Royal Icing Igloo

A royal icing igloo is so ridiculously easy to pipe, you don't even need a tip for the main part of it! All you'll need is a coupler on a pastry bag (an Ateco coupler, though; Wilton's coupler has a notch), white stiff consistency royal icing, a #79 scallop tip to pipe the door, a flower nail, parchment paper squares, a Styrofoam brick to rest the nail in, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick. 

 Hold the coupler (without a tip) at a right angle just above the surface and squeeze out a "kiss" of icing while moving the tip upward for about half an inch. Stop pressure and pull the tip away.

 Touch a fingertip to the dusting pouch and gently tap down the peak to round the shape into a dome. Allow it to firm up for a few minutes.

 Switch to the #79 tip and hold it against the side. Squeeze while moving it away and along the surface for a few millimeters. Stop pressure and pull the tip away. Gently even out any ragged edges of the door with a dusted fingertip. That's all you need to pipe tiny decorations for your North Pole-themed desserts!

Royal Icing Narcissus

The narcissus has always been one of my favorite flowers (definitely my favorite bulb). It is the official flower of December, but is frequently overshadowed by poinsettias. They are easy to pipe, especially if you use a daffodil template on your flower nail (optional, if you're skilled at keeping the 6 petals equal in size): 

 You'll also need a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, a glue stick, parchment paper squares, a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch, petal tip #104, scallop tip #79, and stiff consistency royal icing in white and yellow. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick.

 Attach the #104 tip to the white icing. Hold the tip almost flat against the surface, but with the narrow end of the tip angled outwards and upwards. Squeeze while moving your hand in a tight "U". As you complete the shape, stop pressure and pull the tip away diagonally toward the center of the nail.

 Here are the first two petals. As you pipe them, touch your fingertips to the dusting pouch and taper the petals' tips by pinching them gently.

 Here are the 6 petals. Set the flower aside to firm up for a few minutes at this point.

 Attach the #79 tip to the yellow icing. Pipe a stand-up petal in the center; hold the tip against the surface at a right angle, squeeze, draw upwards for a few millimeters, then stop pressure and pull the tip away.

 Repeat a few times until you've formed the center cup of the narcissus. Sneak in a few of these next time you're supposed to be piping poinsettias; see if anyone notices!

Royal Icing Dahlia

Today's post is a bit of a departure from the "state symbol series", in that the dahlia isn't an official state flower. It is, however, the official flower of San Francisco, which is where my husband Bill and I got married 9 years ago today (and it was also our official wedding flower; fortunately, dahlias are common as dirt in August so we went a little crazy with them). Dahlias come in every size, petal shape, and color imaginable (except blue), so this one I piped today is sort of a typical specimen; it's not meant to depict any specific variety. Dahlias are a great excuse to use up a surplus of almost any imaginable icing color you may have lying around; in this case, I used some leftover fuchsia from Monday's wild prairie rose. You'll need a chrysanthemum tip like #79 by Magic Tip, a flower nail, a Styrofoam brick to rest the nail in, a glue stick, parchment paper squares, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 blend of powdered sugar and cornstarch. You might want to use a larger flower nail and larger parchment squares, if you're attempting dahlias of the "dinner plate" variety. Start by sticking a parchment square to the nail with a dab from the glue stick. 

Starting in the center, pipe an inch of icing with the #79 tip. Stop pressure and pull the tip away. 

 Touch your fingertips to the dusting pouch, and pinch the outer edge of the petal to taper it.

 Here's another view of the same petal.

 I like to pipe "compass points" to keep the flower centered, overlapping in the center.

 Repeat…

 …and repeat.

 Finish off with a few petals in the center that are angled more up than out. Allow this flower a good amount of time to dry before peeling away the parchment paper. Dahlias are also the national flower of Mexico, so consider them next time you make a cake or other dessert for a fiesta of any sort!

