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Lace & Fill · Family 47

Lattice Trellis with Wilton 47

A 45 degree diamond grid that covers a cake side without hiding what is under it.

A lattice is a grid of flat ribbons crossing at 60 degrees, leaving diamond windows of bare cake between them. It is the traditional finish for a cake whose sides are already decorated with something worth seeing - a cornelli panel, a stencil, or a coloured crumb coat. The 47 lays a 5 mm flat ribbon, which is the right width: narrower looks like string, wider closes the windows.

Tip
Wilton 47
Icing stage
Medium peak
Difficulty
Intermediate
Teeth
2
Symmetry
16×
Cure
12 hours
Finished size
160 mm
Released
26 September 2026

By The Sugar Bench · Released 26 September 2026

Method

5 steps, pressure stated at each one

Hand position and bag pressure are stated for every step, because that is where most failures happen.

Lattice Trellis with Wilton 47 — Step 1: Set out the spacing

Step 01 of 05

Set out the spacing

For a 20 cm cake and 30 mm windows, divide the circumference of 628 mm by 35 mm (window plus ribbon) to get eighteen ribbons per direction. Mark eighteen points around the top edge with a skewer and drop a vertical guide from each with a skewer and a ruler.

HandWork from a single marked point and go all the way round rather than marking by eye from both directions - the two halves never meet.
Bag pressureVery light with the skewer.
Lattice Trellis with Wilton 47 — Step 2: Pipe direction one

Step 02 of 05

Pipe direction one

With the 47 held at 45 degrees to the vertical, pipe a 5 mm ribbon from the bottom of the cake to the top for each guide mark. Keep the blade flat against the cake and the pressure constant over the 130 mm travel.

HandTip flat on the cake, whole arm travelling at 45 degrees; the turntable brings each guide into position.
Bag pressureMedium and constant - a ribbon that tapers will make the crossings look uneven.
Lattice Trellis with Wilton 47 — Step 3: Crust for thirty minutes

Step 03 of 05

Crust for thirty minutes

Leave the first direction to crust for thirty minutes at 18 C before piping the second. This is not optional: a second pass over fresh ribbons drags them out of line and the lattice collapses.

HandDo not touch or test the ribbons during the crusting period.
Bag pressureNone.
Lattice Trellis with Wilton 47 — Step 4: Pipe direction two

Step 04 of 05

Pipe direction two

Pipe the second direction in the opposite 45 degrees, using a 4 mm ribbon and stopping 1 mm short of each crossing. Two hundred and 4 mm ribbons cross to form the diamond windows.

HandSight along each crossing before the stroke; the 1 mm stop has to be deliberate, not a guess.
Bag pressureMedium, one notch lighter than direction one so the second pass sits on top rather than cutting in.
Lattice Trellis with Wilton 47 — Step 5: Finish the edges and cut free

Step 05 of 05

Finish the edges and cut free

Run a small palette knife around the base of the lattice and along the top edge to release any ribbon that has bonded to the board. Leave twelve hours at 18 C before boxing.

HandHold the knife at 30 degrees and pull it toward you along the base, letting the blade do the work.
Bag pressureLight - the knife should cut the bond, not the ribbon.

Scroll sideways for each step →

Measure the window, not the ribbon

Lattice is designed backwards. Decide the window size first - 30 mm diamonds for a 20 cm cake - then work out the spacing, which is the window plus the ribbon width. Twenty millimetre windows on a 20 cm cake look crowded; 40 mm windows look unfinished. Thirty is the number that reads as a trellis.

One direction at a time, all the way round

Pipe every ribbon in one direction around the whole cake before starting the second direction. If you alternate as you go, the crossings are never quite consistent and the lattice looks hand-drawn in the wrong way. Finish direction one, let it crust for thirty minutes, then pipe direction two over it - the crust prevents the second pass from dragging the first.

The over-under illusion

A real lattice has an over-under weave, and a piped lattice does not - it is simply two layers. To suggest the weave, pipe direction two slightly thinner than direction one (4 mm instead of 5 mm) and stop each ribbon 1 mm short at the crossings. The eye fills in the gap as an under-pass and the lattice reads as woven.

Ink lattice over gold cornelli

The card art is a 4 mm ink lattice over a gold cornelli panel, which is the highest-contrast combination that still shows the layer underneath. Colour 300 g ink with a toothpick tip of AmeriColor Super Black and 300 g gold, both medium peak. The ink has to be at least two shades darker than the panel or the lattice disappears into it.

Setting, and cutting the bottom

Twelve hours at 18 C. Lattice ribbons are flat and dry quickly, but the crossings take longer. Before serving, run a palette knife around the bottom of the lattice where it meets the board - a 5 mm ribbon usually touches the board, and cutting the cake with the lattice intact drags the whole panel off.

Failures and fixes

Symptom Cause Fix
Second direction drags the first out of line The first direction was not crusted before the second pass. Thirty minutes at 18 C between directions; if the room is warm, chill the cake for five minutes first.
Windows look crowded Windows smaller than 25 mm, or ribbons wider than 5 mm. Re-space to 30 mm windows and reduce the ribbon to 5 mm in direction one and 4 mm in direction two.
Lattice looks flat, no weave Both directions piped at the same width with no stop at the crossings. Make direction two 1 mm thinner and stop each ribbon 1 mm short of every crossing so the eye reads an under-pass.

Before you bag up

  • Windows planned at 30 mm
  • Eighteen ribbons per direction on a 20 cm cake
  • Direction one crusted 30 minutes before direction two
  • Direction two 4 mm and stopped 1 mm short at crossings
  • Base released with a palette knife before serving

This card describes a method, not a formulation tested for allergens, shelf life or food safety; the ingredients, hygiene and safety of anything you give to someone else are your responsibility. Nothing here is sponsored and there is no affiliation with any tip or ingredient manufacturer. See the terms page for the full note.

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