Cake decoration : flower and classic piping

Preface

IN sending forth this my second book on Piping, I wish to thank the very many kind and appreciative friends who have so well received my first book. Their letters of congratulation I keep and prize, and it is at their request I have ' written the present work.

I have, as is my custom, very considerably condensed the work, not only for the purpose of making it a ready reference without the necessity for wading through a lot of unnecessary reading, but also to bring the price within the reach of all those who are not overburdened with “ The nugget from Klondike.”

At the same time, I have given a great deal of attention to Flower Piping, and have outlined the question of classic work in Piping sufficiently to start those on the right road who wish to commence in that fascinating branch of the art, to deal with which fully would require a book fifty times

VI.

Preface.

the size of the present, and this I do not think is required. The work is designed rather to promote thought and suggest ideas than to give designs, and designs only — although it abounds with many of these — and if it accomplish half what my first attempt succeeded in doing, in helping the “ trade,” I shall feel that my efforts have not been spent in vain.

In this spirit — that of hoping to be of some help and benefit to the profession — I send it forth, trusting that, if it lacks anything in the way of usefulness, my friends will remember that the faults it may possess arise not from any desire on the part of its author to keep back any knowledge, but from a want of time and a very busy life of teaching and working generally.

Again thanking my readers for their kind support in the past and trusting to merit a continuance of it in the future,

I am,

Yours faithfully,

R. GOMMEZ.

Chapter I. — A Peep into the Forward Movement of Piping ,, II. — A Basket of Flowers

„ III. — Geometrical Designs

„ IV.— Some Fancy Designs

,, V. — Freehand Piping — Preparatory

,, VI. — Plaque Piping

,, VII. — Borders

,, VIII. — Model and Figure Piping

,. IX. — How to Pipe Leaves of Flowers

„ X. — Figure, Photo, and Scroll

Piping ...

„ XI. — Classic Piping

„ XII. — Flower Piping in General

„ XIII.— The Rose

„ XIV.— The Narcissus and Dahlia ,, XV.— The Pansy, &c. ...

,, XVI.— Thread Work

“No improvement can take place in the art of the present generation until all classes — artists, manufacturers, and the public— are better educated in art, and the existence of general principles is more fully recognised.”— Grammar of Ornament, by Owen Jones.

“ I would advise all my friends who would like to become clever in the most beautiful art of Piping — which I believe will be greatly developed at no very distant date into a ‘ fine art ’ — to give a part of their time to drawing. I can assure you that there is nothing on this earth which cannot be reproduced in sugar — excepting life; and the only way in stating what can be produced in sugar, is by saying that I know of nothing that can be done with any other materials and tools that cannot be done with sugar and tubes.” — Pipi7ig and Ornamentation, by R. Gommez (page 14).

Cake Decoration

AND

Flocuer Piping.

CHAPTER /.

A PEEP INTO THE FORWARD MOVEMENT OF

PIPING.

SINCE writing my book on “ Piping and Ornamentation,” what was therein predicted and foreshadowed has come to pass; for not only have great things in artistic sugar work with the tube been attempted, but have now become matters of past history. To say that, in the confectionery world, this country has made progress in its productions — and particularly in ornamental confectionery — is simply saying something in a half-hearted manner, and expressing half the truth only. The fact is, that confectioners in this country have established their claim to the proud position of being the leaders of the world ; and in the matter of “Piping” there does not remain the shadow of a doubt of England being the “Home of Piping”; and not only so, but the impetus for more advanced work and the life of the forward movement in ornamental design and artistic sugar productions has sprung up, having had its birth and development in this little speck on the world’s map — England. Ear be it from us to boast, but rather to glory in the fact that it is a great legacy left us from

B io Cake Decoration and Flower Piping.

our forefathers from all four quarters of the globe, and by virtue of which we face our great responsibility ; a responsibility which rests upon us for the furtherance of the progressive movement in this — as one of our most gifted trade journal editors has well styled — the “aristocratic part of our profession.”

The question of “ Art in Sugar,” apart from our commercial requirements, and apart from the every-day routine of “work,” opens up a very wide range of pleasurable recreation to each and every lover of the beautiful, as a source of enjoyment from and a means through which one may allow free scope to the inventive and artistic faculty. I know nothing connected with our profession more capable of not only yielding a great amount of pleasure, but of developing and drawing out one’s capabilities, and even improving the quality of one’s own character ; for, after all, it is only catching a glimpse of the lovely that reveals to us the nobler part of ourselves, and spurs us on to the more noble and sublime.

