And that’s no joke! The fine needlepoint pattern on this cookie cake’s panels was achieved by first piping a tight grid using royal icing of outlining consistency. The spaces in the grid were then filled with a combination of white and blue icing loosened to a thick flooding consistency. Just think of the countless patterns that can be created by swapping in other colors and filling different squares in the grid! But a heads-up: though beautiful and versatile, the needlepoint technique requires piping practice and time. Each panel on this cake took Julia about 30 to 45 minutes to decorate. (Psst! The speedier stenciling technique was used on the “cake plate”.) For the details behind this tiered box construction, check out this video (and this one) on Julia’s YouTube channel.