How did they create such smooth black lines on the bottom tier of this cake? It is not fondant, it is buttercream, I believe.

my hands are too 'wiggly' to be able to get smooth straight lines so I'm no help to you.

I'd have to cut them out of fondant.

The 2B basketweave tip is large enough to make that stripe. You use the other side.

Theresa

Meeee tooo! No straight piped lines here, fondant all the way. The pic is a bit too small for me to be able to tell for sure. But honestly they either don't look perfectly straight or like they have a piped edge on them. That or I should lay off the bottle this early in the day....lol j/k....

Thanks for the replies!

I know I was trying to make it a bigger pic, but my computer is all messed up. I swear the stripes are perfectly smooth with the rest of the cake and therefore can not be fondant.

My good friend challenged me with this cake for 4th of july. I am going to change the stripes to red and the dots to blue. What do you guys think??

I think if you start at the top of the tier and work your way down you could do it. You would need to pull the tip away and down (think stringwork) so that you can guide the lines without making them shaky. Make sense?

I would go and imprint a light line on one side of the stripe as a guide. otherwise I would be going at an angle and would not notice until I finished the cake. LOL.
Janice

Or create a stencil?

or, you can do a FBCT for the side.

cut freezer paper the length and height of the tier plus enough length to be able to grab the ends without messing with the design. Pipe your design and fill in. Then, wrap iced band around tier side, pressing evenly against cake. Use a fondant smoother to assist in smoothing. Stick cake in freezer long enough for icing to firm up. Remove from freezer and quickly but carefully remove paper backing.

If its completly smooth with the side of the cake it doesnt sound like piping would work. I'm thinking painting the crusting buttercream, or better yet, someone else already said it, a stencil (or some sort) and spray the line. I would probaly find a heavy cardstock paper or that you would spray and use the paper to block the line. As far as using paper (I've done this where I cover the paper with packing tape (like laminating) or contact paper.

I can't see the pic that well but could it be painted or airbrushed using a stencil?

It could still be done with fondant if the strips are allowed to dry a bit then embedded into the icing...you may have to remove a small amount of the bc to keep it from being forced out the sides of the strip.

The other side of the basketweave tip works well..if you have a steady hand. (I personally dont..) That is how I did the bottom tier of this cake...

Maybe they used a stencil and airbrushed it on?

One of my favorite tips for buttercream designs is a 45. It is a flat ribbon tip and it would be pretty easy to stripe the cake with it.

After your crumb coat crusts, pipe the lines using the basket weave tip - smooth side out. I'd pipe both the white and the black, butting the stripes up against each other as closely as I could -- and you could then make each color as wide as you want. After that crusts, you should be able to smooth it out by putting copy paper over the side and going over it with a roller or even your hand (I'd use an up and down motion first instead of side to side). The copy paper will help make the smooth finish you're looking for .... the roller may pick up and transfer color if you don't have the paper there. It will be all piped, but you won't have any raised areas where the stripes are.

Ok, I think I am going to start with airbrush and stenciling.

When using a stencil on a smooth BC cake, how do you make it to where it does not stick or effect the smooth "ness"?

You guys make this so complicated. Just use a basketweave tip, touch the top of the cake and pipe slightly away from the cake and let gravity touch it to the cake. Then touch the bottom where the border will cover it and pull away. I use a little piece of Viva to smooth any raised edges down, and actually I prefer the ridged side of the tip because the smooth side can get too wavy if too much pressure is applied. (but even that can usually be smoothed down w/ Viva)

The most important thing when piping a straight line is to have your body and eyeballs RIGHT in FRONT of where you are piping! If you are anywhere else, those lines can slant even just a tiny bit, I promise you.

The second most important thing is to practice it. Lean something flat up to simulate the side of a cake and just do it. It takes a little bit to get the feel for it, but once you do, you'll pipe straight lines all day long!

Good luck.

Stencil and airbrush.