I can not figure out how this cake is done. A cliente asked me to cost it. Could someone assist me.

Thanks CC's

To me it looks like hand piping over buttercream. And a lot of work!! If it were me, I would charge at least a 50 cents to a dollar more per serving. My hand hurts just thinking about doing all that piping lol! HTH

Are you sure it's icing? It could be an actual piece of lace draped over the cake. I wonder, because the ribbon at the base is laid over the top of this design ....

Looks like lace.

Do you have magnifier in your handicap accessories on your computer under programs, if so open it and enlarge it and look at the pic. Sure looks like lace with my magnifier.

Was that from a Martha Stewart magazine? If so, it's probably real lace put down over fondant, but given a description in the magazine of being piped on there.

It looks like real lace to me because the bulge at the base of the tiers make it look like there's something solid under the bottom ribbon. If that is piped, it's going to be crippling, so definitely charge more, and get a bucket of ice to stick your hand in afterward!

What about that sugar veil (spelling?????) technique? That could be it making it look like lace.

I just blew it up.......I agree it must be a piece of lace. You can see the lace under the ribbon.....if it was piped one would not do that

I was thinking about this (See how boring my thoughts are) and the royal icing might be right. I remember seeing this cake in the magazine, and I seem to remember that it was piped. Since it's a display cake it's probably royal icing on fondant, and it could have been done over a number of days to prevent total hand strain.

If that is piping then I would start now with royal icing and do a thousand of those circles the week before by first piping the criss cross pattern and then a piping a circle over that and let them dry. then on assembly day you only have to pipe the connecting lines. And even then I would try and talk the bride into changing things up on each tier. Maybe alternating tier design between the complete pattern and ones with a ribbon of that design going around the tier. I think the alternating design would look nicer too.

I'm gonna side with BlakesCakes on this one . If it were real lace it wouldn't fit over the cake neatly like that. There would be a gather at the bottom unless there is a seam in the back to take up the slack. ( think how a tablecloth looks when placed over a round table) Even then I don't think it would contour to the cake that well.


Looks like RI , and was probably done in more than one session.

I think it is sugar veil. I remember seeing a cake similar to this and there was a discussion as to whether it was real lace or piping, and it turned out to be sugar veil. That stuff is flexible so its easy to drape over a cake.

I'm not a pro but that definitely is not real lace! When you blow it up, there are too many imperfections to be real lace(factory made). It's the connecting lines, some are spaced wider than others. And I also agree on draping real lace would would not lay smooth.
It is royal icing and it was all piped on, probably over several days. You can do circles ahead but not for the circles that lay on the edge of the cake because they would break. As for the ribbon on the bottom, I'm guessing that was placed on after a day or so for the RI to dry and that's why that looks like there is something solid behind it. RI is pretty solid, lol.
If it were me, I would say no, can't do it, or put your price so high they wouldn't want to pay it! LOL!

Oh if you do, do it. I think I would use a circle cutter to imprint my circles before doing the RI to get a good circle every time. Just a thought!

I think it's royal icing. Once dried anything laid over it will be ridged like the ribbon here. I vote RI on fondant.

I think it's royal icing. Once dried anything laid over it will be ridged like the ribbon here. I vote RI on fondant.

Looks like royal to me as well. More than likely they used a template to transfer the circle patters on for spacing, then just free-handed the rest. That's what I'd do. Or, if you're pretty good with spacing, you could just use the large end of a piping tip to transfer the circles onto the fondant or buttercream, then outline with royal.

That is probably what I would do.

I don't know what it is but I would copy it by piping the diagonal and horizontal skinny stripes. Then I'd cut out fondant circles and over pipe them. But it's hard to see the pattern on the circles...that pattern seems to change a lot...just make it random I guess.

Sure is pretty though.

What if you were to use the wide spread dot impression mat (similar to one of the four smaller ones that Earlene Moore offers). Center a small round cutter over the dots and lightly press to mark. Pipe the circle. Connect each circle with the diagonal/horizontal lines. Do the string work(which looks like horizontal lines under vertical lines (or vice versa)). Then, add a swoop on top and overpipe the circles to cover the lattice work ends. Ta dah!

I also think it's RI over fondant...and I think it's gorgeous! Please post pictures if you do this, I'd love to see how it turns out. I wish I had an occasion to try this for.

Just a random thought here--Not everything has to be done in royal.
buttercream and royal can be interchangable in many applications, like this one.

Would be nice to see the join in the back huh.

I agree with K8. Why do some people choose RI over buttercream when piping?

Thanks for the explanation BlakesCakes. But when using RI on fondant, do I have to worry about it breaking if touched by mistake?

Well, if the royal stands away from the surface of the cake, yes, of course it can break if touched (as buttercream would smear).

If it's in full contact with the surface of the fondant, it's very strong and should be fine.........unless banged.

Rae