Shells, flowers, and animals

Tonight is one of those nights that start off rocky and end in a high note. I was home early, did my chores, got my cake frosted on time and even got packed up and ready to go before I had planned, well so I thought. I got to class a few minutes early intending to pick up disposable bags for tonight's adventure and the store was out of bags. And thus began a series of "uh ohs I forgot." By the time the class was over I managed to borrow: 3 disposable bags, 1 coupler, icing (uh hello, how might you decorate a cake with out icing?), 1 2B tip, and piping gel. Fortunately the ladies in my class were very generous and saved my toosh, big time.

Tonight we learned shells, flowers, twisty flowers, big dots, and animal forms. A couple things to remember: #1: piping bag should be faced at an angle and always moving toward you when making shells. Lifting up on the icing then pulling creates a snail, and pulling to quickly creates a slug. #2: Small shells take less icing, so don't squeeze out so much. #3: When making flowers, piping bag should be held straight. Squeeze, stop, and then pull. For twisty flowers, turn hand 9 o'clock or 3 o'clock (left hand, right hand) and twist to 6 o'clock while squeezing icing. #4: To avoid making Hershey kisses instead of big dots, squeeze straight, stop, and twist. And #5: medium-stiff consistency works best for animals. Anything looser will turn into a drunken slouched animal.

Considering how I started the night off I have to say that the cake was a success. Of course, no one has tried it yet....