So it will soon be 2 months since i started working for Lakeland stores.
I was given the opportunity to test out the Russian Piping Nozzles set. I was planning to buy a set so that was really good luck!
I had brought a set of the metal ones from Ebay previously, think i used it once and did not come out very well. This is either the tips or my Buttercream was not stiff enough.
So the Lakeland set comes with 8 Nozzles a Coupler, 3 bags and a 3 split colour coupler for £11.99. I was also given some Frostings to try out which were thick enough to pipe and hold the shape well.
The Cherry & Cola duo pack was nice, you can choose to mix them together or use separate. The other Duo Pina colada and Mojito are best used separate.
My favourite ones were the Cola & Cherry and the Pina Colada flavours, The Mojito one was too strong for me, but if you are a Mint Lover you would like it.
There is also a Candyfloss and Bubblegum duo flavour pack. But of course you can use your own icing recipe just make sure it is thick enough to hold the shape.
NOW ONTO THE TESTING!
1st of all you need some Cakes ( wave a magic wand and hey presto 12 appear before your eyes) any flavour will do, i chose plain Vanilla as the flavours would go well with them.
I chose to test 3 of the Nozzles 1st of all Rose, Sunflower and Grass
Having the Coupler is great as you can change Nozzles easily if you want to change design and use the same Colour in the bag. If you want to do a duo colour like i have in the Rose design, spread one colour of icing on one side of the bag and the 2nd colour on the other side. When you pipe the double colour will come out.
1st up is the Rose design done in a double colour, hold the bag straight vertically above the Cupcake and pipe pressing down onto the Cupcake and then release!
You can adjust the height by waiting to release. Next time i would spread a thin coat of Icing on the Cupcake first, just so that the Icing has something to grip to. Sometimes it can not stick to the Cupcake and stick to the Nozzle, this can happen also if the icing is too thick. My favourite was the Rose tip and i added
The sunflower one piped well but not as glamorous looking as the Rose, i added some extra sparkle with some Glitter. They would look great formed into a bouquet for Valentines or Mothers day. The grass Nozzle was next and piped well. I found if you tilted it to the side it came out like fur, perfect for fur like Cookie Monster or for animals like dogs where a fur effect is needed.
I had been also asked to a demo of the tips for work, so got to test out the other designs.
The closed Tulip, Open Tulip, Daisy and star worked well. The one i could not get on with is the 3 petal one. The design also was a bit of a mystery
overall i think the set is great value for money, easy to use and a great set of basic designs to start with to create special Cakes or Cupcakes. Some work better on Cupcakes and some probably as part of an arrangement of designs. They could do a leaf tip so you could fill it in, but that could be done with a smaller leaf tip if you have one.
TIPS FOR THE TIPS!
Make sure you have the right consistency of Buttercream icing thick enough to pipe and hold shape. Not too thick or it will not come out the bag.
Make the Icing too thin and it will pipe, but not hold the shape well
You could also use these to pipe with whipped Cream but you need to have the right thickness or it will not hold shape well. I intend to give this a go with the Rose tip and a little colour added.
THOUGHTS
It would be great if they brought out more tips to add to the set or another set of 8 different designs, as with the Russian tips their are tons of designs available.
Adampastryguy 