The object of my Second Book on Piping being the treatment of advanced ornamental work and advanced methods in the higher division of our trade, I shall not deal with the fundamental nor elementary stagesof the art; indeed, this would be “slaying the slain” and again covering ground which has already been trodden. I rather want to commence where, in my “ Piping and Ornamentation,” I left off. Hence it will be seen by the foregoing that this work is not for the uninitiated or the beginner, but rather for those who, whilst they have learnt something of piping, and who can turn out a cake “ fairly well,” cannot understand how the more elaborate and the many beautiful things they sometimes see in sugar-work are accomplished.

There is one great danger the beginner of ornamental work is very likely to fall into, and that is, becoming fascinated with the advanced and attractive work of the more able of our profession; and to this danger I would very earnestly call the attention of my young friends (or old friends, for the matter of that, for I have a great number of pupils who were over forty years of age when

The Forward Movement of Piping. ii

they commenced learning — and this I say to their credit — but young in the knowledge of piping, I mean) to the tempting danger of trying to excel in something very elaborate before well mastering the first stages or elementary principles of the art of cake decoration. There is only one way to the top, and that way is by going down , on the principle of “ He that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” Although it may seem a contradiction to say so, I have been struck with the fact of late years — especially at the Exhibitions — that, whilst some of the work shown has given ample proof of the ability of the workman to produce a work of art, the very same men have, by their demonstrations in some of the halls, shown their inability to produce a work of commercial value and requirements. They have either shown their lack of any idea of the underlying principles of designing, or their inability to come down to every-day commercial requirements, or both.

Now, whilst I am desirous of seeing progress (as much progress as you like) in our confectionery productions in the higher grade of our trade — I must insist, both for the individual as well as for the good of tradesmen generally, that to be “commercial” in our capacity for work is the first, and very first, Article of our Faith as confectioners. The authorities of the various exhibitions are responsible for a great deal of this unsatisfactory state of things for not making it more clear wffiat is wanted when competitors enter the arena of battle for the trophies. The sort of work is left entirely to the discretion of the competitor, with scarcely any limit — in fact, without any limit, absolutely as to the time to be spent on a five-guinea cake. Does not this tend to a great deal of unnecessary discussion on the part of the judges, and also a lot of unnecessary comments and unfavourable impressions on the part of those competing, and of those who, whilst they do not compete, take a very keea interest in the trade of which they are members, as is evidenced by the fact of so many being present at the various trade shows?

The difficulty (if difficulty there is) is very easily got over. That this state of things requires remedying, espe-

B 2 dally in the London exhibitions, is only too painfully selfevident. For instance, there is a very good general workman; he puts in a one, two, or three-tier cake, as the case may be; his time is limited, and perhaps his means (I wonder if this is a good guess) ; and this production is placed in competition with a work which, on the face of it, says, “ it took my master some months to mould and finish me,” in addition to the amount of money necessary to build such a costly production. The question, thereupon, comes from many lips, “ Who is the best workman ? Which is the best cake)” And to answer that question it is best to be like the old Greek with a dash of the Scotchman in him, and tell a little story and ask another question. “ Once upon a time ” — this is the orthodox way to begin — “two men appeared at the entrance of an Academy in London, one dressed in fine cloth and soft felt hat, with hair that indicated the artist and a face that indicated that the wearer had received a good education, andwas living an evenly-balanced and well-ordered life; the other the ordinary type of a working man with a family of eight, not including his wife — because his appearance would seem to point to her absence, as it does to many of his brethren. Coming down the marbled hall of the Academy are two persons, one a little man with a very active big mind, a small body with a big head, and beside him a little boy of lively disposition and brisk manner, with an intelligent face and enquiring eyes. “ Who are those gentlemen at the door, Mr. Secretary?” — for the little man with the important gait was the secretary of the society. “Oh, they are both — well both artists, or rather, painters, my boy,” was the reply. “ Are they both very clever, Mr. Secretary ? ” “ What at, house or picture

painting?” “ Oh ! picture painting, of course.” “Well, the gentleman in the felt hat is the cleverest picture painter on canvas, but the other makes pictures of houses. You see, my boy, one paints pictures merely to look at and admire, whilst the other paints them to use as well as to be admired — one to look at, the other to live in.” “ Then which is the cleverer of the two ? ” “ Fll give it up.” And so with those who produce specii

The Forward Movement of Piping. 13

mens of work in cakes which I have seen in London side by side — one to look at, the other made to eat.

