Pipe Down: A DIY Cake Piping Technique Inspired by Woven Wall Hangings

Hello, hello. I’m baaaaaack! And so excited to hit the ground running after my trip…I have lots and lots of photos to share from Amsterdam, Paris, and London, BUT not quite yet.

Today is for cake! Specifically a DIY decorated cake inspired by woven wall hangings and fringed furry pillows. You can decorate any layered cake with this unique (but easy to recreate) technique. Store bought cakes included!

Click through for the how-to on this cake piping technique, plus an original recipe for yummy buttercream icing.

Buttercream Icing (makes enough to crumb coat + frost 4 layer 6 inch cake)

• 4 sticks of softened unsalted butter
• 2 pounds of confectioners sugar
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla

Instructions for Buttercream

In a stand mixer with a paddle blade attachment, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Next, add in the powered sugar one cup at a time. Mix until well combined, then add the vanilla. Place the frosting into different bowls and color with gel food coloring as desired.

Cake Tools

• piping bag
• Wilton tip 233
• 6 couplers

Instructions for Piping

Place your cake on a cake stand (or whatever you plan to serve it from) because once you start the frosting process it will be hard to move. We used a 4 layer 6 inch cake that was lightly crumb coated.

Next place couplers in the piping bags and fill the bags with the six different frosting colors. We used white, light pink, light purple, teal, mint green, and limeish yellow.

Using a knife or even a toothpick outline the pattern that you would like to see on the cake.

Then attach the tip to one of the couplers and pipe the frosting onto the cake. You will want to go from the bottom to the top of the shape so that the frosting will overlap nicely.

Keep using the process of switching off the tip among the different piping bags until you have used all the colors and the shapes are filled in. Fill free to pipe at different lengths  to show variety along with using different colors.

Recipe by Anissa Saxton
Photography by Amelia Tatnall
Art direction by Brittni Mehlhoff

What do you think of this DIY piping technique? Think you’ll give it a try? And if so…what colors would you use?! Would love to hear your color combo suggestions.