0:00
Writing on cakes can be tricky but with these 12 tips you'll write beautiful messages every time
0:09
Tip number one, get the right consistency for your buttercream. This is the most important tip
0:14
because if the buttercream is too stiff the lines of your letters will break apart as you pipe
0:20
Buttercream should be easy to stir and smooth without jagged texture when you pull a spatula
0:25
through it. The biggest challenge with piping is that unlike writing on paper you have nothing to
0:31
rest your hand on. Piping mid-air is difficult because instead of being steady your hand is
0:36
wobbling all over the place. To help with this use your other hand to support your upper arm to hold
0:42
it still so your piping wrist can do the tiny movements required to shape the letters of your
0:47
piping without also needing to hold itself steady. Tip number three, use the right sized piping tip
0:54
For a small space use a small tip. This is a number three and a number two and a number four
0:59
work well too. If your piping tip is bigger you'll need to pipe very large letters to make them
1:04
legible otherwise the holes in the letters like e and g get covered up and it's difficult to read
1:10
what the message is supposed to say. If you're new to writing on cakes start off with printed letters
1:16
Cursive or joined up writing is much more challenging especially if you can't write neatly
1:21
like that on paper. Printed letters are easier because you can take your time pausing after each
1:27
line or curve to adjust your position. This makes your writing the most legible. Before you write on
1:33
a cake chill it in the fridge or freezer until the frosting has set so it's firm. Then after you write
1:39
a letter or a word if you don't like it you can scrape it off easily without damaging the frosting
1:44
on the cake since that is firm and will hold its shape. If you have very shaky hands or struggle
1:50
with piping lines try dots instead. Pointillism is a technique that uses piped dots to make shapes
1:57
and it can be used for writing too. Choose a small round piping tip like a number two, a number three
2:02
or a number four. Try it you might find it easier than piping letters the way you'd normally write
2:07
them with lines. You only need a tiny bit of buttercream or any other frosting for each word
2:13
you pipe but it's easier to pipe with more buttercream in the bag. When there is just enough
2:18
in the bag to write a message it's too little if you're using your finger or thumb to push that
2:23
tiny bit down into the piping tip to squeeze it out. Your piping will be shaky and not as neat
2:28
as if you have a little bit more buttercream in the bag, ideally so that the piping bag is about
2:32
half full. To centre writing or space it evenly on a cake start with the middle word or middle letter
2:40
and work your way out. There are seven letters in this word so I'm starting with the fourth
2:44
and then I can fit three letters after and three letters before and the word will be perfectly
2:49
centred on the cake. Sometimes writing backwards makes the most sense. If you decorate a cake
2:55
before writing a message your message may need to fit within a certain space. If the decoration
3:00
that's blocking your writing is to the right of the space start with the last word then work your
3:05
way to the beginning. This way you'll make sure the message fits. You can even start with the last
3:10
letter of a word and write backwards. This way you're not trying to squeeze the last letter into
3:15
a tiny space making it smaller or narrower than all of the other letters. Even with the neatest
3:21
writing it can be confusing how to read a message on a cake, whether to read from left to right or
3:26
up and down and to help guide people to read in the right direction you can use shapes or other
3:31
details. Here the hearts block the cake off across the middle showing that the words at the top
3:36
should be read first and then the words at the bottom. Vary your lettering to make the message
3:41
more interesting. You can do this by using two fonts, the cursive and the print on this dinosaur
3:46
cake or the printed letters and pointillism on this cake or use both lowercase letters and capitals
3:53
or uppercase letters to add variety. Another way to add detail to messages is to use more than one
3:59
colour and for that I recommend using couplers. This way you can attach a piping tip to the outside
4:04
of a piping bag and then after finishing writing the part of your message with this colour, just
4:09
unscrew the coupler ring, lift the tip off and put it on another piping bag with another colour of
4:14
buttercream. Screw the coupler ring on to secure the piping tip and continue writing in this next
4:19
colour. I hope this tutorial has been useful! You'll find these and hundreds of other cake
4:24
designs and decorating techniques on my online cake school on www.britishgirlbakes.com. You can
4:29
take individual courses or join my Club Plus membership for access to every mini course
4:33
master course, live workshop and five-minute Fridays. I hope to see you there! Thanks for watching
