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No, you're reading it wrong... I guess I should have used a comma after "Sotas" or used parentheses like this:
"If you mean this: http://www.wilton.com/technique/Cornelli-Lace (not to be confused with this: http://www.wilton.com/technique/Sotas), it's very intricate (preventing lines from touching) and somewhat time-consuming."
If you omit the extra thought, it's one sentence -- exactly what I meant to say. Does it make sense now?
oops, I see that now. I do apologize - I misunderstood. 
AHow would you make all that cornelli lace on the cake silver, WITHOUT having to paint it on with luster paint, which would be time consuming.
Yes, no matter what you do it will take you twice as long as you think, your hands will be killing you and then if you have to go back and color it silver ................AHHHHHHHHHHHH. The only clue I can give you is to make your lace icing a pale gray. Then when you go back over each lacing loop with Nu-Silver and alcohol, all you need to go is glaze the surface and because the whole lace string is precolored, it will APPEAR as though you painstakingly colored the front and the sides of each loop. I would not charge for cornelli lace BUT because she wants extra done to it to make it look silver, YES, definitely charge extra. You'll thank your lucky stars you did because this whole procedure is a real pain and time drain.
AThanks for the tip, Denise. This is what I was planning to do, make the icing gray and go over it with the luster paint. It will still be time consuming though.
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Yes, no matter what you do it will take you twice as long as you think, your hands will be killing you and then if you have to go back and color it silver ................AHHHHHHHHHHHH. The only clue I can give you is to make your lace icing a pale gray. Then when you go back over each lacing loop with Nu-Silver and alcohol, all you need to go is glaze the surface and because the whole lace string is precolored, it will APPEAR as though you painstakingly colored the front and the sides of each loop. I would not charge for cornelli lace BUT because she wants extra done to it to make it look silver, YES, definitely charge extra. You'll thank your lucky stars you did because this whole procedure is a real pain and time drain.
Cornelli lace does take a long time to do and I agree with DeniseNH as far as coloring the icing. I would not use Royal Icing unless it was on fondant as it will melt on a cake that large on top of BC.
How Cornelli is done is to use a thin consistency icing and a tip 3. To make the lace you make m's. You make them in any direction and the lines never touch or cross over each other. As you look you will have the humps of the m's stretched out, sort of cradled close to other and even upside down so the look like a w. Your hand should never, never hurt cause it is soooo hard to get the icing to flow out the tip. If it is difficult then thin the icing with a drop or 2 of water at a time. Put it back into the back and try again on a piece of parchment to see how it goes but, remember that the coupler will still have the former icing in it so squeeze until you get it out. Too stiff of an icing and the lace or any other design can fall of the side of the cake as it really is too stiff to adhere. The only reason your hands should ever hurt is because they are not used to what you are doing and they are tired of holding the bag and exerting the strength to maintain the same movements.
One other thing on Cornelli, as you are doing it go from where you start down to the bottom or vise versa. If you have to stop piping stop on the down ward line of the m. It is easier to continue if you refill your bag or you reach a final place on the cake and you are starting again, i.e., your reach the bottom board and you are starting up the side again you can connect to the line and start again in whatever direction you need to go.
Good luck with this cake and do charge extra for at least a couple tiers.
A
Original message sent by cakegrandma
Cornelli lace does take a long time to do and I agree with DeniseNH as far as coloring the icing. I would not use Royal Icing unless it was on fondant as it will melt on a cake that large on top of BC.
How Cornelli is done is to use a thin consistency icing and a tip 3. To make the lace you make m's. You make them in any direction and the lines never touch or cross over each other. As you look you will have the humps of the m's stretched out, sort of cradled close to other and even upside down so the look like a w. Your hand should never, never hurt cause it is soooo hard to get the icing to flow out the tip. If it is difficult then thin the icing with a drop or 2 of water at a time. Put it back into the back and try again on a piece of parchment to see how it goes but, remember that the coupler will still have the former icing in it so squeeze until you get it out. Too stiff of an icing and the lace or any other design can fall of the side of the cake as it really is too stiff to adhere. The only reason your hands should ever hurt is because they are not used to what you are doing and they are tired of holding the bag and exerting the strength to maintain the same movements.
One other thing on Cornelli, as you are doing it go from where you start down to the bottom or vise versa. If you have to stop piping stop on the down ward line of the m. It is easier to continue if you refill your bag or you reach a final place on the cake and you are starting again, i.e., your reach the bottom board and you are starting up the side again you can connect to the line and start again in whatever direction you need to go.
Good luck with this cake and do charge extra for at least a couple tiers.
