AHHHH! I just did my first cake with string work and my only word is bad very bad! The strings kept breaking EVERYWHERE i couldn't get them all the same depth. I am writing string work off i think... unless i can get some really great tips from you guys which i am sure i can!

First we will need to know if these were buttercream strings or royal icing. Then we need to know the consistency of your icing. Last, if you used buttercream icing, did you add any piping gel to it?

Consistency and air bubbles are the two biggest reasons for problems with stringwork.

Send us more details, please.

Theresa

Does the piping gel make a difference??? I have thought my frostng was too thick and thought about adding a bit more water to thin it.

LOL...hang in there, that's the first tip. We did string work in class the other day. I thought I was going to pull my hair out. The same thing happened to me, the strings kept breaking.

One thing that caused this, besides my shaking hand, was that the icing became to soft, so make sure your hand has not warmed the bag to much. Throw it in the fridge for a few.

The other thing is to take it slow and gain control of your pressure. I tend to get ahead of myself.

Good luck!!!

I too was doing string work this week,just for fun. I was using BC with out
piping gel,some of my strings came out good but most kept breaking,my
question..do you have to add piping gel for string work? if so..how much?

Great thread, please send your tips as I need HELP!

I had very good results with IMBC icing. But the biggest thing is practice.

I used a cake dome--you could turn a cake pan upside down, Mark it off and practice. When done, scrape the icing off and do it again. Are you counting to 2 or 3 as you pull away from the cake and then reattach? By practicing on something that is not a cake, you can check the consistency of the icing. Even in Wilton class, I never made icing that didn't have any butter in it. Of course it drove my instructor crazy, but I had great results. Might want to try a bigger or smaller tip based on icing consistency, try to stir out air bubbles before putting the icing in the bag.

HTH

If you don't have piping gel, corn syrup is just as good.

thanks guys for the tips. i forgot about trying piping gel but in the far far future if i plan on doing strings i will try it lol.

Exactly how do you use piping gel in stringwork???

Hey Mac,

Just add either the piping gel or corn syrup to the colored icing straight up and mix well until smooth. Can't tell you the exact amount to add because I never measured; I just pour some in and stir. If it is not smooth and creamy enough, I add more gel or syrup.

I've used about a tsp, give or take a bit, of piping gel to a cup of icing, mix well. Good luck and have fun.