The Rope Concept

• There is no single, overriding reason why rope decorations are used on cakes, but they make an attractive finishing touch and help bring all of the other decorative aspects together. The rope can take a boring cake that is just plain white or chocolate and add some character without being overly elaborate or requiring extensive decorating skills.

Icing Rope Technique

• Using icing is one way to apply the rope technique to a cake. To achieve the right look, fill your icing bag about half-full with the appropriate-sized tip for the theme of your cake. The bag should be barely touching the surface of the cake, and at a 45-degree angle. Squeeze the bag with moderate pressure and dispense a small squiggle on the cake that looks like an "S." Next, make the second section of rope by pointing the tip underneath the bottom curve of the first "S" and dispense icing as you pull down and over the tail. Continue forming small "S" shapes in this fashion, keeping the icing the same size so it resembles a rope.

Fondant Rope Technique

• In the cake-making world, fondant refers to a sweet, almost dough-like material that you drape over a cake and use for decoration and taste. It is also possible to make secondary decorations on a cake using fondant, and rope is one of them. For fondant ropes, roll out two long and thin pieces of fondant with your hands. Try to make each piece exactly the same thickness and length. Next, press the two pieces together on one end and then start twisting the two pieces around each other, forming a rope. Use as much rope as needed to create the effect, and attach it to your cake by moistening the cake and rope slightly with water. Use different-colored pieces for a more dynamic effect.

Where to Use Rope

• Rope cake decoration works well around the top and bottom of a standard round or rectangular cake to increase the level of decoration on the cake, and it's versatile enough to work for more elaborate purposes. You can use the rope technique to create actual ropes if your cake has scenes from cartoons or movies. Rope techniques are also ideal to make a basket out of your cake to use at Easter. Either the fondant or icing rope simulates the weaving of a basket to make it look realistic and improve the quality of the cake.