Thanks for the very detailed response! Question. Everything I've read so far suggested using royal icing for cornelli lace. I completely understand what you mean by the royal icing sliding down once it hardens. I was planning on frosting the whole cake with a crusting buttercream before applying the lace and other piping decorations. Do you still think it will slide down if used against a crusting buttercream? What type of icing do you suggest for covering the whole cake and also for piping the cornelli lace?
Asuper advice already in this thread and here's another idea to put in the hat --
if you can find an edible silver powder this will work in -- you can put it in a mixture of 2 teaspoons powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons edible silver dust and enough clear alcohol to make a stiff paste then add 1 teaspoon piping gel -- I'd use it in the smallest tube known to man -- I would actually use a cut parchment cone --
this stuff is gorgeous and while a little goes a long way you need to make a quantity to cover a cake with lace but worth it for the spectacular effect --
this was designed to be used with the non-toxic powders so it's not proven by me to work with the edible ones but it's an idea for you
A
Original message sent by -K8memphis
super advice already in this thread and here's another idea to put in the hat --
if you can find an edible silver powder this will work in -- you can put it in a mixture of 2 teaspoons powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons edible silver dust and enough clear alcohol to make a stiff paste then add 1 teaspoon piping gel -- I'd use it in the smallest tube known to man -- I would actually use a cut parchment cone --
this stuff is gorgeous and while a little goes a long way you need to make a quantity to cover a cake with lace but worth it for the spectacular effect --
this was designed to be used with the non-toxic powders so it's not proven by me to work with the edible ones but it's an idea for you
Does it harden when it dries? Or will the piping gel cause it to run? It's extremely hot where I live, so I need the cake to survive a one-hour delivery in 90+ weather. I've used piping gel only to decorate a cake before and it did not survive a ten minute trip to my daughter's school. And how much cake can one cover with this mixture? Thanks
Aidk -- i never play russian roulette with a one hour delivery and hope my cake survives on the strength of my car's air conditioner -- i box my already cold cakes and use freezer packs to hold the temperature during delivery --
i've never heard of piping gel melting -- not that it can't just have no experience with that --
i've used this mixture a couple times -- I think I made a quantity and used it on several cakes as an accent -- it was awesome for me --
i mean i never used piping gel to make shell borders or anything -- that might melt -- it's a solid medium for cornelli lace -- it doesn't harden like royal but it sets up and crusts
Aas to how much it covers -- you just have to multiply it out and make enough but you can use an uber small tube -- the gold gel I made was quite impactful -- how big is your cake?
I really think the only way to make that *sota* lace silver would be to pipe it in a very light gray, the paint it. I don't see any other way. There are just some things that are NOT doable in icing.
........Cornelli is done is to use a thin consistency icing and a tip 3. ........
Using tip 1, 2 or 3 will depend on the strength of you piping/hand. I use tip 1. Tip 3 will not look delicate.
...........Everything I've read so far suggested using royal icing for cornelli lace............
Oh I have *never* used royal. Always done it w/ABC. Also have used piping gel - *beautiful!* :) I cannot picture piping gel melting within 10 minutes - can't imagine it being *that* hot anywhere. I have done this on cake delivered in 104 degree temps.
http://www.cakecentral.com/g/i/1379947/a/1380947/
http://www.cakecentral.com/g/i/1300910/a/1301910/
http://www.cakecentral.com/g/i/1271543/a/1272543/ this one is sota rather than cornelli. See the difference. For sota the icing must be super thin, using tip 1; hold the piping bag straight up & down about 2" above the surface and squeeze as HARD as you can moving the bag slowly over the cake, letting the icing string cruel over itself & build up a bit.
Aand i would not charge additionally for the lace but i would pop them for the silver dust if I made the piping gel -
farenheit, I would not use Royal Icing on BC as the shortening, butter will make it become very soft and dissolve. Grease breaks it down and thus it would end up very ugly. Even if you used Cornelli or Sotas on your cold cake. I would use royal icing on fondant though as it does not have grease to break it down. Lots of great ideas have been given to try a little of everything to see what works for you. Good Luck!
.........would not use Royal Icing on BC as the shortening, butter will make it become very soft and dissolve. Grease breaks it down thus it would end up very ugly......
I have never had that happen. The few times I have used royal it did NOT dissolve nor become ugly on ABC.
Yes, use grease-free utensils when making RI, yet you can pipe RI directly on greasy BC, shortening, cooking oil, etc. Moisture will breakdown RI... hardened decorations shouldn't be refrigerated. You can read many threads on the subject--my favorites are from Wilton instructor texasSugar.
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