The remedy is simple. Let there be a competition for the best specimen of work which can be sold for so much a pound, and also one for the best specimen of a work of art in sugar piping. Then we shall not only encourage the exercise of the artistic faculty, but also, which is of very great importance, increase the value of the production as a commercial commodity, and, last, but not “ least of all,” the ability of the general workman. The competition of general workmen in the halls of the exhibitions is a good feature and greatly to be commended, and it is not surprising to see in them the younger generation producing far and away better results with the tube than men old enough to be their fathers, which fact speaks well for the future of our trade, and for the superiority of the new methods over the old.

One word more. It has been suggested in some quarters that the original designs, &c., of this and my other work are merely sketches, and not actual reproductions from real sugar work. This, I need hardly point out to any intelligent wielder of the “tube,” is untrue, the originals in sugar which have been piped specially for this work being still in my possession.

Cake Decoration and Flower Piping.

Chapter II. A Basket Of Flowers

One thing which must particularly strike the observer at Christmas time, both in our shops and also at the various competitions in all our trade exhibitions, is the absence of any special or distinctive mark of originality in designing. We have been so accustomed to the pink and white flat-pattern work of our forefathers (with the addition of a few metallic and poisonous green leaves) and the plain, stolid, rock-like looking cake with the “star and rope borders,” that one feels it is hardly possible to expect anything in advance or in addition to what we have been used to. Whilst we have certainly made an effort in the question of Coloicr , we are still so much in our infancy in the development of the art, that much remains to be done — and not only to be done, but to be undone. I am pleased to see so many trying to produce something, not only “fresh and vigorous,” but “ smooth and delicate,” for the fact of some trying to produce cakes of a tone and tint different to that which is the custom, and struggling to free themselves from the stereotyped groove into which the “trade” has fixed itself, is very gratifying, from the fact that to struggle against an old custom is an indication that we have not only recognised the fact that we must make progress to meet the requirements of a New Age and new peoples, but that we are waking up to the necessity of educating the more backward ones of our profession, and to the great necessity of educating the public — a thing we should always keep well in mind. That it rests with us to form the tastes of the people in the matter of cake decoration needs no proving.

The question of colour I have dealt with in my book

A Basket ok Flowers. 15

of 1895, “Piping and Ornamentation,” and need not, therefore, deal with it here, only so far as to say that I must again emphasize what I said in that book, and for which ample reason has been afforded since, in the work exhibited at the various shows in the kingdom ; for whilst (as intimated above) some have dared to get out of the “beaten track” of colour in cake decoration, it is only natural to expect, as we have seen, that some will overdo the amount of colour, whilst others have so violated the rules given in my first book as to disgust the onlooker completely, and to produce a most painful feeling in the minds of all wellwishers of the art of piping. For instance, at one show, in the case of one who should, and did, know better, a spray or wreath of forget-me-nots, which was placed or piped round his cake was of such a revolting and ugly blue, in contrast to the white ground of his work, that one was compelled to exclaim, “ Does this gentleman represent Reckitt’s Blue Factory ? If so, he has done that firm an irreparable injury.” Study the rules which govern the question of colour, as laid down in “ Piping and Ornamentation,” in the chapter on “General Hints” and the one on “ Colour and its Application to Cakes,” and not only a pleasing effect should be the result, but you will have helped somewhat in the effort to lift the taste both of our fellow-workmen and the public to a higher standard of excellence.

