A customer has asked if i cld do the designs on the side of this cake on her wedding cake. how can i do this design? is it something that i can do free-hand or i have to get some kinda cutters? pls help me out. many thanks
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That looks like freehand piping to me.

I agree, but I think wilton also sells some impression stencils you can use. They may not look exactly like that, but it's the same general scroll work idea.

SugarFrosted - my piping skills suck. am gonna get the stensils and try them out.

Rose_N_Crantz - how do i work with this stencils. sorry, if this sounds dumb. do i mark them on the cake randomly or is there a way to do it?

They're pieces of plastic that you press into the cake to make an impression, which you pipe over. Unless they've updated the set, they don't have anything as complex as those scrolls, but maybe you could combine two of them to get bigger designs.

You could print and enlarge the photo. Take some floral wire and mold to the scrolls, leaving ends up vertical for handles. Use that to imprint the cake and then pipe over the impression.

Some have said you can do the same by make a hot glue pattern. Print the photo, lay wax paper or some other transparancy over the pattern. Use the glue gun to trace the pattern. Allow to dry and imprint the cake.

my piping sucks to, i did get the one kit, i tried the hot glue but it didn't work for me. most of the scrols that are use on henna are used on the cakes's, you can go to the henna page and they have a book you can download for these shapes and you can enlarge them, in henna i usually do stencils like on permanent tattoo's, i can do freehand, but my semetry isn't that good, i can get the first part of the swirl shape nice but it's never even on the other side on this cake they didn't go for semetry so that is good. i think you'll like this book good luck. oh and i think the wire idea is the best i've heard yet, cheap to,

Make your own scroll presses!!!!!!!

Fold a sheet of foil until you have a flat multi layers strip like ruler. Give it a roll over with your rolling pin to really get it flat. Then bend it into any shape you like. use like a cookie cutter to push an impression in to the cake that you can follow. if you can not make a smooth line then do it like you would a tiny boarder. Little beads or little curls.

I had a very similar cake requested for tomarrow and I have never done any piping or scroll work. I posted on CC for some guidance and was suprised that there was very little knowledge out there anymore. I do think that piping is about to make a return and I wonder where all of us newbies are going to learn when that happens.

I called a friend of mine who has done cakes for 30 years and she actually had me up to her cake shop today to get some pointers. Here is what I learned from her.

-Use tip #3 or 2 (3 was best for me)
-Your icing needs to be that of a thinner BC (or Royal Icing) to do the piping.
note- I had someone on CC tell me that a very well known decorator (sorry to tired to think of who) had told her to use Betty Crocker creamy icing but my friend thought that it was a bit sticky for piping.
-Practice ALOT before you go to the cake. I used a fondant tub (2 gallon bucket) turned upside down and piped on the sides and bottom of it so I could get used to piping on a verticle surface. Then scrape it off and start again.
-When you go to the cake have whatever type of pattern you are going for printed out and laying near by so you can look at it.
- Keep the tip right on the surface of the piping so you dont have any strings that pull away from the cake and land off target. Move somewhat quickly in sweeping motions so you dont have shakey results. It helped me to hold my bag in the right hand and put my left hand right below the coupler to steady it.

I found that trying to copy a design was as difficult as trying to duplicate someones handwriting. I let my customer know that it would not look exactly like the cake she emailed me and actually used the handwriting senario for her. She just wanted scroll work and was then prepared for my own unique design.

My cake is not perfect but It is really pretty and actually looks alot like the one you posted. I say go for it and practice practice practice. I know it is a bit scary but I do think it makes for a beautifull cake and once you have this down you will be one up on alot of the other people out there. I just dont think anything is worse than a cake with poorly done piping.

YOU CAN DO IT! I hope this is a help to you. Now I have to talk my friend into doing some you tube how to videos on piping.

Txnonnie & Sadsmile - thanks for the brilliant idea..saves money from buying those cutters.

BeeBoos-8599_ - thanks for sharing your experience and tips. appreciate it. one question though - can i do the scrolls with fondant. is it possible?

Now, all i need is practice, practice and practice....thank you all.

sure you can do them in fondant, did you try the henna page for designs

sorry when i said go to the henna page you click on free patterns, click on each one and it will show you different ways to add to the patterns.

Yes you CAN do them with fondant or gumpaste but I dont think it will look as gracefull as the original. It really is not difficult it just takes practice. In the time you are going to spend trying to find a "easier" way you could be done with the design seriously. I know where your head is right now but I really think you will be proud of yourself for doing it the traditional way.