LATTICE CAKE TOP PIECES  BASKET WEAVING

LATTICE DESIGNS

Royal icing thinned down with egg white must be used for all types of lattice. An even, uniform flow of icing is obtained when a steady pressure is used on the cone.

LATTICE SCALLOP

A pattern approximately 8 inches high is first drawn on paper as illustrated. Use a large cone of royal icing. Cut the tip to a 1/4 inch opening. Place a sheet of wax paper over this pattern and outline heavily as illustrated. After the pattern is outlined use the same tube with a circular motion to go over the outline once more. A thin line is then drawn over the pattern for the last time as illustrated. While the icing is still soft, the wax
paper is lifted and placed in a curve such as the inside of a No. 10 tincan. When the royal icing dries after about 24 hours, the wax paper is peeled off the design. The lattice design is then placed on top the 6 inch corrugated circle iced in royal icing. Love-birds, dainty roses and buds may be used to decorate as illustrated.

DESSERTS

Here are a few simple dessert toppings. All were decorated using the No. 30 star tube and a heavy whipping cream.

Strawberry shortcake simply decorated. Use whipped cream, with a No. 30 star tube.

Strawberries nestled among light green whipped cream leaves make a colorful topping. The bottom border was finished in light green also using a No. 30 star tube. The jello mold was done in pink.

BASKET WEAVING

In constructing a woven basket of icing, the following procedure is used:

Fill a large cone with white icing using a No. 16 tube. Fill another small cone with yellow or any desired icing and cut the tip off for about a 3/16" opening. The desired shape and size of the basket is first drawn out with the small cone. Using the No. 16 tube, the basket outline is then filled in to simulate a half basket as illustrated.

Before attempting to weave the basket, we suggest you try a few practice steps as follows: Using the No. 16 tube, draw a vertical line about 3" long. Then make your cross weaves about 3/16" apart in yellow icing, using your small cone. After completing the cross weaves, make another vertical line 1/8" away from the first line. Then complete your cross weave in yellow icing starting in the center of the first cross weave. This procedure is continued across the entire basket. Study the weaving procedure closely and follow the description. After a few practice tries start weaving your basket. Once the basket is completely woven, the upper portion and the base are overpiped using the small cone in yellow.

Before filling the basket with flowers, the handle is piped on in any desired shape and the stems and leaves are then placed on using a pastel icing.

The handle may be tied with a bow, using the No. 104 tube in any desired color.

Many variations of tubes may be used in weaving a basket, but the most important thing is the proper shape and the neatness of the weaving. Plan your color scheme so that it blends in well for the particular occasion.

SCENERY PAINTING IN ICINGS

The cake is first iced in a thin layer of buttercream and then poured with a lukewarm fondant. Before painting the scene, the cake should dry for one hour. Scenery painting in icings can be practiced on corrugated cardboard circles before attempting an actual cake scene.

A thinned down boiled icing and vegetable paste colors are used for this type of painted cake top. In painting a scene such as the boat, clouds and land in background, a picture may be obtained and copied in the following manner: With a brush approximately 11/2 inches in diameter, a small amount of thinned down boiled icing is placed in the skyline area. Using the brush in a back and forth motion, the skyline is painted in. With a tiny brush, place four or five small dots of blue paste color in the skyline area. Using a larger brush in a series of back and forth motions gives the skyline a blue variegated effect. A large cone of white boiled icing with a 1/4 inch opening at the tip is used in a zig-zag motion at various intervals to obtain
the cloud effect. Go over this cloud area with a clean brush to give it a smooth realistic look. The water area is made by piping on a thinned down white boiled icing and then adding a few drops of blue and green paste color. Then, with the use of the large brush in a series of sweeping motions, create the greenish blue water effect. Use the deeper colors for the distant water. The ship may be put in with the fill-in method or it may be outlined and then painted on with the brush as illustrated.

Before putting in the clouds and after the blue is put on, a few dots of yellow, orange and a tint of violet may be brushed right above the horizon to give a sunset effect. After practicing a few simple scenes such as these, you will see that scenery painting is simple and fast once you have acquired the technique of using the brush properly.

For the Western scene, the sky was painted in first as previously described. The mountains were piped on with a white and brown icing. Then, using a small brush, a few dots of deep colored icing were put on the crevices and then smoothed nut with a larger brush. The cowboy and horse were painted on with a very small brush in deeper colored boiled icing thinned down to the consistency of oil paints. The Halloween scene is painted in chocolate, orange and yellow. In a scene such as this, you must keep in mind the angle of the moon's shadows. This cake was bordered with individual shells using the No. 30 star tube and was overpiped in a deep color with a No. 3 tube using a question mark design.

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