hello there CC friends,

I just want to ask if there is a trick on making perfect drop strings on side of a cake frosted with buttercream. And how to make divisions without using Wilton's cake Dividing Set. Thank you all!!

Jen

Even pressure!!!

That, I think, is the most important thing with string work.

As far as the dividing set, you can make your own by using a large circle cake board and evenly space out marks all along the edge, then use a ruler to connect the marks completely across the middle to the other side. The place you work-in-progress on top of it and you have your own dividing wheel.

If you would like, when I get home tonight (I am at work, I keep saying I am an addict here) I can send you more info from the Wilton dividing wheel. I have one at home but have never used it.

Hope this helps!

I was taught the best way is to go backwards on your cake so you can see where you string will end. Mark your cake with toothpicks or a icing dot using something as a guide to space them evenly. Then Make your stings come toward you instead of away then you can get a better idea when to move over to attach them.

Hope this helps.

Ivy

Thank's fishercakes. I would like to have more info's on Wilton Cake Dividing set. It was in my "To buy list" but I heard negative feedbacks from a lot of our friends here, regarding their Cake Dividing set. So I decided to erase that on my list. Again Thank's

Jen

Thank's Ivy

Jen

Stings break because of air in the icing. You need stiff icing stirred with a spatula until you can run the spatula over the top, (like you smoothing it out in the bowl) and there is no air bubbles. If you can make a string on you finger and it doesn't break they won't break. The key is to pull them toward you and let them drop and then pull them over. Don't make the drop with you hand motion, let the icing and the string do the work. The shorter they are the better.

Hope this helps.

Ivy

Hi Jenie-I add a little piping gel to my icing. Not sure of the proportions, but it is in the Wilton books. I've done it so long, that I can just "eyeball it"
I agree about the air in your icing. Practice-practice-practice! Carol

Jenie: Sorry it took so long to get back to you with the information about the dividing wheel.

The one that I have is older as it only will divide a cake up to 18" with 3 to 12 marking points.

You can make you own by taking a large round cake board, at least 19" across, put a nail in the absolute center with the tip pointing up. Then you will need round cake boards of different sizes, such as 4", 6", 8", 10", 12", 14", 16", and 18". Place the absolute center of each one on top of the nail one at a time starting with the smallest and mark the complete circle of the board on your wheel. At this point you should take the smallest and largest board and place evenly spaced marks on the board for a cake that would have three marks on it, you can use a different color for each new marking set and mark for a cake that would have 4 to 12 markings each. Now place the smallest board back on top of the nails and transfer your markings to your wheel. Then do the same with the largest board. At this point you can take a ruler out of one of the kids new backpacks and connect your color coded marks across the cake rings. Be sure to mark on the almost edge of the wheel how many markings this line will represent.

Now you have your own homemade dividing wheel. Here is a picture of the Wilton cake dividing wheel so you have a guide to go by.

Hope this helps!

Thank you so much fishercakes and to all who replied to my post

Jen