Can anyone give me pointers on doing scroll work? I have never done it before and have a cake order in May for a 2 tier white with black scroll work. Thanks in advance!
Well,... I hate to do scroll work, and I suck at it heheh, but I will try to help. For this one I used Wilton stencils http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1214031
If I will have to do it again, I will draw my own scroll work on paper (or print from net. Then I will trace it on parchment paper, which I will put on the cake, and with needle (or the other pointy thing to use for pin pictures on boards) make tiny holes tracing the scroll work. Take the parchmen paper off and u will see the tiny dots which u will follow with your piping bag.... do u get what I mean?
Scrolls like my cake here?: http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1345439
Took practice..no templates or pin pricking, just a steady hand. Helps to have a well chilled cake so you can put that tip on the surface and not have swags of your piping string pull out and fall all wonky and out of round. Use a turntable as well.
for my cake i used the c's from the wilton decorator favorites pattern press set just randomly placing them around the cake. i piped an extra swirl here and there where i thought it would look right. and yes it's better to wait until your BC is well crusted.
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1324190
Like Jamie says, it takes getting your hand used to making the motion of the scroll to really make it look nice on a cake. You can look at any of mine posted (and there are several) - they are all done freehand. The more you do them, the better you get.
Put some that you like on paper cover with a clear cutting board or wax paper - something you can scrape off to reuse the icing (not to eat, just to practice). Then trace them and eventually your hand will get used to that motion. Then try that motion on the sides of a styrofoam dummy cake, or anything vertical to mimic the side of a cake.
It will take some practice, but probably not much. Then once you get good at it EVERYONE sees it and wants it, so you'll get plenty of practice, haha.
I find if the icing is soft and use a #3 tip, I can do pretty good scrolls. Start with a simple side ways "S" and add on fancy stuff as you feel more comfortable. Also for scrolls on the side of the cake...make sure you are eye-level with your scrollwork.
i have two questions on the scrollwork (one may be reaaaaaally dumb).
how do you get eye level? are you scrunching down or sticking your turntable up on something? (this is the dumb one, lol).
when you do the scrollwork on the side, are you tilting the cake?
diane
i usually have the cake on a turntable that is on my kitchen table then i sit on a low footstool that puts me at eye level. i have also used a tilting turntable and various other things like fondant buckets to get the cake at eye level. hey, whatever works but scrunching, try not to do that as i can't really keep my hand steady if i'm also trying not to fall over on the cake, lol.
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