How to Put a Border on a Cake

A simple way to make a cake look nicely finished is to add a simple border to the edges of your cake. Piping a border is one of the cake decorating basics, and very easy once you get a rhythm for it. I will explain how to do two types of borders as well as a few easy ways to jazz up that outer edge of your cake. As always, practice on parchment or wax paper before working on your cake.

Basic Shell Border

A border tip looks like a star on the top and when icing comes out it has ridges around the edge. The shell border looks like a bunch of sea shells lined up in a row.

With a comfortable grip on your icing bag, pipe in a straight line while alternating squeezes with releases. You can also adjust the speed in which you move your piping hand across. I usually pull while I am releasing and hold when I am squeezing. You can start each shell at the tail end of the previous shell so it looks like a continuous line. You will soon find a flowing rhythm and you’ll be able to put a border on a cake more efficiently.

Swirl Border

Honestly, I’m not sure if this is a “standard” border that one would learn in cake decorating school, but I certainly like the look of it.

Use the same border tip as the shell border. Instead of drawing the icing bag in a straight line with varied pressure, a swirl border is in a squiggly line with constant pressure. Practice different swirl patterns on paper by tracing a swirl pattern with a pen, then tracing it with frosting. Try to keep the width of the border no larger than an inch thick, because you want to maximize your decorating space on the middle of the cake.

Both of these borders can be done on the bottom edge of the cake, on the top edge of the cake, or both.

Jazz Up Your Border

• Use different color frosting for the borders.

• Add sprinkles or candy confetti just around the edge of the cake.

• Make streamers the drape over the border by using a very small writing tip size 1 or 2 and squeeze out colored frosting so it looks like thin string drizzled over the edge.

• Before piping a border on the top or bottom of the cake, use a rose or flat edge tip to create a draped ribbon around the outer edge for a classy look.

Most importantly, have fun experimenting with the different ways you can give your cake border a more finished look. Make it your own by adding your personal creativity.

~Mia