what is the mathmatical equation for figuring out how to accents all the way around the circumfrence of a cake with no gaps....ie...diamond shapes.
Do you measure after the icing is on because that adds to the diameter? I am math handicapped and can't figure it out on my own. I imagine it is Diameter x pie and figuring out how big you want your accent pieces

Yes, I would figure it WITH icing...and your calculations are correct: circumference is 3.14xdiameter.
Hope that helps!

I find trying to do it with math pretty tedious.

I ice the cake, chill it to firm up buttercream (if that's the final icing layer), and then wrap a piece of register tape around it (you can buy rolls of that cheap at office supply stores) for the exact circumference. I take the paper tape and fold it over and over until I get divisions that are the size of the deco I need to apply.

The end result is that I know how many to cut and I can gently mark the cake using the tape, too. If I'm hand cutting the decos, I now know exactly how big I can make them.

Very few pre-measured cut outs, like cookie cutters, etc., will come out exactly. You often need to find a spacing that will allow a bit of wiggle room.........

Rae

ummm....yeah - that does sound MUCH easier!!!! Yet another great idea here on CC! Thanks, Rae & Doug!

I always wondered about the circumference too, good question!

And wow, BlakesCakes, thank you! What a great idea

Wow thanks RAE!!!!!!I was thinking a sheet of paper layed flat but that is ingenious. Thanks so much

Glad to be of help. I hope that it works out well for you.

Rae

That is INGENIOUS!!! I never would have come up with that - thank you sooo much!!

I do that, too, the template. I learned it in a class with Earlene Moore! Great class. You can use your template to divide your cake into perfectly even sections and to cut perfect shapes!

I'm such a klutz that when I wrap a paper around the cake I end up marking my buttercream!