged me a little; it was just SO realistic and icky. So, today I piped a ladybug (which a few folks have been asking for, so here you go). All you need are stiff consistency royal icing in black, white, and red (as you can tell I used hot pink, so scratch that last requirement), parchment paper squares, a flower nail, a glue stick, round tips #12, #2, #8, and #1, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 blend of powdered sugar and cornstarch. Start by piping an egg with the #12 tip, held just above and at a 45 degree angle to a parchment square.

 Round the tip into a true egg shape with a fingertip after touching it to the dusting pouch.

 Make an egg for each ladybug's body.

 After they've firmed up for a while, pipe a #2 line down the center with the black icing. I used Super Black by AmeriColor. I stuck the squares to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick for this step; I find piping details to be a lot easier when I can hold everything up close to my eyes and not have to lean over the counter. Allow the line to fall out of the tip, sort of like you're piping a drop string, to keep it smooth. When you pull the tip away at the end, tap it flat with your fingertip.

 Switch to the #8 tip and pipe the head. It's basically a ball. Hold the tip almost against the body, squeeze out a ball, and as you pull the tip away, stop pressure. Tap the head into a round shape with your dusted fingertip if a peak remains.

 This part is so fun: the dots. Try to make them relatively symmetrical, if you're being a stickler for accuracy. Use the #2 tip, hold it just above the surface, squeeze out a dot, and pull away.

 Tap the dots flat with a fingertip (unless you want your ladybug to look dangerous, punk, or otherwise evolved).

 Pipe #2 dots for eyes with the white icing in the center of the head, flattening them as well.

 Lastly, pipe the antennae. Use black icing and the #1 tip. Hold the tip against the front of the head, squeeze, and pull away. Stop pressure after a very short distance. Adjust the direction of the antennae with a fingertip if they're heading off in two completely unrealistic directions.

 These could be piped in any color to match any theme. I think they'd be sweet on any sort of dessert for a garden party, or even for Halloween (I think they already look sort of sinister; imagine if they were piped in orange and black!).