Last night, I needed to pipe some words in a very specific font (think "got milk?") for a fondant cake I am making...and I was knocking myself out trying to figure out how to do it. Came up with a really clever idea. Don't know if it is new, I'm sure someone has tried it, but it sure is fool proof!

Printed out image (words to trace) from the computer.

Taped the paper to a glass tabletop

Rolled out a piece of fondant (gumpaste would probably work too) SUPER THIN, but not so thin that it tore or stretched when I moved it.

Placed the fondant on top of the paper with the image on it.

Put a bright flashlight under the table and turned the room lights down. The image showed through the fondant clear as day, and I was then able to "trace" the image with my piping gel perfectly!

Left the piece of fondant flat on the table untilit set up enough, trimmed around it very neatly with an exacto knife, and applied it to the cake!

Cool!

Have you ever used Tappits? And a laser level?

I love that idea! Especially for fonts that there is no tappit or cutter made.

That's very cool Jamie! I use a somewhat similar technique when I do monograms on my cakes (in my pix there is a gold monogram I did on a cake done in a similar fashion, except it was colorflowed rather than cut out of fondant.) Thanks for sharing! (Although between you and me, I'm still a diehard tappit fan!)

Here's a link to tappits http://www.globalsugarart.com/search.php?search=tappits&searchimage.x=11&searchimage.y=6 They are used to make fondant letters (and numbers.) If you look in my pix, at Edie's Shoe Cake, I did the writing on the board with tappits.

Awesome idea!! And I think the point was that it was a specific font and thus no tappit for it. Tappits work if the font doesn't matter, and you can find a tappit style and size that you like. But for a logo or something like that, I love this idea!!!! Thanks soooo much for sharing!

I love my "new" method! I have so many funky fonts downloaded from the internet into Word...and have tried to freehand many of them and always failed miserably! It almost looks like the words have their own little "frame" too....kinda cool.

Great idea! I'm always wanting interesting fonts -- different than the ones that I have. Thanks for sharing your method!

I couldn't find the Scrip uppercase tappits, are they not available?

FMM Alphabet Set -Script & Numbers Upper Case
Product ID #16675

At GSA, burt currently out of stock.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I have tappit problems.

I bought these things thinking that they would be awesome, but I cant get the darn fondant out of them without goughing the heck out of them with an exacto or paring knife.

Whats the special trick to get the fondant to release?? I use MMF a lot, is that my problem?? Cause its stickier??

Lol...hijack away! I've been checking out those Tappits, they don't look like anything I would want to use.

Tappits are FAB!

OK, here's the trick, but I don't use MMF, so you're on your own with that stuff.

Roll it really thin - number 4 on a pasta roller. If you're rolling by hand roll it until its really thin. Then roll it a little thinner. Now go do something else for 5 minutes and let it dry out on your counter. Then press your Tappit onto the fondant and whack/tap it on the counter and the shape pops out.

Took me a few attempts to figure out that the fondnat has to be DRY.

. . . necessity is the mother of invention (I bet this is how the first light table was invented . . . . . . maybe not for fondant though . . . )

This opens the door to many, MANY fonts and/or images . . .

What a fantastic idea! I've done similar things, but nothing so innovative! Thanks for sharing!

What an awesome idea! Thankyou so much for sharing - I do a lot of work in fondant, and that would've made my daughter's 1st bday cake so much easier (I did a number one, and then individual cube-shaped cakes for each child attending, which I free-handed letters onto to represent alphabet building blocks.. I don't have photos unfortunately on this computer)

Though the tappits also sound worthwhile trying. does anyone know of anywhere in Sydney that I can get them? I've not seen them at any of the 3 shops near where I live (Sydney's north-west area. If you know Sydney at all, think Hills District)

thanks for this great idea! i love that i don't have to spend or buy anything. shipping to asia costs too much. thanks again for sharing!

My hubby said the same thing..It's like using a light table! I think I may order those Tappit's just to have a nice script font at my disposal. .

So I did it again last night with a motif. This time though I just traced the image with a toothpick so I could "paint" it later. Works pretty dang well!

Leahs -- you always have all the answers. Thanks for the help about how to work with the tappits. And what kind of fondant do you use?

Thanks!!

with the tappits i find 50/50 or gumpaste works better than straight fondant, but it mi ght depend on which fondant you use.

Leahs is so right. Those tappits are great!! I even use them on my buttercream cakes.

took me a minute but.....................

Speaking of Tappits, FMMSugarcraft is coming out with the lower case version of the funky alphabet set. I've been waiting for that as I don't like doing all caps when writing.

I use to have a gadget which was for tracing doll clothes I think, back in the 70's that was a similiar idea. A toy, I think it was called a Betsy McCall? But you plugged it in and the lights in it would allow you to trace whatever. We should market a new one for cakes!! lol