The Bride Changed Her Mind At The Last Minute! Help!
Decorating By CheriN Updated 29 Aug 2007 , 3:41am by CheriN
Ok, so I am doing a wedding cake for this weekend, and it has ended up that I will be doing a basketweave on a 10" cake. I have never done this before so I would like any tips that I could possibly get. I am going to practice a bit tomorrow... so that my first attempt isn't on the real deal. The only reason that I did not practice earlier is because the bride has changed her mind 5 times in the last month, but I'm really hoping that she doesn't change it again in the last week. 
There are a couple of questions that I have... but any other tips that you think would be helpful would be great. Here goes:
1) What size of tip should I use if I am doing a basketweave on a 10" cake? Does it matter if it is big or little?
2) How do I do the top? Do I smooth is out first and then do the basketweave on the side?
3) Do I cover it all in icing first and then put the basketweave on top of that?
Thanks so much for your help! I really appreciate it! 
Yes, cover it in icing first. The good news is you only have to smooth the top. The sides can be just a little better than a crumb coat. This layer of icing (a) gives the basketweave icing something to adhere to (b) cover the cake so there is no bare cake showing thru the basketweave design.
It doesn't matter what size tip.....depends on what type of basketweave you want to do. I use the bigger one (see the ivory cake with purple roses for an example) because I can get it done sooner and less hand cramping.
I agree with Indydebi (who wouldn't 
)
But, I would add that your contract should prevent last minute changes. Basketweave actually can take a lot more time than many other icing techniques. Especially if you haven't done it before. But, only a 10" cake should be too much of a problem.
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