Using 3D piping nozzles: It
The name “3D piping nozzles” has greatly captured the attention of cake lovers in recent years. Originated from Russia; 3D piping nozzles are the smart choice for those who lack experience in traditional piping techniques because the 3D nozzles can easily help create a complete flower with just one single squeeze. In addition, a set of 3D nozzles has several shapes of flowers, from roses, tulips to abstract figures, meeting the endless demand for creativity of talented pastry makers.
Compared with the traditional cream flowers with large petals, curving and blossoming on the cake surface; 3D flowers, on the other hand, have small, thin and straight - sometimes upward-pointing - petals. Emerging as a modern trend, these 3D floral cuties in various colors have quickly taken over Vietnam’s market and the world.
Entering Vietnam in early 2016, 3D nozzles were however not very popular at that time,. Those who wanted to practice 3D piping techniques would have to order the nozzles from Russia.
“Necessity is the mother of invention.” Due to the increasing demand for beautiful 3D flowers, made-in-China nozzles with similar shapes and equivalent uses penetrated the market. Now, just walking around baking supply stores, one will quickly get lost in the maze of 3D nozzles.
Buying a nozzle is easy, but successfully piping a beautiful 3D flower is a different story. In fact, many people have failed trying to pipe with 3D nozzles, including professional artisans with many years’ experience in traditional cake decoration. They encounter various problems such as the topping comes out of the nozzle as a bud instead of a blooming flower; the flower coming out of the nozzle is too weak to stand still on the cake, etc.
To help customers keep up with this hot trend, Rich’s has organized free classes across Vietnam to correct some common mistakes that customers make while using 3D nozzles.
Most recently, a 3D-flower trend class by Nguyen Khac Huy – Rich’s technical sales representative – took place on March 21-22, 2017, at Rich’s HCMC Customer Care Center and was well accepted by many operators. Each class welcomes a limited number of participants because Rich’s wants to make sure that each customer has a chance to practice their 3D piping technique with the assistance from our technical experts.
All participants showed their interest when Huy was able to answer all of their questions and showed them how to use 3D nozzles.
During the session, Huy pointed out the reasons why many failed to make 3D flowers.
First, choosing the right topping and having the experience to make perfectly whipped cream are very important. As a non-dairy topping with outstanding yield and unmatched stability, Rich’s Gold Label is the perfect choice for 3D flowers.
“Does that mean the softer the whipped cream is, the easier 3D flowers can be formed?” asked one customer.
Huy explained that if the topping is too soft, the flower’s petals can’t be formed.
“So the thicker the topping is, the easier the piping will be?”
"Not exactly", Huy said. If the whipped cream is too stiff, tiny holes will then appear on the flower’s surface. Plus the petals might fail to stay intact and soon experience water separation. To achieve the suitable overrun of topping, after thawing Rich’s topping, whip it at high speed to firm peak. Then add a little bit of liquid cream and keep whipping at low speed to make it shiny and smooth.
One thing to be noted is that the firm peak stage of whipped cream that’s suitable for 3D flower is similar to that for roses or 3D animals; not the soft peak stage meant for icing.
Next, according to Huy, if you want to pipe a perfect 3D flower, you should follow the guidelines below:
1. Hold the nozzle perpendicular to and 1 cm away from the cake surface.
2. Moderately squeeze the piping bag and be quick when lifting up the nozzle to form upward-pointing petals.
3. When too much cream is stuck at the tip of the nozzle, wipe it off with your finger to avoid forming buds (instead of flowers) before continuing.
Finally, Huy reminded the participants to practice regularly in order to have better control of their hand’s force. If one uses too much strength when piping, they will accidentally form buds, but if their hand’s force is too weak, the flower will fall easily for not having a firm root.
At the end of the class, several participants showed their excitement experiencing perfectly shaped 3D flowers coming out of their nozzles for the first time. Nguyen Ngoc Thuy (Doremon bakery) said: “My 3D flowers look gorgeous. I love it! I will definitely practice more at home.”
To better understand how to use 3D piping nozzles – Common mistakes and how to improve – have a look at Rich’s tutorial video below:
It is normal to fail with 3D nozzles for the first couple of times. However, it is not because the techniques are too complicated but because you have not received proper instructions from technical specialists. With the useful information above, we hope that you will master 3D piping techniques to successfully create those cute, tiny flowers.
For more information, please contact: ChamSocKhachHang@rich.com
