I've been asked to make a cake like this and am not sure how to make the top swirly bit in the middle.  anyone got any ideas ?  http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ltculzBSrj1qhl1q0o1_500.jpg

APiping gel. Color it whatever color you need, and swirl away.

Thanks for that - got a recipe for gel ? Am in the UK so would need UK ingredients

Yah, I think I agree w/the above ^^^ poster.   Just be sure you DO NOT mix the color into the piping gel well.  Just give it a light mixing.  The LESS you mix it the more you will have the lighter parts.  OR you can make two batches of piping gel - one dark and one barely colored then just drop the light colored one into the dark and Do NOT swirl it at all.

Remember - piping gel takes color VERY well so go lightly when adding the color.  You can always add a bit more to darken it as you want, but it does not lighten near as easily.

AI order mine from GSA. I think you can actually buy colored gels from your local supermarket too. If they have a cake section, there are usually small tubes of it. Anyone else have a recipe for piping gel? I might like to make my own, too, if it's possible.

Just buy piping gel.

You can get it from Almond Art or A Piece of Cake Thame or Sugar Shack or Design a Cake..

If you Google it, there are loads of places that come up.

thanks everyone so much!  I've just ordered a tup of piping gel (and far too much other stuff) from Sugar Shack!  I'll experiment a bit before I give the cake a go...watch this space!

Hobbycraft at Fort Kinnaird have piping gel, if you find that the stuff from Sugar Shack isn't right.

Hi, by the way :-)  If you're the Rosie's Kitchen I think you are, then you are Helen Stark's friend?  We met for coffee once.  I've wondered if you were on here...

Piping gel is super easy and cheap to make, it is just caster sugar, cornflour, lemon juice and water, personally I think it tastes better than the commercial ones that have a chemical aftertaste.  There is also an American version which uses cornsyrup, but as that is very expensive here.  You just colour it with gel colours. I am not very computer literate so I don't know how to link the recipe, use the search button it's easy to find.

I find that when I make piping gel it dries where as the bought ones don't so if you want to have the wet look stay then I would go with store bought.