Page 22 - Irene Farm Villages 2021

Lifestyle

SuCCulENT SuMMER CupCAkES

Tips for piping
scrumptious
confectionary

succulents

very summer, all the succulents in nozzle, mix a little milk or water into the
our gardens, on our windowsills buttercream until it is spreadable like
Eand in our planter boxes explode peanut butter.
into life. Summer and all the life it brings If the buttercream is too soft, and you
should be celebrated and what better find you have very little control over the
way than with a scrumptious cupcake extrusion speed – try giving it a rest for
adorned with captivating cacti that 30 minutes in the fridge. Sometimes, the
look ready to soak up the summertime heat of your hands can cause the butter
sunshine? in the icing to liquefy. Cooling it in the
While the intricate-looking cupcakes fridge helps the butter to re-solidify so
may look prickly to pipe, prodigy piper, you have better control over your form.
Grace Stevens is here to share her top tips If I’m piping lots of succulents on a short
on how to get pinpoint perfect succulents timeline, I’ll always use more than one
to adorn your summer table spreads. piping bag with the same nozzle and
buttercream and alternate using each
PERFECT ICING CONSISTENCY piping bag to prevent my buttercream
The consistency of your buttercream from getting too warm.
is super important to get right or your It is also important to make sure your
culinary garden can quickly become a icing sugar does not contain an anti-
delicious but disappointing mess. If you caking agent or cornflour. This is because
have followed the instructions of your the viscosity and expansion properties
icing recipe but something still isn’t of the cornflour – the way it reacts to
quite right – there are a few steps you pressure under your hand – make it
can take. almost impossible to get a proper stiff
If your buttercream is too stiff, and you buttercream. It is far better to use pure
are struggling to extrude it from your icing sugar for better control.