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Fix a mistake

Common piping mistakes and how to fix them

These are the eight problems Icing Coach marks when it scores a photo of your sheet. Each page shows what it looks like, why it happens and the sheet to practise the fix on.

  • Two lines of pink buttercream on parchment: the top one wobbles, the bottom one is straight
    Fix a mistake · Lines and dots

    Wobbly line

    The line snakes from side to side of where you meant it to go.

  • Two piped lines: the top one has gaps and breaks, the bottom one is unbroken
    Fix a mistake · Lines and dots

    Gaps and breaks

    The icing stops, thins out or breaks where the template carries on.

  • Two piped lines: the top swells thick and thin, the bottom is the same width all along
    Fix a mistake · Lines and dots

    Thin then thick

    The bead swells and shrinks along a line or ring.

  • Two rows of piped stars: the top row drifts off its guide line, the bottom row sits on it
    Fix a mistake · Lines and dots

    Drifting off the line

    The icing sits beside the template, shifted to one side.

  • Two piped shell borders: the top has shells of different sizes, the bottom is even
    Fix a mistake · Shells and stars

    Different sizes

    Repeated units come out in different sizes or with uneven spacing.

  • Two rows of piped dots: the top dots have pointed tails, the bottom dots are smooth and round
    Fix a mistake · Shells and stars

    Peaks on dots

    Dots and stars end in a pointy peak or a tail instead of a neat finish.

  • Two rosettes: the left has a hole in the middle and sits off its circle, the right is closed and centred
    Fix a mistake · Swirls and flowers

    Rosette open or off-centre

    The rosette has a hole in the middle, or its swirl is not centred on its circle.

  • A practice sheet with smears and stray blobs off the template on top and clean piping below
    Fix a mistake · Clean sheets

    Icing off the template

    Icing ends up where there is no template: drips, smears and test squeezes.

Not sure which one you have?

Pipe a free practice sheet and upload one photo. Icing Coach marks your top problem spots and names each one.

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