HOW TO COVER AND DECORATE YOUR CAKE

STEP 1 Make the royal icing as directed on the pack, place in a piping bag with the nozzle and seal the end with clingfilm so it doesn’t dry out. Knead the sugar paste on a work surface dusted with icing sugar, then roll into a 35-40cm circle, 5-6mm thick. Use the rolling pin to help lift it over the cake.

STEP 2 Ease the sugar paste around the cake, rubbing with your hands and smoothing away imperfections. Press in around the base and cut away any excess, keeping the trimmings. While it is still soft, indent a line where you will insert the spout and 2 on the opposite side for the handle.

STEP 3 Roll out some of your remaining sugar paste, cut a 9.5cm circle and stick it on top of the teapot with royal icing. Push the spout and handle into their slots, using royal icing to secure. Roll a thin sausage of sugar paste and use edible glue to stick around the edge of the lid. Make a sugar paste ball and stick on top with edible glue. Paint both with gold lustre, as for the handle and spout.

STEP 4 To decorate the teapot with painted leaves and flowers, try your design first on a piece of paper. You simply dilute food colouring pastes with water and use like watercolours. Use royal icing to attach your sugar paste flowers and finish with pearl centres, stuck on with edible glue or royal icing. You can also pipe on dots for detail. Brush flowers with gold lustre to highlight.