Pipe the flowers

It's easier than you think – and the possibilities are endless!

DAISY, DAISY

• Fill a piping bag with a star nozzle with butter icing in a colour of your choice. • Holding the nozzle at one spot near the surface, squeeze out the icing from the back of the piping bag; apply constant pressure without lifting the bag until a star-shaped daisy forms around the nozzle. Once you’re happy with the ‘star’, stop applying pressure and lift up the nozzle carefully. Repeat to make more flowers and try to keep them all the same size. • As a finishing touch, you can use a second piping bag with a small, round nozzle and yellow icing to create a yellow dot in the centre; or use store-bought decorating balls.

ROSES

• Fill a piping bag with a star nozzle with butter icing in a colour of your choice. • Keeping the nozzle close to the surface, squeeze the bag from the back, letting the icing slowly ‘drop’ (in other words, you don’t keep the nozzle in the icing as you did with the daisies); then move the star nozzle around the centre in a smooth spiral to form the rose. To finish off, stop applying pressure, then lift the nozzle away from the spiral. If the end point is too noticeable, you can smooth it with the back of a teaspoon, but rather don’t fuss with it too much.

CHRYSANTHEMUMS

• Fill a piping bag with a half-moon ruffle nozzle with butter icing in a colour of your choice. Keep the piping bags you used for the roses and daisies close at hand if there’s any icing left; you will use them here. • Using a mini digestive biscuit or Marie biscuit as a base, form the outer petals first. • Keeping the nozzle close to the edge of the biscuit, hold the piping bag so that the curve of the nozzle opening faces outwards. Squeeze gently on the back of the piping bag and lift the nozzle towards the outside of the flower in an even movement. Stop squeezing once the petal is long enough. Repeat all around the edge to create the longer outer petals. • Using the same technique, create a second row of petals slightly shorter just inside the outer petals. To finish, use the star-nozzle piping bag in the rose or daisy colour and make a small star in the middle. Garnish with a few decorating balls if desired.