Fix a mistake
Icing off the template: stray drips and smears
Icing ends up where there is no template: drips, smears and test squeezes.
Quick answer
A likely cause is moving between shapes while the bag is still oozing. The fix: pipe only on the grey shapes and wipe off stray drips before you take the photo.
What it looks like
- Blobs or smears on blank parts of the sheet.
- A tail or trail of icing between two shapes where you moved the tip.
- A practice squeeze in a corner of the sheet.
Likely causes
- Moving between shapes while the bag is still oozing.
- Resting the bag or your hand on the sheet.
- Testing the flow on the sheet itself.
- A tip with icing stuck on the outside.
How to fix it
Pipe only on the grey shapes
Pipe only on the grey shapes and wipe off stray drips before you take the photo.
Test on a plate
Do your test squeezes on a plate or a spare sheet, not on the one you will score.
Lift and stop between shapes
Stop squeezing at the end of each shape and lift clear before you move to the next one.
Wipe the tip
Keep a damp cloth nearby and wipe the outside of the tip now and then.
Where it shows up on our sheets
It is most common with line, dots and letters. These sheets have strokes where the scorer looks for it first:
| Sheet | Tip | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| Lines and dots | 3 | strokes 1 to 3 (line) and 4 to 6 (dots) |
| Zigzags and waves | 3 | strokes 3 to 5 (line) |
| Block letters | 3 | strokes 1 and 2 (letters) |
How Icing Coach spots it
Anything that looks like icing more than a few millimetres from every template shape counts as stray. It lowers your stray score, and big patches are marked so you can see where they came from.
Every score uses the four corner markers on the printed sheet to flatten your photo onto the template, so it compares your icing with the exact shapes you piped over. How the score works.
Sheets to practise it on
These have the letters, line, zigzag where it shows up most. Pipe one, score it, then pipe it again and compare. You need tip 3.
Block letters practice sheet
Spell CAKE and LOVE in plain capital letters. Practise stopping, lifting and starting again cleanly.
Lines and dots practice sheet
Straight lines and round dots with a plain round tip. The first sheet everyone pipes: it teaches steady pressure and a clean finish.
Zigzags and waves practice sheet
Sharp zigzags and flowing waves. Practise turning smoothly while the bead stays the same width.
