Step 2: The Parts of a Cake
Basic Tube Designs

The elements of a cake consist of:

Top Border
A continuous decoration used around the top of a cake. The tubing of 18 shells make a decorative top border.

Side Trim
Decorations used around the sides of a cake. Here you can tube 47 ribbed stripes and tube 67 leaves to make an attractive side trim combination.

Central Decoration
The design used on the top of a cake are usually made up of different combinations of different tubes and decorations. On this cake tubes 21 and 33 are used for the drop flowers, with tube 3 for the drop flower centers, and tube 104 is used for the roses and sweet peas. Leaf trims are added with tube 67.

Greeting
The message written on the cake top, like a happy greeting written with tube 3.

Bottom Border
A continuous decoration used around the base of a cake, like the top border, these tube 21 shells are a perfect choice.

See the full page: Wilton Cakes page 4

Basic Tube (Tip) Designs

Here are the six basic decorating tubes that produce the most popular cake decorations, but there are many other too that you will learn.

Each of the tubes are available in different sizes but the basic decoration they produce are the same. As you learn the versatility of each tube, you'll see just how many different cake decorations you can make using just these six basic tubes.

Star Tube (star tube)
Used to make stars, shells, rosettes, ropes, zigzags, puffs, fleur-de-lis, scrolls and ribbed stripes.

Drop Flower Tube (drop flower tube)
Used to make two different flower varieties.

Rose tube (rose tube)
Used to make roses, rosebuds, sweet peas, ribbons, bows, and ruffles.

Round Tube (round tube)
Used for writing, dots, balls, strings, outlines, beads, and figure piping.

Leaf tube (leaf tube)
Used to make leaves, trim flowers, vines, and other decorative cake borders.

Basketweave Tube (basketweave tube)
Used to make plain and ribbed stripes, and also to make basket weaving designs.