Decorating Vintage-Inspired Lambeth Pumpkin Cookies

These vintage-inspired Lambeth designs for pumpkin-shaped cookies boast old-world elegance dripping in opulent details and luxurious gold accents. Lambeth is the process of adding layers of icing to create intricate designs. Anita used a monochromatic palette and utilized different piping techniques and tips to create delicate details. These gorgeous designs rely on just one color per pumpkin; we love any design that only requires mixing one batch of royal icing! Learn how Anita created her Royal Lambeth Vintage Pumpkin collection below.

Color:

Adjust the temperature of base color mixes with a hint of brown for a deep, dusty hue. The warm colors create a vintage palette, lending a sepia-toned beauty to your designs. The effect is a whimsical, dainty look for the Lambeth designs.

Piping:

The piping tip options are endless when designing Lambeth cookies. Many designs can be achieved through just one or two piping tips, or you may find that you would like to use 3-5 piping tips for more intricate designs. Anita describes, "Understanding the sort of ornate designs that can be created from one tip & how to guide/manipulate the piping 'flow' or 'movement' in one's hands is KEY." It may help to pipe onto parchment paper or a dummy cookie as practice. This will allow you to determine the amount of pressure needed for the design you wish to achieve as well as the best angle and movement for your piping bag and tip.

If you are using several piping tips, we recommend using a coupler. This will make changing out the tips between designs easier. Since you are only using one color of icing per cookie, why dirty more piping bags than you need to?

Anita used piping tips #1, #18, #102, and #349 for these designs.

The #1 tip was used for lines, pearls, subtle and dainty leaves, and the embroidery pattern.

#18 is a star tip, used for rosettes and swirls.

The #102 was used to create the ruffle designs--Anita was able to create three different ruffle designs using this tip.

The #349 tip is often used for making leaves, and you can see it used in these designs as leaves on either side of the rosettes.

Anita says, "In the end, I really let this Lambeth design & appreciation for its style & uniqueness, guide my piping tip choice. This birthed the 'Royal Lambeth Pumpkin Collection.'"

Drying:

To get good definition between the details, you will have to wait for each layer to dry before piping the next layer. Anita recommends using a dehydrator for designs like this to help with decreasing dry time between layers of icing/details. If you do not have access to a dehydrator, placing your cookies under a table fan will speed up the drying process.

Add Luxe Accents:

Anita used a very thin consistency of gold royal icing to paint gold details with a food-safe paintbrush. The pops of gold add an extra layer of opulence to these designs. She describes, "I love gold accents when I design Lambeth cakes. It always enhances the allure & beauty of a collection. I applied this principle to this cookie collection. It also helps to hide some of those happy mistakes and imperfections."

Advice:

Anita says, "Aspire to be inspired and be ok with happy mistakes and imperfections!" These vintage designs are a wonderful way to exercise new techniques and styles, and not all of them will be the best cookie you have ever designed. Like snowflakes, each design is unique and tells a story--and that story is not always perfect but is always beautiful. Anita says, "There were imperfections in this collection and still it is what makes it a true 'One-of-One,' that cannot be replicated again." With so many variations and ways to play with the designs, you'll become a better cookie artist as you play around with this design concept.

There is also a ton of inspiration out there--Anita was inspired by the Luxe Lambeth cake style as well as vintage pumpkin designs by Madison of Busy B Bakehouse.

As you embark on this design adventure, have fun with it! These vintage-inspired designs are the perfect way to hone your skills and become more comfortable with piping tips and techniques. By layering textures rather than colors, you'll be able to create dainty, intricate designs with just one batch of royal icing. Happy baking and decorating!