1. On a piece of greaseproof/baking paper, draw out the size and shape of the trees you want to pipe.
2. Turn the sheet over, so the drawing is on the reverse side, but you can still see it, and make a paper piping bag. If you’re not sure how to do this, the instructions are here : How to make a paper piping bag
4. Using your drawn outlines as a guide, pipe over the pencil lines.
5. Then completely fill in the ‘trunk’ part of the tree- you need this to be thick so it doesn’t break when you push it into the buttercream. Then squiggle (yes that’s a technical decorating term) inside the rest of the tree outline, touching the outline too, as you need it all to hold together.
6. Repeat for the rest of the tree outlines. If you have any Candy Melts left, you can add some free hand (like my smaller ones).
**top tip** If you have candy melts left over, don’t throw them away. Open up the piping bag and leave it to dry in the air. Then peel it off and store it until you need it for next time.
7. Then when you have piped the buttercream on the cake, insert the candy trees into the buttercream whilst it is still soft. They are a little on the fragile side, so make a few extra as you might need them.
This technique could be used for all sorts of celebrations- hearts for Valentine’s, shamrocks for St Patrick’s Day, letters for names for birthdays….the list is endless. Have a go, and let me know how you got on 🙂
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