Royal Icing Sunflower

I think the sunflower is one of the easiest yet boldest flowers you can pipe. It's larger than most royal icing flowers; just one would cover an entire cupcake! You'll need larger parchment squares (about 3") and a larger 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, stiff consistency royal icing in yellow and brown, round tip #3, and a curved ribbon tip (I used #79 by Magic Tip).

 Start by sticking a parchment square to the nail with a dab from the glue stick.

 Make a dot of icing in the middle of the square to keep your flower centered.

 Hold the tip just above the surface at a 45 degree angle. Pipe two petals opposite each other. Start from the center and radiate out to just inside the edge, at which point you should stop pressure and pull the tip away.

 Touch your fingertips to the dusting pouch, and pinch the ends of the petals into a point.

 Repeat the process…

 …again and again…

 …and again. Don't worry if you don't wind up with exactly 16 petals.

 Touch a fingertip to the dusting pouch again and tap it against the center to flatten out all those raw ends.

 Allow the flower to firm up for about 15 minutes. Pipe a cluster of #3 short stand-up dots. Hold the tip against the center of the flower, squeeze briefly while drawing the tip upwards for about 2 millimeters, stop pressure and pull the tip away. If any of the dots are especially taller than the others, touch a finger to the dusting pouch and tap them down. Allow this flower ample time to harden; the drying time can be sped up by placing it under a desk lamp. This is a great flower for decorating cakes all the way from summer through fall!

Royal Icing Chrysanthemums

I have two different Wilton books that feature the chrysanthemum--and each one shows how to pipe it a completely different way: from bottom to top (in the more modern book) and from top to bottom in the old-school book. I encourage you to try both ways to see which you prefer. You'll need a piping bag fitted with a round tip #5 and filled with any color stiff consistency royal icing, a flower nail, a parchment paper square for each mum, and a Styrofoam block. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick. You'll also need a tip #79 or #80, depending on whether you're using Ateco, Magic Tip or Wilton (this is an Ateco #80). Hold the round tip just above the parchment square and pipe a mound:

 Pipe one mound for each mum, and let them firm up for a while (15 minutes, at least).

 Switch to the fluted tip, and pipe short petals all the way around the mound.

 Continue with another row of petals; offset them from the row below (don't stack them directly on top of each other). Hold the bag at a steeper angle for this…

 …and all consecutive rows.

 For this row, the bag is almost perpendicular to the nail:

 Finally, add a few stand-up petals in the very center to finish the mum:

 Here's the mum in reverse. Start by holding the fluted tip almost in the center of the mound:

 Pipe three stand-up petals:

 Continue adding more rows around the first 3 petals, offsetting each row as you go:

 By the time you get to the base, the backside of the tip should be flat on the nail:

Not only is the mum darling in any color, it's now one of my favorite "cupcake flowers"!

Royal Icing Water Lily

Here's a water lily to accompany yesterday's royal icing lily pad. It's based on a design I found in the recently re-released book by Wilton, The Uses of the Most Popular Decorating Tips (originally published in 1986). The water lily is piped with a curved ribbon tip; I used a Magic Tip #79.

 You'll also need a parchment square for each water lily, stiff consistency royal icing in yellow, green, and purple (put a tip #2 on the yellow bag and the curved ribbon tip on the green; it'll also be used on the purple), a non-toxic glue stick, a flower nail, a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch, and a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in.

 Start by attaching a parchment paper square to the nail with a dab from the glue stick.

 Holding the back of the tip flat on the nail, pipe six leaves, radiating out from the center.

 Touch your thumb and index finger to the dusting pouch, and pinch the tip of each leaf to a point.

 Stick the nail in the Styrofoam block, and switch the curved ribbon tip to the bag of purple icing. Pipe six petals so they lay in between the green ones below.

 Pinch the ends to points as you did the leaves.

 Pipe another six shorter petals, again staggering them in between the petals below.

 Pinch the tips into points, and pipe a cluster of yellow stamens in the center. To form them, hold the tip perpendicular to the nail, squeeze a small bead for an anchor, then pull up a short distance before stopping pressure and pulling away.