Hey Everyone,

I am a beginner in the art of piping. I had a bride request a quote on the cake pictured below. I am wondering if the piping is actually chocolate on this cake seeing how it stands up over the top tier. Also, any tricks to practice or perfect this type of piping? Do you make indentations first to give you a form of a guide? Is this something I should do on wax paper and then apply to the cake?

Any help or guidance is appreciated!

AWell, I'm far not an expert in piping too and to be honest I would be mortified to take on a wedding cake looking like this and not being sure I could pull it off. I hope for you (and the bride!) that you gonna practice practice practice alot beforehand. No offense though, and am sure you'll manage. Just meant as advice...

The sort of waffle pattern I have done before for on a sheet cake- it's not hard, just time consuming. And I was able to do that piping in frosting- but for a wedding cake it will need to be more sturdy since it is on the side- probably with RI. Some of the other patterns are petal shaped, again not a huge deal. I definitely think I'm capable, but if anyone has any tricks to make it easier on me, I'm all ears!

ADefinitely use royal, and place the cake on a tilting turntable to pipe on the sides, it's so much easier. You could mark the pattern on paper and then use a scribe/pin to mark the start and end points of the lines on your cake. Leave yourself plenty of time so you don't rush! You could even have s practice on the side of a dummy cake to feel a bit more confident. Biggest trick is having the RI consistency just perfect.

I am no expert either but I would think that the piping could be done in white chocolate because it would harden back up like royal icing would once piped on cake. Since I do not do this as a living, I would wait and see what the experts say. The picture of the cake is beautiful!! I love the piping!! Looks like it would be very time consuming for sure!! I am sure that you can do it especially if you practice beforehand while looking at the picture of the cake. Good luck and be sure to post a picture of your final cake. Hang in there and keep the faith!!

That cake is stunning. Sorry I'm not helping I know, just had to say it :)

This is my opinion as a 5 year hobby baker.  The cake presented in the photo was obviously made by a Master of piping.  This type of workmanship reflects years and years of hand/eye/muscle coordination in addition to a Master knowledge of piping consistencies needed to achieve the flawless effect. 

Although I do not know if this is a "real" cake or a "dummy" cake, the pricing for this would most likely be in the $2000-$3000+ range.   

I would suggest that you create at least a two tier practice cake and see if you are able to replicate this type of piping before you offer any quotes to the consumer.  Doing a practice cake is a win-win because you gain knowledge, improve your piping skills, and see if this is a do-able endeavor.

I don't think there is anything challenging about this one - it looks like only 3 tips were used (104 for the ruffled sections, and then two round tips for the waffle pattern and 'fan' pattern). I don't think they even marked out the waffle pattern. See how the diamonds sort of change shape on the bottom tier inside the curved ruffle on the right? I would start with the ruffle pattern, then do the 'fans', then fill in with the waffle and add your pearls. I would use royal if you plan on extending beyond the tier as they did on the top, but if not, you could do this in buttercream too.

Ai agree with melmar -- it's nicely done but basic piping skills in a gorgeous stunner pattern -- the waffle is called lattice -- it's just lines piped one way then the next -- it's two different colors -- it's step by step -- only thing i'd do different is i'd pipe the lattice first so i could then cover all the ends with the rose/ruffle tip --

Thank you so much for the tip number suggestion! That is a huge help, as I was definitely wondering on that. I also like the idea of the lattice first and then covering the ends with the other designs. Thank you ladies, you rock! :)

You may also need some Aleve ... for your hands afterwards, not the cake.