Fix a mistake
Piping thin then thick: how to get an even bead
The bead swells and shrinks along a line or ring.
Quick answer
A likely cause is squeezing harder and softer as your hand gets tired or your grip changes. The fix: keep the same squeeze and the same speed from start to finish, following the pacer.
What it looks like
- A line has fat blobs in some places and thin stretches in others.
- A rosette or ruffle is fuller on one side than the other.
- Corners of zigzags pile up while straight parts look thin.
Likely causes
- Squeezing harder and softer as your hand gets tired or your grip changes.
- Changing speed: slowing down makes the bead fatter, speeding up makes it thinner.
- Pausing at corners while still squeezing.
- A bag that is overfilled, so warm hands soften the icing as you go.
How to fix it
Same squeeze, same speed
Keep the same squeeze and the same speed from start to finish, following the pacer in the ghost-nozzle guide.
Keep corners moving
Turn the tip at a corner without stopping, or ease off very slightly as you turn so the icing does not pile up.
Fill the bag about half full
A smaller amount of icing is easier to squeeze evenly, and your hands warm it less.
Refill before it runs low
When the bag gets low you squeeze harder without noticing. Top it up or twist it down before starting a new row.
Where it shows up on our sheets
It is most common with line, zigzag, loops, rosette, scrolls and ruffle. 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) |
| Zigzags and waves | 3 | strokes 1 and 2 (zigzag) and 3 to 5 (line) |
| Loops | 3 | strokes 1 to 4 (loops) |
| Rosettes | 1M | strokes 1 to 8 (rosette) |
| C and S scrolls | 21 | strokes 1 to 4 (scrolls) |
| Ruffle border | 104 | strokes 1 to 4 (ruffle) |
How Icing Coach spots it
Icing Coach measures how wide your bead is all along each line and ring. The more the width changes, the lower your evenness score; the stretch that varies most is marked as a zone.
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 scrolls, ruffle, zigzag, loops where it shows up most. Pipe one, score it, then pipe it again and compare. You need tip 21, tip 104 or tip 3.
C and S scrolls practice sheet
Curved C and S scrolls from a star tip. They tie shells and borders together.
Ruffle border practice sheet
A frilly ruffle with a petal tip, in a line, a roll and swags. Keep the wide end of the tip against the cake.
Zigzags and waves practice sheet
Sharp zigzags and flowing waves. Practise turning smoothly while the bead stays the same width.
Loops practice sheet
Rows of small e-loops and tall cursive l-loops. The rhythm behind cursive lettering and decorative borders.
