1. You will need no 1 tube, icing bags, royal icing, icing bag stand, angle poise lamp, masking tape, piece of glass (mine is from a clip frame, so edges are not sharp), paint brush, glass of water, small pair of sharp scissors, damp cloth, pippet, palette knife, side scraper, cellophane, the picture you are doing the runout of on a piece of paper (free from folds/creases), food colours. (sorry not everything listed is in the photo)

2. Place the picture onto the glass, ensure that one side has a tab, so that you can easily remove it.

3. Cover with a piece of cellophane, that is only slightly larger than the picture. Hold taught, and use small pieces of masking tape to fix in place, leaving one side free to be able to remove the paper.

4. With soft peak icing and no 1 tube, in a colour to match the design, outline the edges. Use a damp paintbrush to neaten the piping, if necessary.

5. Put some icing onto the side scraper, and paddle to remove air bubbles. Colour the icing and then ‘let it down’ by gradually adding drops of water (if you don’t have a pippet, then just use the end of your small pallet knife)

6. You will know that it is the correct consistency when you lift come out and dribble it back over itself, it should reabsorb back into the mixture in a count of 10. (It will be almost dribbling off the sides of the scraper by this stage!)

7. Pour into an icing bag (without a tube), you can stand the bag in something to keep it upright, (like I have so my hand is free to take the photo!)

8. Cut the end off the bag – the hole should be about the size of a no 2 tube. If it later blocks up, you can always cut more off.

9. Fill the outline, make sure you cover the outline piping (unless you want to make a feature of it – eg contrasting colour). Keep the end of the bag in the icing, work quickly in a sideways motion, gradually working down the design. Agitate the end of the bag to achieve a thick/raised icing, and be careful to pop air bubbles as soon as you spot them (either with the end of the bag or with the paintbrush.

10. When you have finished, place under lamp to crust over.

11. Repeat filling each of the different coloured areas. Make sure you do not fill adjacent areas until each one has crusted over.

12. When the whole thing is filled, and crusted over, remove paper (using tab) and place in a warm place to dry (eg airing cubbord) the heat causes the lovely shiny surface. When dry do not allow to get too cold.

13. To remove, slice down the masking tape, and gently lift the cellophane off the glass.

14. Place upside down on clean towel, and peel off cellophane

15. They are very fragile so make lots in case of breakages. This skill takes loads of practice – I’ve done this design 13 times already!

In a mix master bowl put 2 egg whites
and using your wire whisk attachment whip
on speed 10 until frothy.

Then add about 100 gms of icing sugar (not pure) and mix on speed 3 of mix master until blended

Then add the remaining icing sugar (400gms)
– I do it in large tablespoons at a time and
whip on speed 10 until soft peaks form (about 4 minutes) as I am putting in the remaining icing
sugar I add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of glycerine.

I then take some out for piping.
I then keep whipping and add colour to make it a stiff peak.

And here is a close up of it’s texture -
it crusts lightly on the outside and is soft
and yummy on the inside!

And the result is this!!
I don’t get airbubbles in it and I had no problems using it – but I think the whipping on high speed is what makes it soft and yummy