My first design, by way of illustration, is a representation of a basket of flowers (Fig 1). The basket, of course, may be made to imitate the usual wickerwork of any design or pattern ; but, whichever pattern is decided upon, the method of production is the same. You require for the above a tin, either a 7-lb. icing sugar tin, round , or a piece of sheet tin bent to the desired shape of your intended basket. This tin must be prepared with a little paraffin wax. The tin is made hot in the ' oven, and the wax (which must be quite colourless) rubbed over the surface till a thin coating of it covers the part on which you are going to pipe your basket. Next, with a small cornet of piping paper, filled with Royal icing (see “ Piping and Ornamentation,” page 2 1 ), mark out the outlines of your intended basket. (Jse paper only, and no tube, as the hard nozzle of the instrument is likely to disturb the wax and so prevent the easy delivery from the tin of the work. Mark it out as shown on Fig. 2, and then

Fig. 1.

with one cornet of paper filled with a pale-very pale — green tinted sugar and another filled with a little deeper pink, proceed to fill in the loops, as in Fig. 3, with the green ; then reverse the loops with the pink, as in Fig. 4; then, with a No. 5 or small star tube, finish off the sides and make a handle across the tin

A Basket of Flowers.

so as to produce it slightly curved, as in sketch No. 1 ; these, when quite set — which, if one is in a hurry (and when are we not at Christinas time ?) can be dried off in gentle heat or in the prover, but no steam must touch the work — can be taken off in a few minutes and placed in the centre of the cake. The handle should be fixed in its place, as also the basket, with a little Royal icing, and the flowers (which I shall deal with in another chapter, on “ Flower piping ”) should be piped “ straight ” on to the cake, and a trail of fine foliage or a little creeping plant brought down over the front of the basket in pale green and white blossoms tinged with pale orange.

The flowers in the basket may be either white tinted with

Fig. 4.

A Basket of Flowers.

yellow (pale), or yellow tinted with very pale red — or with orange, rather deeper than the yellow — either of the narcissus or wild rose type. The border is a conventional treatment of the Canterbury bell flower, lying touching one another all round on the edge, produced by working each one with a plain No. 3 tube, and finishing off with a No. 1. The colour is pale pink with a yellowish-green tinted foundation ; that is, the cake is iced a pale amber green. The colours, of course, may be reversed, or varied tints may be indulged in as the artist should desire to keep within the rules of colour in its application to Cake decorations, always remembering that what we are ornamenting is meant not only to look at, but to eat also.

Note. — To get the raised work off the tin the whole must be made slightly hot by inserting in the tin a piece of lighted paper, or it should be placed in the oven for one minute, and the wrork should deliver very readily. But be careful not to make the tin over heated, or the sugar will absorb the wax and stick to the tin. If this should happen let the whole get cool, and the work will deliver if again made slightly warm.

Another very pretty effect in producing the foregoing basket design in raised work is by cutting out a piece of glazed coloured paper, or litmus or green-tinted paper, the shape of the outline given in Fig. 2 (page 17), and pipe on top of the paper in place of the greased tin. This would give variety, and somewhat strengthen the work, when lifting it from the tin ; not that it is difficult to lift it when dry, for it is one of the simplest things in the world, as the man said when he caught the rabbit — he had only to get hold of it.

Another pretty effect is to get some narrow cream silk ribbon or pink silk ribbon, and with it tie some bows or knots. With a little Royal icing, fix one of these in front of the handle on the basket or on top of the handle ; but do not have it very large, or it will spoil the effect, and look clumsy.

The basket may also have some fruit put in to represent cut-flowers ; but cutting the flowers is a subject which would require a small book written to convey enough instruction to be useful. Still, I will, later on, give an illustration of the work which we are doing at the school, of cut flowers from dried or drained fruit. For those who cannot master these, fill the basket with whole fruit, which is very pretty.

Geometrical Designs.

-y

Chapter III. Geometrical Designs

The design shown on Fig. 5 is worked out with Nos. 1, 2 and 3 plain tubes, and the key to the whole is the centre, which is a piece of silver

Fig. 5.

paper cut out eight-pointed star in the same manner as is described for cutting out the paper pattern in my book on “Piping and Ornamentation ” (page 57); place this in the centre of the top of your cake ; the pattern is then worked out with a No. 1 plain tube or a cornet of paper, and the points alternately figured with plain tube No. 1, The centre is raised by going over the work four or five times, finishing off, as should always be the case, with the finest plain tube you have, or with paper only ; always remembering that to do really first-class work one has to dispense with a great number of tubes and depend on their own innate ability to put in the w^ork, and not wait for tubes to do it. The greatest charm always comes from the effect produced by using as few tools as possible, but rather depending on what can be done with that best of all tools — the human hand only.

