How to Make Violets in Cake Decorating

Decorate a cake with brightly coloured and delicate violets. You can use many types of icing to make violets but royal icing is a good choice for beginners because it is stiff and flowers made with this type of icing will hold their shape without melting or sagging. While piping violets is not complicated, mastering the technique can take much time. So plant to practice making violets long before you need them to decorate a cake.

Skill level:Moderately Challenging

Things you need

Small petal decorating tipDecorating bagsWaxed paperFlower nailIcingViolet food colouring pasteYellow icingSmall round decorating tip

Instructions

1 Attach a small petal decorating tip to a decorating bag. The size of this tip will determine the size of your completed violet.

2 Attach a square of waxed paper to a flower nail with a small dot of icing.

3 Spoon tinted icing into the decorating bag. You can tint white icing a deep violet colour by adding a small amount of violet food colouring paste or gel.

4 Hold the bag at a 45-degree angle with the wide end of the petal decorating tip touching the centre of the flower nail.

5 Squeeze the bag gently to release the icing and slowly turn the flower nail slightly at the same time. Pull the decorating bag away from the centre of the nail and bring it back toward the centre while you turn the nail. This will create a curved petal shape. You may need to practice this technique several times before you master it.

6 Repeat step five to create three petals on the bottom half of the flower nail.

7 Repeat step five to create two petals on the top half of the flower nail. This forms the distinct five-petal shape of a natural violet.

8 Spoon a small amount of yellow tinted icing into another decorating bag equipped with a small round decorating tip.

9 Pipe two small yellow dots onto the centre of the violet.

10 Let the violet dry and harden before you remove it from the waxed paper and apply it to your cake.