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Filigree & Lettering · Family 104

Ruffle Garland with Wilton 104

A pleated ribbon that stands 20 mm off the cake, piped in one pass with a 104 held sideways.

The ruffle garland is a pleated fabric ribbon piped in icing: a folded band that stands vertically off the cake surface. It is made with a 104 petal tip held at 90 degrees to the normal position - the blade vertical and rocking side to side as you travel. It is the only technique here where the tip itself moves rather than just travelling.

Tip
Wilton 104
Icing stage
Stiff peak
Difficulty
Advanced
Teeth
1
Symmetry
21×
Cure
18 hours
Finished size
130 mm
Released
11 October 2026

By The Sugar Bench · Released 11 October 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.

Ruffle Garland with Wilton 104 — Step 1: Mix to stiff peak and stripe the bag

Step 01 of 05

Mix to stiff peak and stripe the bag

Mix 250 g of buttercream to stiff peak, colour to #5A1B2E with a toothpick tip of AmeriColor Burgundy, then loosen with a quarter teaspoon of cream. Paint a 15 mm band of #E9A6BC down one bag wall before loading.

HandJudge the peak by holding the paddle vertically: the icing should stand without bending for five seconds.
Bag pressureNone.
Ruffle Garland with Wilton 104 — Step 2: Set the blade vertical

Step 02 of 05

Set the blade vertical

Fit the 104 with the blade vertical - wide end down against the cake, narrow end up. Pipe a 30 mm test ruffle, rocking the tip 30 degrees either side of vertical about twice per centimetre of travel.

HandHold the coupler between thumb and forefinger, elbow high, so the blade stays upright rather than tipping as the wrist fatigues.
Bag pressureMedium and constant - the pleats form from the rocking, not from pressure changes.
Ruffle Garland with Wilton 104 — Step 3: Pipe the garland in one pass

Step 03 of 05

Pipe the garland in one pass

Start at 20 mm from the top edge of the cake and travel 130 mm, rocking continuously. Eighteen pleats total. Do not stop and restart; the garland is one continuous piece of ribbon and a restart shows as a flat spot.

HandNon-dominant hand turns the turntable evenly; the rocking rhythm comes from the wrist, not the arm.
Bag pressureMedium throughout - a pressure change mid-garland makes the pleats change height and the ribbon looks torn.
Ruffle Garland with Wilton 104 — Step 4: Close the ends

Step 04 of 05

Close the ends

At each end of the garland, fold the last two pleats toward the cake so the ribbon ends in a taper rather than a cut edge. Tuck the very end into the icing with a skewer.

HandSkewer at 30 degrees, pressing gently downward and toward the cake; never press sideways against the ruffle wall.
Bag pressureVery light with the skewer.
Ruffle Garland with Wilton 104 — Step 5: Crust untouched

Step 05 of 05

Crust untouched

Leave at 18 C for eighteen hours. Do not box the cake until crusted, and keep the box collar 40 mm clear of the ruffle. If a pleat does sag before crusting, remove the whole garland and re-pipe - a sagged garland cannot be propped up.

HandMove the cake by the board only, with both hands, keeping it level.
Bag pressureNone.

Scroll sideways for each step →

The blade is vertical, not flat

In every other technique on this site the blade lies against the cake. Here it stands up: the wide end of the 104 is pressed into the cake and the narrow end points straight up, so the ribbon is piped on its edge. Travel sideways and rock the tip 30 degrees left and right about twice per centimetre, and the ribbon folds into pleats.

Stiff peak, because the ribbon has no support

A vertical ribbon is entirely self-supporting, so the icing has to be the firmest mix on the site - stiff peak that stands straight for five seconds, loosened by exactly a quarter teaspoon of cream per 200 g. Anything softer and the pleats sag within a minute, taking the whole garland down with them because the folds interlock.

Rocking rhythm: 18 pleats per 130 mm

The pleat count is the design. Sixty-five millimetres of travel with a rock every 3.5 mm gives 18 pleats, which reads as a gathered ribbon. Fewer than 12 pleats looks like a scallop; more than 24 and the folds are so tight they blur into a solid band with a serrated edge. Count pleats rather than watching the clock.

Two-tone stripes for the lit edge

Stripe the bag with #E9A6BC down one wall and load #5A1B2E behind it, three drops of Claret per 250 g. Because the ribbon is piped on its edge, the pale tone appears on the top edge of every pleat and the deep tone at the bottom, which is what makes a ruffle look like it has been pressed. Re-stripe the bag every 300 g; the stripe migrates as the bag empties.

Setting and fragility

Eighteen hours at 18 C. A ruffle garland is the most fragile thing produced on this site: it is a 20 mm vertical wall of icing attached at a 3 mm base. Never touch it, never brush past it, and box the cake with a collar at least 40 mm clear of the cake side. Once crusted it survives transport surprisingly well, but not a box lid.

Failures and fixes

Symptom Cause Fix
Pleats sag immediately after piping Icing firmer than stiff peak is not the problem - softer is; or the blade was tipped rather than kept vertical. Re-mix to stiff peak, add no more than a quarter teaspoon of cream, and check that the wide end of the blade stays pressed into the cake.
Ribbon has too few pleats and looks like a scallop Rocking slower than twice per centimetre. Count eighteen pleats over 130 mm and rock from the wrist; the rhythm matters more than the travel speed.
Pale stripe disappeared part-way along The stripe ran out as the bag emptied. Re-stripe the bag every 300 g and finish the garland before re-loading rather than topping up mid-ribbon.

Before you bag up

  • Stiff peak that stands for five seconds
  • Blade vertical, wide end pressed into the cake
  • Eighteen pleats over 130 mm
  • Bag re-striped every 300 g
  • Eighteen hours crust before boxing

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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