How to do brush embroidery {a quick trick for super pretty cakes}

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you had a lovely weekend. I drove up to Diss, Norfolk- a much needed get away! It was my great aunt's 80th birthday so I made her a cake...

{The gorgeous hotel that was my home for the weekend}

{Everything on the cake was handmade. To know how to make the roses, check my sugar rose tutorial for a step by step guide}

You will need:

• Flower cutters (or the shape you want to use)
• A piping bag and size 2 nozzle
• Royal icing 
• Thin paintbrush 
• Pot of water 
• Kitchen roll or cloth

How to make:

This is a pattern that gives cakes a beautiful finish and is very quick and easy (trust me!)

To make royal icing you only need a tiny amount of water. Add the water drop by drop. You want a fairly thick consistency, to test this, spoon some icing and dribble it back into the icing bowl. If the icing that has dripped off the spoon back onto the icing in the bowl holds its shape for at least 3 seconds you're good to go!

Using the cutters, push them into the cake to give an outline.

Pipe the outline of the flowers. 

Pipe another line in the inside of each petal, do this separately, and with a damp paintbrush pull the icing into the centre of the flower. Clean your brush of icing after each stroke.

Do this for each petal and pipe a centre in the middle of each flower. 

This makes a lovely and delicate pattern which dries hard, so won't smudge! You can do brush embroidery on biscuits too, they make lovely wedding favours. 

Hana xxx