When I was at ICES this month, I took the following pic of some amazing stringwork. (sorry, don't remember who did the cake)

In case you can't see from the pic, the string loops are not on the cake but suspended from that dot. I get how they do the loops that go down but I can't figure out how they do the loops that go up. Kinda defies gravity

Any ideas?

The cake was upside down when certain strings were piped.

They flip the cake and pip the strings and just let it dry!!

Wow...what a fabulous look! Thanks for sharing the photo and how it is done ladies!

I think that is the most amazing cake I have ever seen.

I can't imagine being talented enough to attempt something like that.

Genius

I never would have thought of that. Thanks Mensch and charmed. I knew my CC sisters would have an answer.

kimb: There were so many amazing cakes there. This was one of my favorites because the detail was just so precise and delicate.

What?? How does one flip a cake that's been covered in icing or fondant without totally wrecking it?

I was thinking maybe they piped the stringwork with royal icing onto a dummy, let it dry, then applied. Guess not!

Looks to me like they were piped ahead on a different surface, allowed to dry and then a dot was piped on the cake the string attached and then another dot to cover where the loops meet.

I get why they say so many break. I would think that you'd lose 2/3 or more of your loops when you attempt this.

this is AMAZING. I would love to see, in person, how this is done... I just cant visualize it! Beautiful.

The loops are made of royal icing perhaps with corn syrup to make more flowable. they are piped ahead of time on wax or parchment paper and when dried carefully attached to royal dots .

that seems much more plausible to me than the original explanation. thx!

American Cake Decorating Mag had a cake like that. I loaned about 2 years worth of magazine out, unfortunately the design is in one of those. Seems it was in the copy with the Eiffel Tower on the cover. And yes, I also think it is piped with RI, in sections, over a template Then dried over a cake pan so the shape and size are the same as the cake. The dots are added, and the loops placed on the cake.

I believe it's called Japanese String Work.

It's done on a royal iced fruit cake.

It has to be royal icing that the cake is covered in, because you turn the cake upside down to do the loops that go up. Then you turn it the right way up for the loops that go down.

Buttercream or fondant would never withstand being turned about like that.



Hope this helps

Suzanne x


edited to say: It does look like this cake was done with fondant! An acquaintance of mine did a cake with Japanese string work (that's the only reason I know what it's called) and she's the one who told me it had to be RI! Here's her example... 4th row down...

http://kelliescakes.co.uk/aboutus.aspx

I think the operative word is carefully, very carefully attached.

I'd have to make 100 to get a couple to work

thanks Relznik

that makes sense.

That would be a lot of fun to try on a dummy cake......... you can mess us all you want.

Thanks for the link.

It's called oriental stringwork and both Gary Silverthorn and Michaelle Stidham teach classes on it. (They're both Michigan ICES members.)

thanks Bob that would be so much fun to take.

that looks great, wish I had time to try it!
maybe when wedding cake season is done.

I want to be able to use a piping bag Piping is my nemesis - i am utterly hopeless at it and can't even pipe a name Yes, i'm really that bad. How awesome to be able to do this decoration...that's it i am now on a piping mission i WILL teach myself to do this. Thanks for the pic what an inspiration ( even if it's a terrifying prospect )

I just took a class in this....u have to flip the cake to do the strings...very heart wrenching