HI,
I am doing a wedding cake that requires lattace work on the sides. This is a two layer marble with white buttercream frosting. I plan to use a rope border with pearls. The cake will be on my cake stand that has seperate teirs that hold one cake. Silk flowers are on the top. Not sure how to do the lattace, it will need to have a very smooth surface to begin with, and this always makes me worry. How to keep the lines straigh, measured correctly, help is needed, thanks to all

I believe the 2006 Wilton yearbook shows a way that this can be done by using fondant. You roll out a panel of fondant the height and circumference of your cake. then with a small square metal cutter, with one corner facing the top edge (like a diamond) you cut into the fondant and remove the cut square. Keep repeating this and you have lattice work! I hope my explanation makes sense. If not, I will go look at the year book and retype with Wilton's instructions!

a few ideas:

Use a piece of spaghetti for a straight line.
Use an imprint mat.
Mark the frosting with a flower former, depending on how far apart the lattice is.
A lazer level will give you a perfect line also, then measure each line.

Well, not much of the underneath will show, so other than making the sides level, the smoothness won't be as noticable.
I use the width of the tip in between my lines and I make all of my lines in one direction. Then using the same angle, but the opposite, I make all of the lines going the other direction. Like this:////////// then \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ I use the basketweave tip. Just make sure that your tip is always lightly touching the cake sides or the weave or lattice will fall off.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

How wide or how skinny is your lattice going to be! Is it going to resemble basket weave or are you using a tip #2 or #3 like string work? I have a few examples of my lattice work in my pics. Is that what you want to do? Do you have a way to tilt your cakes to work on the sides? Either size, the technique Squirrelly Cakes described, doing all your lines in one direction and then the other is the way to do it. When doing the second set of lines you have to touch the tip down where you are going to begin and then with firm pressure on bag slightly lift tip up and pull tip towards you letting your line come to a rest on top of the first set of lines. Doing it with firm and consistent pressure and lifting the tip slightly and gradually about 1 1/2 " or so will ensure your final line will not droop down inbetween the first set of lines.

Please let me know if this makes sense. It's worth the practice and the time it takes to do because it is so pretty!



Amy

thanks to all
I am planning on using a #3 tip and useing a string work type technique. This is making me very nervious because of getting staight lines and spacing corectly as the lines will not touch each other as in a basketweave
would any of you sugesst using a different tip? I find that I have more control with a #3 than with a #1(lace) tip.
thanks so much, with your ideas, I feel better already
joy

You will be criss crossing right to get the lattice? They will be touching. If so, then just take your time when spacing apart. I would space no more than 1/4 inch apart. The next set of lines to overlay just take your time and go slow!!! Make sure you have consistent pressure on the bag and to not lift the tip up too high. Just slightly lift tip and draw towards you slowly.

Just practice and all will be fine. Just keep thinking "I can do this!" It will be beautiful. I have faith in you!!!!!!!


Amy

Definately a #3 will work. A #1 is just too small and your lines will squiggle. At least I haven't had any luck with getting them straight with a #1! No matter how thin the icing.


Amy

Well you have a choice of either eyeballing the distance in between or marking it off with a measuring tape and a toothpick or a cake divider set and something you can make marks on your cake with. The thin spaghetti, or spaghettini idea would work well, you don't want to mark off too deep a line or the tip #3 won't cover the identation, however the indentation will help the lines fall evenly too.
Hugs Squirrelly

thank you all so much, you have made me feel so much better. The night after I read you answers I actually got some sleep at night!!!!
Should I thin the icing so it is runny soft, but I do not want it to come off with the moving of the cake
joy

Well, the thing is, normally lattice is done with the straight edge of a basketweave tip, so that it actually looks like garden lattice, which is flat and wider than what you plan. So you do pretty much the same thing as you do for basketweave, you make sure that your tip is touching the sides of the cake while you pipe it. If you don't it can just come down and fall off the sides. So while you use a thinner icing, you don't go too thin. However since you want to do it with a writing tip, normally you would use that touch and pull out method that we use to pipe straight lines. If you go too thin, the strings will break. If you go too stiff you will have sore hands trying to get it to pipe. I think you are going to have to experiment with this. The thinner lattice work that you want to do is usually reserve for fine royal piped details and not the work on the sides of the cake done in buttercream.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

Thanks so much,
If you were to use the straight side of the basketwave tip would you still seperate the lines of the pattern or touching as in the basket.
The design I am trying to follow is found in "a treasury of wilton wedding cakes" (has a cake with peach ribbons and waterfall) page12 called"Quaintly" The bride wants the entire cake done in the pattern shown on the 15" cake minus the oval cut outs. I should have wrote this before. Again, I am so gratful to the responses I have gotten from everyone. It has made my confidence in this cake much higher.
Thanks
Joy

Sorry, don't have that book. If you could scan the picture and post it here, I might understand what you mean. I don't understand your question. Lattice is made by making a series of lines in one direction - /////////// all around a cake. then you make a series of lines in the other direction - \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\.
This, in effect, leaves diamond shaped spaces in between where the lines are overlapped.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

HI
I will scan the photo, the way you describe the technique is just what I am going to do, thanks
Joy

Hi Joy,
When I did my first lattice cake, I couldn't find instructions anywhere. So I drew a cake and then drew out the lines to see how it would work. Haha, I actually used to send out that diagram, I no longer have it saved. But it does sound confusing until you do it, doesn't it? It is actually a lot easier when you actually do it.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes