Buttercream Blending - Stripe Effect



It's no secret, I've been spending mass amounts of time focusing on cake decorating. When you're teaching classes, on how to decorate cakes you get to practice techniques and learn a few new ones. This #techniquetuesday I'll share with you a recent experiment - The buttercream stripe! Let me show you how I did it! And if you ever wondered why Zebra's have stripes you want to keep reading too! ;)




Now forgive me, for starting the cataloging after I already did the piping. But, I promise you it was super simple (you'll see what I mean in a bit).  Of all the designs you can put on a cake, why did I choose stripes? Well, that and why zebra's have stripes is still up for debate.

It was initially thought that a zebra's stripes served as a form of camouflage in the wild, or a means of repelling bugs, but earlier this year that was disputed. Scientists are saying that the stripes do not help zebras hide based on what is known about the eye sight and the impeccable sense of smell of lions and other predators. This can also be said about this pattern on the cake, it's super cute but doesn't save the cake from a sweet tooth! Here's how it's done:

Materials:

2 or more icing colors (depends on how many colored stripes you want to make)
2 or more disposable piping bags
2 or more round or flat tips (Wilton tip number 12 is perfect)
1 cake crumb coated
Turntable or Lazy Susan (optional but super helpful)
Icing smoother or large spatular


Method:
Step 1:  Start by preparing an icing bag using a smooth round or flat tip. (If you don't have icing tips you can do this with a zip lock freezer bag with a hole cut in one corner.)

Step 2: Pipe an even ring of icing around the base of your cake. Make a 2nd and third ring in the same color depending on the thickness of the stripe you want. (If you have a wide professional tip it would be awesome for thicker stripes). Alternate the rings with the various icing colors you want for your stripes. Do this until you have rings all around the cake, and all the way to the top.  You'll end up with something that looks like this:


Yes it looks a bit messy but trust me it will work. Feel free to fill in spots you missed before moving to the next step.

Step 3: Scrape the excess off, using a spatula or icing smoother. (The Wilton Icing Smoother is awesome!!!!! And I don't get paid or compensated to say that! Just calling it like it is, and if you want one you can find it here).

 Look at me do it here, it's my first You Tube demo y'all:


Step 4: Keep smoothing the icing and the top edges with the icing smoother, a spatular, parchment paper or Sparkle Paper towel (lots of options here). 






When you're finished smoothing, you can leave it as is, or decorate it more with colors that add a nice contrast to your stripes like I did.




These buttercream stripes are simple to achieve and create a beautiful effect that you don't see everyday. It defintiley stands out in a line up of buttercream cakes. Maybe that's why zebra's have stripes? :)Of course I covered up the bottom green strip with flowers... I guess I wouldn't be me if I didn't do a crazy thing like that!

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