Generally I'll start off by having a really warm bath, like uncomfortably warm, no soap, then I'll shave my balls because nobody likes hairy icing, then I'll wash them again. I'll stick on a towel and then go to prepare the icing. Depending on who's calling over, I'll either prepare a royal icing or buttercream icing, with just a drop of red colouring to get the right skin tone. While I'm waiting for the icing to cool in the pan, I'll dunk my balls in the warm bath again: a little moisture helps the icing adhere.
Before proceeding, you should always check that the icing isn't too warm. Try a little on your arm first. Just don't wait too long otherwise it will start to set.
Once the icing is good to go, I'll take out the spatula. I know some folks swear by using a piping bag but in my opinion the result is always too lumpy. When using a spatula, the main trick for an even coat is to make the icing a little more runny than usual and then apply the icing while squatting over a mirror, starting from the base and working with gravity rather than against it. For the final touches, as the icing is starting to set I'll use a butter-knife dipped in a little red/blue colouring to decorate on some wrinkles and veins and then I'll dunk my balls in a bowl of chocolate sprinkles to give a stubble effect. After that I'll just blow on them until it all sets nicely.
How about you guys?
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