Video:How to Decorate Cake Borders

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Transcript:How to Decorate Cake Borders

Hi, I'm Rachel Thebault from Tribeca Treats for About.com Food. Today I'm going to show you how to pipe decorative borders on a cake.

Tools Needed to Pipe a Cake Border

You will need:

• a cake stand
• piping bags
• round and star pastry tips
• a coupler

These cake decorating items can be found online or at a specialty food store. You will also need some room- temperature icing for easy piping.

Prepare Your Iced Cake for Decorating

Start with a cake that you've finished icing and let it sit in the refrigerator about 10 minutes. Using a cake that has cold icing on it will allow you to more easily fix any mistakes by scraping them off and re-piping.

Assemble the Frosting Piping Bag

Assemble your piping bag with the coupler and the pastry tip. First, pick up a round or star tip and place it in a pastry bag. Add about a cup of icing. Be careful not to add too much icing, or it will be harder to control your pastry bag.

Make a Pearl Cake Border

For pearls, use a round tip and pipe straight down onto the cake. Release pressure and then make a small circular motion with you hand to avoid creating point.

Make a Star or Flower Cake Border

For stars or flowers, use a star tip and pipe straight down onto the cake, again releasing pressure before you pull up. For flowers, you can use a tinted icing with a small round tip and pipe a small round circle in the center.

Make a Shell Cake Border

For shells, use a star tip and pipe sideways to create the thick end of the shell. Then release pressure as you pull along the cake. Begin the next shell, slightly overlapping the first.

Make a Bottom Cake Border

By placing the cake on a lightly larger cake board, you can also decorate the bottom with a similar border.

Thanks for watching. To learn more, visit us on the Web at food.about.com.