Buttercream Basket Weave Cake Decorating Tutorial

Buttercream basket weave piping technique is typically used to create basket weave pattern on cakes. This is a very common cake decorating technique, but one that is capable of creating stunning results on cakes. It is also one of the more traditional ways of decorating a cake. I have seen cakes decorated using this basket weave technique for many years now and it is one that I would say is evergreen.

Although I have specifically mentioned buttercream in the title of this page, you can in effect, use any other frosting of similar piping consistency such as the chocolate ganache, royal icing, or cream cheese frosting. All that matters is that the icing can be piped out of a piping bag and is able to hold shape.

Basket weave buttercream pattern in white against brown background. In the background is a piping bag filled with white icing

You don’t need any fancy tools for this technique. One look at cakes decorated using this technique will leave those who are new to cake decorating thinking how to weave the icing to create the basket weave pattern. More seasoned decorators will know no weaving is required, merely simple piping techniques that can be achieved with a piping bag and a piping tip.

In fact, you can use any piping tip to create basket weave pattern on your cakes, depending on how you want the final texture of the pattern to be. Typically used tips are round and flat ones, but you can also use star tips.

I have used this technique on a number of my cakes. Though it looks hard, once you understand the technique, you can decorate your cakes pretty quickly with stunning results.

How to Pipe Buttercream Basket Weave Pattern on Cakes

These are the main supplies required to pipe basket weave pattern:

Buttercream Icing - I used buttercream icing for this tutorial, but any icing in piping consistency such as royal icing or even chocolate ganache can be used for this technique.
Disposable piping bags and basket weave tip/nozzle (there are many different types of basket weave tips/nozzles in the market. Choose the tip that best meets the type of texture you want for cake design. There are also extra-large tips if you are working on big cakes. The tip I am using for this tutorial is tip number 47 that is flat on one side and serrated on the other side.

And this is how the basket weave pattern is piped:

Fit a basketweave tip/nozzle into your piping bag and fill the bag with icing. Start by piping a vertical line on your cake. If you intend to pipe this on the sides of your cake, the vertical line should ideally be from the top of your cake to the bottom.
And then, if you wish, you can mark the positions of the rest of the vertical lines with small dots of icing all around your cake to guide you for the vertical lines. The space can equal the width of your piping tip but it is not an absolute must. In this tutorial, I am not doing any marking as I am going to just eyeball the lines.
Marking the guide for the vertical lines help ensure the lines are distributed all around the cake at equal intervals.

A vertical buttercream line on a brown cake board

The first set of horizontal lines

Next, pipe a short horizontal line across the first vertical in the above step. Mark a small dot of icing below the horizontal line as a guide for the next step.

A vertical line of white icing with a short horizontal line at the top

Pipe out another long horizontal line below the dot, across the vertical line. Mark another dot right below it if you need guide on the space between the vertical lines. I chose not to add the marks as I was able to eyeball the space for the intervals. Repeat until the entire vertical line is covered with horizontal lines. Ideally, the gap between each horizontal line should be about the size of the tip or nozzle used.

Basket weave buttercream pattern in white against brown background.

The next vertical line

Once the first vertical line is covered, move to the second vertical line. Start by piping the vertical line first. Make sure all the edges of the horizontal lines piped in the above step are hidden under this vertical line.

Second set of horizontal lines

Following that, you will need to pipe another set of horizontal lines as shown. Start each line from underneath the first vertical line right across the second vertical line. The length should be the same as the first set of horizontal lines piped in the steps above.

Piping basket weave buttercream pattern in white against brown background.

Once the second vertical line is covered, move on to the third line. Pipe the third vertical line, again, making sure the horizontal lines piped in the step above are well covered underneath.

Repeat another set of horizontal lines across the newly piped vertical one, as shown.

Finishing the basket weave piping

Repeat the process until the last vertical line. And with that, the basket weave piping around the cake should be complete. You can then move on to add a rope border around the base of the cake and if you like, another similar border on the top edges of your cake.

And that is pretty much the method for buttercream basket weave cake decorating.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial and find it useful for your cake decorating. I have another super simple basket weave cake decorating technique to share with you. Click here to find out how to make basket weave design on your cake with just a fork.