The border is simple, and the key to its working out is this (Fig. 5) placed round the top edge of the cake, and afterwards going over the top of the outline with Nos. 1 and 2 plain cornets filled with pink icing — a picking-out sort of process. Of course, I need hardly say that the “ sides ” of the cake must be in keeping with the colour on the top of same ; and also that one is not to slavishly follow out (and nothing more) the designs I shall give, because that would defeat the object I have in view. Follow out my suggestions, and then, if you can, improve on them (which is very likely), by all means do so ; but in the foregoing design be careful not to cover up all the silver paper in the centre of your cake. Rather let it define than obscure your pattern by showing up between the markings.

Fig. 6 shows a new idea in chain borders, which is very effective if done boldly, evenly, and in proper

Geometrical Designs.

divisions ; in fact the charm of the design, if any, is its simplicity and neatness. To work it out, the key of it will be found in the border, which is first marked out on a specially prepared and iced cake by using a No. 3 plain tube and bevelling the edge of your cake — that is, when you are glazing the cake hold your palette knife flat on the

Fig. 6.

edge of the top circle (see my book “ Piping and Ornamentation ”), and so press it, whilst with the left hand you turn your revolving stand, and afterwards smooth the top and side of your cake, leaving still a small bevel on the top edge like that seen on most of the handsome looking-glasses of the present day. Next by going round the bottom of the bevel with the No. 3 tube, and afterwards the top of the bevel, two circles are obtained in which the chain or opposite loops are worked, which loops are raised, as in Fig 5, by going over them three or four times with smaller tubes as one gets nearer the finish. The inner parts are worked out in keeping with the border and in proper proportion, towards the centre of the top of the cake. Also the same method must be adopted when one has to work out the “ side.” This design looks very attractive when marked out in two colours, taking the loops alternately. The top of the cake, when iced and bevelled, may be covered with silver paper the same way that Golden Wedding cakes and Silver Wedding cakes are covered on the sides, and then piped on that. Again the foundation glazing may be varied by colouring it different tints, but these must on no account be of a deep colour, or the effect will be spoiled.

Fig. 7 is a design of the usual “ thread work ” style, and is worked out on eight points in two circles : and here let me describe how to get a perfect circle of any

size, and in the centre of the cake. I have said somewhere in my first book to the effect that one should be as ready with his tube to mark out any pattern, without the aid of any other help than his own tubes, as one would with a box of geometrical instruments ; and fitting two perfect circles on the top of a cake is as difficult a piece of work as any I know. But, with the following instructions and method, any one with an ordinary amount of intelligence should accomplish it very easily.

First, then, get your cake placed on the centre of your revolving stand (our latest stand is fitted with ball bearings, and works in consequence very smoothly and evenly ; price 7s. 6d. ; we have some brass fittings, 6s. 6d.). Now fill your cornet with Royal icing, and have ready by your side something slightly higher than the top of the cake you wish to ornament, say a tin or a box turned upside down, on which to rest your hand, in

Geometrical Designs.

which is placed of course the cornet of sugar. Now this must be used in like manner to a pencil pressed down on to the cake, and with the left hand turn round the rotation stand, with the cake exactly in the centre, holding the paper quite steady in one place, and pressing the sugar out as the cake revolves. By this means one

Fig. 7.

will find it very simple to make a circle. This will be found very useful in the “circle thread-work design” later on.

Having got the circle in the centre, as in the illustration, next mark out the eight or six points as the case

C may be, and draw a thread of icing exactly across from point to point, always taking care to cross the sugar in the centre ; now mark each of the eight divisions into diamonds, and then fill three cornets containing plain tubes Nos. i, 2, and 3 respectively. Fill them with Royal icing, and mark out four *^-in length lines in each diamond one way, and then follow by marking four lines the other, as in the illustration, but the lines must not be quite so long as the diamonds. As you repeat the lines one on the other, finishing off with No. 1 fine plain, and from one side of the diamond to the other, thus bulging the centre of each division, which gives the whole a much better effect than if it was quite flat ; finish off the edge of the star by running round with the No. 1 plain tube, and in the second circle you may put any colour sugar “ castor ” by filling a paper cornet, and allowing it to run through in between the circles, which, if done neatly, looks very well; the border is done with No. 7 star tube, and raised on top of each division with a different coloured sugar through a No. 1 or 2 plain tube. This design looks very well piped white on a pink ground, or a pink and green design on a butter-coloured foundation.