Um. ...ever Done Sotas On An Entire 4-Tier Cake?!?
Business By Chef_Stef Updated 14 Oct 2007 , 7:34pm by confectionaryperfection
I have a bride who wants a whole 6, 9, 12, 14, mixed-shape (rounds, hex, and square) four tier wedding cake done entirely in sotas!
Should I schedule my carpal tunnel surgery now, or wait til later LOL
Don't worry--I'm charging for it, but wow; this seems like it's going to take some doing!
Another thing--how hard is sotas do DO entirely down the sides of a cake?
I feel sorry for you i did one with the middle tier as a dummy and it took forever and a sore hand. It hurts just thinking about it. The cake is in my photos the one with the bride and groom sitting on the 2nd tier.
i've done it on a 3 teir....
i kinda like sotas....maybe make that icing a bit thinner.
Definately thin your icing to make it easier on yourself. It's not as bad as you think. I've done as many as 5 whole tiers covered in sotas and it does kill you, but it can be really pretty if you get the thickness and everything very even. I will also say start at the bottom and work your way up, it's best to get the biggest one out of the way first, then the rest will seem like they go much faster!
-Lori
It's a kind of lacy way to decorate using buttercream or royal icing. This is how it works:
http://www.wilton.com/decorating/basic/sotas.cfm
Use small amounts of icing in your bag, that will help. Also, immerse you hand and wrist in ice water for 20 minutes at a time after you are done, alternating with 20 minutes out of the water, but above the level of your heart. Helps with swelling and symptoms. It would really help when we had 40 wedding cakes in one weekend! This also might be the time to invest in a wrist support!
This also might be the time to invest in a wrist support!
Agreed! I don't pipe anything anymore without a wrist support.
I would use a different approach. I use the type of dispenser that has a pluger on top and fits various tips. That way, there's no squeezing, just pressing down the plunger. The one I have fits regular tips and couplers. Much, much, much easier for this type of design. It still helps to thin your icing, too, but even if you don't, it's still much easier than using a bag.
HTH 
Here's a few pictures of the type I'm talking about
Speaking of wrist supports... Anybody have any recommendations on what kind and where to get them???
Walmart has several kinds. The flexible neoprene style is good for decorating, gives you gentle support, while the one with a splint in it is good for when you are having symptoms, but not decorating.
LOL--My DH suggested the same thing, "Isn't there some sort of automatic tool for doing that much squeezing?" I like the plunger idea!
I do have a wrist support, and I can't pipe without it. I got mine at Walmart of all places, but I love it.
I like the thinned icing idea, and having not so much in the bag--OH, and it's going to be in IMBC, so probably not a problem having it be soft enough--more like trying to keep it "just right" enough.
Well, I just sent her the contract and sketch for the cake, so I suppose I'm stuck with it unless she finds another design she likes (fingers crossed)--I couldn't get her to even go with ANY open areas on this one, she wants the whole thing textured. But I'm sure it will be pretty--simply all ivory sotas with burgundy ribbon and some fresh flowers.
Years ago, I did a 4-tier covered completely in cornelli lace. I was decorating all night (usually do with a wedding cake) and at 2:00 am, my electricity went out. So, I was decorating with the bag in one hand and the flashlight in the other. I was lots younger then and it was hard. It would kill me today. However, when I got married, I had basically the same cake only I ordered from a local cake shop.
OMGOSH!!!!!!!!! thats a GREAT STORY! flashlight in one hand and decorating bag in the other!!!
These angled couplers are helpful when doing side piping:
WOW! Where do you get angled couplers?? I didnt even know they make those
What a great idea! How much icing do they hold?
You can find them in different sizes, but I think the standard size is 2 cups. I have a 1 cup, a 2 cup and a 4 cup. The 4 cup gets too heavy though; it's a lot easier just to refill the 2 cup. The 1 cup is nice for doing smaller detail work.
i did a huge cake titled my favorite with sotas my hand was sore for a week, thin the icing and move that bag fast!!
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