Piping Borders On Wedding Cakes: A Simple Guide

Piping the perfect border on a wedding cake can be a challenge, but it's a great way to add a flourish to your cake design. There are many different piping techniques to choose from, including the traditional shell border, scrolls, scallops, rosettes and droplet-style borders. Each technique requires a different piping tip, from a plain round tip to a closed star tip, and a straight petal tip. To pipe a border, hold the piping bag at a 90-degree angle slightly above the surface of the cake, squeeze out frosting using even pressure, and slowly release pressure while lifting the bag to create a point.

Scallop borders: a closed star piping tip to pipe small blobs of icing along the base of the cake

Scallop borders are a great option for beginners, and they're perfect for elegant wedding cakes. To create this border, you'll need a closed star piping tip. Pipe small "blobs" of royal icing or buttercream along the base of your cake. You can get creative and alternate different-coloured frostings.

To pipe borders on a cake, hold the piping bag at a 90-degree angle slightly above the surface of the cake. Squeeze out frosting using even pressure, and slowly release the pressure while lifting the piping bag to create a point.

If you're looking for a fancier border, scrolls are a great option for wedding cakes. They're similar to the traditional shell border but with a little more flourish and shape. Think of them as a series of sideways C shapes, some on their back and some the opposite way.

For a modern take on the shell border, use a smaller star piping tip. Pipe, stop, and swipe! You can also use a medium or large closed star piping tip to create a rosette border. Instead of finishing your swirl with the "tail" on top, pipe the tail off to the side of the rose. This way, when you pipe the next rose, the tail end will be hidden.

Rosette borders: small, stylized swirls of frosting that sit along the bottom of a cake

Rosette borders are small, stylized swirls of frosting that sit along the bottom of a cake. They are a great way to add a decorative touch to a wedding cake. To create a rosette border, you will need a medium or large closed star piping tip. Begin by holding the piping bag at a 90-degree angle slightly above the surface of the cake. Squeeze out the frosting using even pressure, and slowly release the pressure while lifting the piping bag to create a point. Repeat this process around the entire cake.

When piping a rosette border, it is important to pipe the "tail" off to the side of the rose. This way, when you pipe the next rose, the tail end will be hidden. You can also get creative and alternate different colour frostings to create a unique and eye-catching design.

If you are looking for a more elegant and sophisticated border, consider using a plain round tip to pipe small "blobs" of royal icing or buttercream along the base of your cake. This scallop border is perfect for wedding cakes and is a great option for beginners.

For a fashion-forward look, try using a straight petal piping tip to pipe a ruffled "skirt" around the base of the cake. Position the fatter end of the piping tip slightly higher up on the cake, and pipe the frosting out a little faster than you are moving around the cake to create a good ruffle.

Scrolls: similar to the shell border but with a little more flourish and shape

Piping the perfect border can help finish a wedding cake. Scrolls are a great border for fancier cakes, such as wedding cakes. They are similar to the shell border but with a little more flourish and shape. Think of the scrolls as a series of sideways C shapes, some on their back and some the opposite way.

To pipe scrolls, use a medium or large closed star piping tip and begin the same way you would a rosette border. Instead of finishing your swirl with the “tail” on top, pipe the tail off to the side of the rose. This way, when you pipe the next rose, the tail end will be hidden.

Hold the piping bag at a 90-degree angle slightly above the surface of the cake. Squeeze out frosting using even pressure. Slowly release pressure while lifting the piping bag to create a point.

For a scallop border, use a closed star piping tip to pipe small "blobs" of royal icing or buttercream along the base of your cake. This is a great border for beginners! You can even get creative and alternate different colour frostings.

Traditional shell border: a popular option for finishing buttercream cakes

The traditional shell border is a popular option for finishing buttercream cakes. This border is created by using a medium or large closed star piping tip to pipe small swirls of frosting along the base of the cake. To modernise this technique, a smaller star piping tip can be used.

To pipe a shell border, hold the piping bag at a 90-degree angle slightly above the surface of the cake. Squeeze out frosting using even pressure, and slowly release the pressure while lifting the piping bag to create a point. Repeat this process around the entire cake.

Shell borders can be adapted to create scroll borders, which are perfect for fancier cakes such as wedding cakes. Scrolls are similar to shell borders but feature a little more flourish and shape. To pipe a scroll border, think of the scrolls as a series of sideways C shapes, some on their back and some the opposite way.

For a beginner-friendly option, consider a scallop border. This border is created by using a closed star piping tip to pipe small "blobs" of royal icing or buttercream along the base of the cake. You can even get creative and alternate different colour frostings.

Droplet-style border: use a plain round piping tip to pipe a round dot and quickly swipe the bag and tip upward to create the teardrop-like shape

Piping a border on a wedding cake can be a great way to finish it off. One of the easiest borders to pipe is a droplet-style border. To pipe this, you will need a plain round piping tip, either small or large, depending on the size of your cake.

To pipe the droplets, start by holding your piping bag at a 90-degree angle, slightly above the surface of the cake. Squeeze out a round dot of frosting using even pressure. Then, quickly swipe the bag and tip upward to create the teardrop-like shape. Repeat this process around the entire cake.

You can pipe droplets close together for a full, ruffled look, or space them out for a more minimalist border. This style of border is perfect for a fashion-forward wedding cake. It's a simple technique that can be adapted to suit a range of cake designs.

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