How Do I Apply A Diamond Pattern On Cake?
Decorating By need2sleep Updated 3 Nov 2008 , 2:57pm by His_snowflake
HI everyone!! I was wondering if I could get some advice on how to get a diamond pattern on the side of a cake. Should I use a cookie cutter or do I use string? 
I've been brainstorming on how it's done. I've never done this before and I am doing a babtism cake this weekend w/this pattern on the sides. I plan to use SMBC.
Thank you for any help you guys can offer. 
Sandra
. . . there are impression mats available . . . or some people use wooden skewers . . .
http://www.globalsugarart.com/search.php?search=diamond+impression+mat&searchimage.x=34&searchimage.y=3
I use skewers to make the impressions ... I just eyeball it.
Here's one: http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1225307
I've done another where the diamond pattern is smaller (more diamonds across the cake), but I haven't reduced the size and loaded it yet.
I attended my first ICES Day of Sharing as a guest (I am SO joining!) and we saw a demonstration by Two Sweet Sisters that used a cutter that looks like this to create diamond patterns on fondant. They said you could use it on buttercream, too. You can pipe pearls at each intersection so that the pattern appears cohesive. Global Sugar Art sells plain ones like this in different sizes as well as some with other patterns inside the diamonds. You can see them here.
You can see examples of their work on their web site. They have also published a book of their fabulous cakes, which you can order through their website. They also travel around the country teaching classes. I had no idea that such phenomenal cake artists, who are also wonderful people, live and work just down the road from me! Go figure!
need2sleep, you got the quesiton out of my mouth. Not having any of these mats, I tried to do it myself with a ruler. It did the job but it didn't come out perfect. I found it hard to do on a round cake. If you can get easily delivered by any of the e-shops mentioned above, I'd say it's better since it will be a first time.
I litteraly juto do this about 3 hrs ago and had no idea how to do it, i know that you can get what is called a patchwork press here in aus that is a quilt diamond pattern that is in a large block and would do the whole side of a cake, well i don't have one so i measured out even intervals at the bottom of the cake (divided the lenght of the cake by 8 then measures out and marked with a pin) it was an 9" square cake so each section was 2.75cm wide then repested at the top. then measured 1" up the cake. i then got a ruler went left of the middle and lined up the bottom marker with the 1" marker in the middle then made sure that met with one of the markers at the top and pushed in to make a line then went on the same angle joining all the marks up then turned around and went the other way. i did this on all sides and found it worked really well as all the corners met perfectly, i then joined all the top markers across the top in the same way as the entire cake has this pattern on it. tomorrow i will apply the silver cachous/dregrees to the corners if the diamonds. fingers crossed it work out the way it is suppost to!! will post a pic when i finish (it is the bottom of a small 3 tier wedding cake)
i hope it made sense as it is really easy the way i did it just a bit hard to put in writting?
ok so here it is the cake i was saying i was in the middle of, my first attempt at doing the diamond/quilting pattern, turned out pretty good actually and attaching the silver balls was alot easier than i thought it was going to be!!
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1279067
thanks! i used a ruler as i said earlier:
litteraly juto do this about 3 hrs ago and had no idea how to do it, i know that you can get what is called a patchwork press here in aus that is a quilt diamond pattern that is in a large block and would do the whole side of a cake, well i don't have one so i measured out even intervals at the bottom of the cake (divided the lenght of the cake by 8 then measures out and marked with a pin) it was an 9" square cake so each section was 2.75cm wide then repested at the top. then measured 1" up the cake. i then got a ruler went left of the middle and lined up the bottom marker with the 1" marker in the middle then made sure that met with one of the markers at the top and pushed in to make a line then went on the same angle joining all the marks up then turned around and went the other way. i did this on all sides and found it worked really well as all the corners met perfectly, i then joined all the top markers across the top in the same way as the entire cake has this pattern on it. tomorrow i will apply the silver cachous/dregrees to the corners if the diamonds. fingers crossed it work out the way it is suppost to!! will post a pic when i finish (it is the bottom of a small 3 tier wedding cake)
i hope it made sense as it is really easy the way i did it just a bit hard to put in writting?
to 'glue' on the balls i pirped on a bit of RI then pushed the balls into the fondant a bit too
I want to thank everyone for all your suggestions. Unfortunately I didn't have time to order the mats online and I couldn't find them at my local Micheal's. So I tried the skewers and rulers technique. I actually used a dowel rod so my impressions were a little wider. They did not come out perfect but my brother and sister-n-law loved the cake anyway. Hopefully one day I will be able to do as good a job as you guys!! Everyone at CC is great! 
Thanks again,
Sandra 
Scootinby - Will that work on any kind of icing or just regular buttercream. I used SMBC and it seemed a bit soft. Or should it be cooled in the fridge first, then imprinted with the towel? Sounds like it would be super easy that way!
Thanks.
Hey Kim_in_cajun_country! I was at the ICES DOS too! (Where do you live? I am in Metairie)
I loved watching those Two Sweet Sisters do their demo. They were so funny! and their cake was awesome! I bought the 3 diamond cutter because of all of the different things they did with it, but I have used the diamond impression mat in the past and I like using that too.
need2sleep - The buttercream must be well crusted to use the mat. I hope you end up getting one - it's easy to use - you'll love it! Good luck!
becklynn - I'm in the St. Martinville area. I had never heard of them, much less that they were in my neck of the woods! It's hard to believe that they took the Wilton courses four years ago and now they are in such great demand. Amazing!
I think we should add our CC screen names to our name tags for the next DOS so that fellow CC'rs will recognize us! I look like this (on a good hair day). Do you recognize me?
I had to make a baptism cake so I took the opportunity to try out the diamond cutter. My fondant had set up so I had to press pretty hard, which caused the buttercream to ooze out of the bottom. But it did give it a more quilted effect! I'll definitely try again, but next time I'll try to get the diamond pattern on the fondant immediately after covering the cake. This was only my third time covering a cake in fondant so it took me longer than it would if I knew what I was doing!
Hey Kim_in_cajun_country! I was at the ICES DOS too! (Where do you live? I am in Metairie)
I loved watching those Two Sweet Sisters do their demo. They were so funny! and their cake was awesome! I bought the 3 diamond cutter because of all of the different things they did with it, but I have used the diamond in the past and I like using that too.
need2sleep - The buttercream must be well crusted to use the mat. I hope you end up getting one - it's easy to use - you'll love it! Good luck!
I tried this diamond cutter on buttercream and it didn't work very well. The buttercream was well crusted (I ended up using an impression mat on it instead). Maybe there's a technique to it I don't understand. I'm sure it works better on fondant.
Now that I paid $30 for the thing at my local cake decorating shop, I'd sure like to know what other kinds of things it can be used for.
It probably does work better on fondant, but it's definitely going to take some practice. I was inspired by the cakes designed by the ladies at TwoSweetSisters. They demo'd the technique at the ICES Day of Sharing that I attended. I'm definitely going to try it again.
One thing I didn't mention earlier, the instructions say it cannot be used on buttercream but in the packaging mine came in, the instructions were folded up inside and you couldn't read that part before you bought it.
I tried it anyway with poor results.
Could you give me some specific ideas or links to pictures for some of the uses besides a diamond impression on the side of a cake they used it for?
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