I can't seem to get the writing to look good on my cakes. I try not to even include it but I only make cakes for my family. Until now. My boys' bus driver has asked me to make a birthday cake for her 17 yr old daughter and wants me to write Happy Birthday on it. I am so nervous about that. Do you think it's possible to write it out on parchment or wax paper (backwards, kind of like a FBCT) and then place it on the cake? Will it look okay this way?
Any tricks to writing on cakes?
Thanks
Diane
I'm nervous about writing directly on cakes too. See my bunny cake in my photos. I prefer to write on the board so I can clean it off if it's awful. Just position your cake so you have room for a message. Also, Wilton makes presses that say all the usual salutations as well as a "make your own message". Good luck.
You could do the reverse thing really thin and then pipe over it. It gets better with practice, and remember to breath when you do it! You can always scrape off and start over!
I've been doing cakes for 12 years and my sister was mocking me for an H that she says looked like a K. (But she's just jealous because all she can make is chocolate chip cookies, and even then she relies totally on the recipe!)
Hiya diane,
One thing I do know is.... practice makes better. You can practice on your countertop or on the back of a cake pan and keep working at it till you get comfortable with the motion.
One thing that I have found to help me keep it straight is to have the cake short side towards you you know where the long sides are parallel to your arms and write "up and away" from you. You don't get that arcing that you would if you just wrote like you would on paper. Also if you use your whole are and practice with an e-motion that also helps with the smoothness of your writing. Don't use just your wrists or hands but your whole arm from the shoulder to write.
Or you can get those kewl stamps from wilton and then stamp your message into the frosting and just outline it from there.
I use the letter presses; you can buy from Wilton. You can make any message you want, or you can buy the pre-made presses and I think one says Happy Birthday. They're easy to use and you just press it into the crusted buttercream. Then pipe over it. I used these on the Babyshower cake and the Mother's Day cake in my photos.
If you don't want to buy that or can't find them, you can also print the writing on your computer, trace it onto wax paper, then toothpick prick it onto the cake, then pipe. Or...you can trace it onto wax paper with royal icing, let it dry, and carefully transfer it onto your cake. I haven't tried either of these two methods, but I would think the last one would be the hardest, cuz I can't seem to keep royal icing things from breaking lol.
Wow. You guys are so fast to respond! I do have the Wilton presses so maybe I'll try that .
I also like the idea of writing on the cake board but the cake I'm making will definitely need the writing on the cake or it will be bare.
Thanks so much for all your advice!
I'll keep on practicing! 
I print out what i want to write with my printer, cover it with wax paper and trace it with royal icing. When it hardens, I simply place it on the cake and it comes out Perfect! I'm afraid I don't have a pic to show you but I hope this helps.
You can also do the transfer technique which takes a bit longer, but if you need it to look perfect, it works. If the icing type allows you (crusting or fondant), then you can trace on wax paper from a computer text and either retrace on cake (if fondant) or pin prick (if crusted.) Then pipe over this outline.
The other way is to use a piece of fondant, like a scroll or plaque (square) and write on that with the method above to apply. Then just place the piece of fondant on the cake.
If the icing is the whipped-type (soft) and you need to apply directly, then practice is best.
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