How to Decorate a Cake with Cake Lace | Step-by-Step Tutorial
Chef Alan TetreaultIn this tutorial: What You'll Need · Applying the Lace Mix · Removing Dried Lace · Coloring the Lace · Attaching to a Cake · Troubleshooting
Cake lace adds instant elegance to any decorated cake — and it's far easier to work with than it looks. In this comprehensive tutorial, Chef Alan Tetreault of Global Sugar Art covers the entire process: choosing a lace mix, filling the mats, drying and removing the lace, three different methods for coloring it, and how to attach it to both fondant and buttercream cakes. He also shares a simple trick for reviving lace pieces that have dried out and become too brittle to use.
📌 This is part of the Cake Lace series: Part 1 – Making Cake Lace · Part 2 – Decorating with Cake Lace (you're here)
What You'll Need
- Cake lace mix — options include:
- Alan Tetreault Premium Lace Mix (pre-made, pearlized or plain — produces thin, lightweight lace)
- Claire Bowman (powdered, mix with water — heavier, thicker lace)
- Marta Lotto (powdered, mix with water — heavier, thicker lace)
- Silicone lace mats — available in many designs including traditional lace, silhouettes, and words
- Applicator tools:
- Small Ateco spatula for spreading
- Back of a spoon (better for fine detail)
- Claire Bowman lace knife (for cleaning the top surface)
- Cardboard sheet — to place under the mat for oven drying
- Luster dust (e.g., silver) and clear alcohol — for hand-painting
- Airbrush (optional) — for spray-coloring
- Gel food coloring (optional) — for pre-coloring the mix
- Edible glue — tylose glue (homemade) or Fondex brand gel glue
- Piping gel — alternative adhesive
- Acetate collar strips — for rolling and storing dried lace
- Ziplock bags — for storage
- Satin ribbon (optional) — to layer behind transparent lace for a color effect
Applying the Lace Mix to the Mat
↪ First coat
- Place the lace mat on a piece of cardboard (for easy transfer to the oven).
- Spread the mix across the mat using a small spatula. For fine detail, use the back of a spoon in a circular motion to push the mix into small cavities.
- Clean the top surface with a spatula or lace knife — remove all excess so only the cavities are filled.
↪ Why you always need two coats
Pre-made lace mixes (like the Alan Tetreault brand) are gelatinous, and the mix tends to shrink back from the edges of the cavities as it starts setting. This is normal and expected.
- Put the mat (on its cardboard) in the oven at 175–180°F for 10 minutes.
- Remove, let cool for 2–3 minutes.
- Apply a second coat — this fills all the little gaps where the first coat pulled back.
- Let the second coat air dry completely (4–12+ hours depending on humidity).
💡 Very fine mats may need a third coat. Large silhouette pieces with wide fill areas are especially prone to shrinkage.
↪ Differences between lace mixes
- Alan Tetreault brand: Pre-made, gelatinous, produces very thin and lightweight lace. Pearlized version is firmer — better for shaped pieces like flowers and leaves.
- Claire Bowman / Marta Lotto: Powdered mixes you blend with water. Less shrinkage, but produce heavier, thicker lace. One coat sometimes suffices, but two is always safer.
Removing the Lace from the Mat
- Start at a corner and gently peel the lace away from the mat.
- Keep your hand close to the edge being peeled — don't pull from far away, which puts stress on delicate sections.
- Take your time. The lace is stronger than it looks, but rushing can snap thin connecting strands.
💡 In very dry climates, the lace may pop out of the mat on its own as it shrinks. This isn't a problem — it just means it's fully dried.
↪ Critical step: Let it shrink before applying
All cake lace shrinks as it dries. Remove your pieces from the mat and let them sit out for a full day before applying to a cake. If you apply lace that hasn't finished shrinking, you'll get gaps between pieces after they're on the cake.
Three Ways to Color Cake Lace
↪ 1. Pre-color the mix
Add gel food coloring directly to the lace mix before spreading it on the mat. You can color small batches in separate bowls or the entire jar.
⚠️ Dark colors (black, deep red) will stain your silicone mats. Clean stained mats by soaking in a 10% bleach solution.
↪ 2. Airbrush
Lay the dried lace on a paper towel, airbrush it, and let it dry completely before handling. Fast and even, but not everyone has an airbrush.
↪ 3. Hand-paint with luster dust
- Mix luster dust (silver, gold, or any color) with a small amount of clear alcohol (Everclear, vodka, gin, or lemon extract — not lemon juice).
- Lay the lace on a paper towel (to absorb drips and act as a blotter).
- Paint with a brush and let dry 5–10 minutes before handling.
⚠️ Metallic highlighters produce a beautiful metallic finish but are not edible. If you use them, instruct whoever serves the cake to remove the lace pieces before serving.
⚠️ Painted lace gets one chance. Once you place a painted piece on the cake, don't try to reposition it — the color will transfer to the fondant and leave marks wherever it touched.
↪ Planning tip
Decide where your lace will go before you color it. Use the uncolored white pieces to test placement and fit on the cake first. Then color them, and apply them in their final position.
Attaching Lace to a Cake
↪ On fondant
Use edible glue — either homemade tylose glue (recipe on the Global Sugar Art website) or Fondex brand gel glue. Apply small spots of glue to the back of the lace piece — you don't need much. Press gently into place.
💡 Pay extra attention to the edges. Where two pieces of lace meet, the edges need to be well-glued so they butt together cleanly — like wallpaper seams.
⚠️ Any spot of glue that isn't behind the lace will leave a shiny mark on the fondant. Be precise with placement.
↪ On buttercream
- Crusting buttercream: Apply the lace immediately while the buttercream is still fresh and sticky. Once it crusts, the lace won't adhere.
- Italian or Swiss meringue buttercream: These don't crust, so you can apply the lace anytime — it will stick on contact.
↪ Creative technique: Ribbon behind lace
Wrap a satin ribbon around the cake first, then apply the lace over it. The color of the ribbon shows through the open parts of the lace pattern, creating a beautiful layered effect.
↪ Using different sections of one mat
You don't have to use the entire lace pattern. Cut different sections from the same mat for different tiers — this gives a cohesive look across the whole cake because the design elements are related.
Storing Cake Lace
- Lay the dried lace on an acetate collar strip.
- Roll it up gently.
- Place inside a ziplock bag, then inside a second bag for extra humidity protection.
Lace will match whatever the relative humidity of your room is — dry rooms make brittle lace, humid rooms make soft lace.
Troubleshooting: Dried-Out Lace
If your lace pieces have become crispy and brittle:
- Place the pieces in a ziplock bag.
- Add a slightly damp paper towel to the bag — but don't let it touch the lace directly (the moisture would dissolve it).
- Seal the bag and wait.
- 2 hours: Noticeably less brittle
- Overnight: Fully flexible and workable again
This is completely reversible — you can rehydrate even very old, dried-out lace pieces.
↪ Humidity and your cake
Be aware that fondant and buttercream both contain moisture. Over time, lace on a cake will absorb some of that moisture and soften. In very humid climates, three-dimensional lace shapes (like ruffles) may flatten as they absorb moisture from both the cake and the air. Always test shaped lace in your environment before committing to it for a large project.
This tutorial is part of Global Sugar Art's library of free cake decorating videos by Chef Alan Tetreault. Browse all tutorials →
