Cake decorator Romi Naparstek demonstrates decorating a rainbow cake with buttercream petals – and it’s easier than it looks!
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Piping is an art that cake decorators practice for years. Whether you’re a seasoned caker or just getting started, the “pipe and swipe” is the perfect technique for creating simple yet memorable cake designs.
For beginners, this is a great way to get comfortable with buttercream and start to gain control over the piping bag. So that’s the first thing you’ll need! Piping bags may be cloth, silicone, plastic, or you can even make your own out of parchment paper.
How to do the “pipe and swipe”
For the pipe and swipe method, we recommend a plain #12 piping tip. In this lesson, Romi uses a 6″ three-layer round for her rainbow cake. Her best ever buttercream recipe is perfect for making petals!
The pipe and swipe is exactly what it sounds like: pipe a drop of buttercream, then swipe the drop to create a petal shape. Alternatively, you can pipe the drop and then swipe it with an offset spatula.
Once you’ve frosted your cake with a plain crumb coat, score it with a ruler in preparation for the petal pattern, to keep proper proportions.
Start from the bottom, creating rows of petals all around, alternating the colors of the rainbow. Begin the second row with the second color from the first row, and so on. This creates a cascade effect around the cake.
On the top, start from the edge and work in toward the center, alternating colors as evenly as possible.
What makes this cake stand out at a party is truly the array of colors. We recommend mixing your own shades with a few drops of food dye or gel color for that extra special pop.
There are tons of ways to use the pipe and swipe to create eye-catching petal cakes without being a pro at cake decorating. Share your experience in the comments section!
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Beautiful.
Can’t believe how easy it is to do the rainbow. Good job👍
Imaginative ,makes me smile ,have got to try this!
Beautiful cake I want to try
To make one
Wow
That was the best. Love rainbows.