I should add, this was NOT freehand. There was an outline of the letters underneath. My name was the only thing freehand
by LeastPervertedFemboy
29 Comments
zeitnaught
Keep it up and pretty soon you’ll have the hands of a surgeon, chef!
maple_taco
Get outta here with your cursive and it’s musical note G 😝
Edit: meant to say good job too. Brain got stuck on the cursive 😅
Snowf1ake222
Writing with icing is super hard. You’ve done better than I ever could!
Keep it up!
Hot_Pin_9361
I take a deep breath and hold it. Write one word fully then exhale. It’s how I learned to shoot a rifle and it works for cakes. Takes away the little wobbles. Over all great job!
Loose-Chemical-4982
It’s good for a beginner!
Hold the tip slightly above the surface and let the icing drop onto the outline of the letter. It looks like you are following closely with the tip on the paper and that’s why they look a little shaky.
kennymo12
Former pastry chef here, not too bad! You just need to keep practicing. Different icings will have different consistencies. It’s all about how you moderate the pressure on the piping bag.
GLMSISNF
Great job! I can hardly write now since I’m constantly typing here 😭
Shuttup_Heather
Not bad! The way you hold it really helps. I hold a reservoir of icing twisted up near the tip, and have the rest being held up by my nondominant hand. Idk if that makes sense, but you use less pressure to write and it comes out less shaky!
HomeOwner2023
You did great! I can see where you started to get the shakes when you got to Q. But you recovered at U. So you’re good for anything that is 32 characters or less. Unfortunately, “Happy Birthday LeastPervertedFemboy!” is out. But that’s okay. Someone else should make your birthday cake for you.
Sad_Lawyer3546
Looks good to me. I also have to practice icing… I think icing is the hardest part in baking haha
DadsRGR8
Not bad! Keep practicing and you’ll see the wobbling disappear.
ReturnBright1007
Looks like you had a shot of espresso before you did the t. Jk, though, very good overall.
PinkNeom
You’ve done a good job for a starter, I’m sure you’ll be doing it freehand before you know it.
I really appreciate bakeries that put attention into detail like this, know of some that make amazing beautiful cakes and then they do the message like a horror movie.
megpi
You’ve got a good start!
One thing I like to have people do before they write letters is the practice with lines. You get comfortable with holding the bad, and your pressure vs. speed when piping, without having to thik about how to write a letter at the same time.
After you master lines, try loops like eeeee in cursive, then elelelele in cursive to work on movement.
I also tell people to start with the tip on the surface to anchor the line, then lift up to a 1/4 inch above the surface while piping, then end back on the surface. If you pipe directly on the surface you’ll see any movement your hand makes, while keeping the line elevated will keep the line cleaner.
Davetta26
You’ll get there, lines are so close 👏🏾
UnplannedProofreader
Great work.
Holding the wrist of the hand that is holding the piping bag helps me keep from getting shaky. I only have to do that when writing.
Individual_Layer_610
I think you did great . I’m a great artist on paper , but if you hand me some icing , it’ll look like a toddler did it 😭
JustAnotherFKNSheep
Start low then lift higher. Dont worry so much about the outline and go fast. That will stop the wiggles. Youll get the font down later.
Also practice figure 8s, basically 8888888888888 but all chained together.
literaln0thing
That H needs help
Ash_ATLBraves27
Looks good!
B0ssDrivesMeCrazy
There’s a hint of shakiness, but I bet that’s from the fact that you were “tracing.” Hard to trace and produce smooth lines.
Using larger, less stiff motions eliminates that. I’d suggest you start free handing with just height guidelines underneath. You’ll probably see the letters come out smoother.
Queasy_Lettuce_9281
I get a shaky hand, too, if I focus too hard. But what you can do is stabilize your non dom hand to help ease the shake of the dom.
I like to tuck my non dom elbow in my side and take non dom hand to touch/stabilize my dom hand while writing. try it, hope this helps.
xfatalerror
this is so smart for tracing
VaguelyArtistic
Does “move your arm, not your wrist” apply to icing letters?
10HungryGhosts
It’s so good!! Now do each letter 100 times 🙂 practice makes perfect. You need to build the muscles in your hands and adjust your technique until each letter comes out perfect. Practice whole pans of As… whole pans of bs… ect.
k80bakes
Your practice sheet is already a million times better than my first few attempts! You’ve already received a ton of helpful feedback from other folks here and I know you didn’t ask, but I wanted to share what’s helped me! Take it or leave it 😆
One bakery I worked in had me practice writing all the most common phrases on 6 and 9 inch round pans so I got used to how much room I had for writing on a real cake. Easy to scrape off and try again over and over! After a few practice rounds like that it got really easy to do. It’s hard to explain but it felt more like I was drawing than writing which weirdly freed a mental anxiety block I had haha
capndelirium
Once you finish practicing with frosting, move onto ganache!
Best of luck to you, your work so far looks promising!
WordAffectionate3251
Wow. For a first timer, you did marvelous! I’m a retired custom cake baker! Icing for writing needs to be thinner than that which you cover the cake. If it’s too dry and stiff, you put pressure on the squeeze, and it makes your arm shake.
Other tips here are good. Add them up and watch yourself go!!!
sohcordohc
Little shaky, practice more squeeze control and a steady hand. Once you begin don’t stop!
29 Comments
Keep it up and pretty soon you’ll have the hands of a surgeon, chef!
Get outta here with your cursive and it’s musical note G 😝
Edit: meant to say good job too. Brain got stuck on the cursive 😅
Writing with icing is super hard. You’ve done better than I ever could!
Keep it up!
I take a deep breath and hold it. Write one word fully then exhale. It’s how I learned to shoot a rifle and it works for cakes. Takes away the little wobbles. Over all great job!
It’s good for a beginner!
Hold the tip slightly above the surface and let the icing drop onto the outline of the letter. It looks like you are following closely with the tip on the paper and that’s why they look a little shaky.
Former pastry chef here, not too bad! You just need to keep practicing. Different icings will have different consistencies. It’s all about how you moderate the pressure on the piping bag.
Great job! I can hardly write now since I’m constantly typing here 😭
Not bad! The way you hold it really helps. I hold a reservoir of icing twisted up near the tip, and have the rest being held up by my nondominant hand. Idk if that makes sense, but you use less pressure to write and it comes out less shaky!
You did great! I can see where you started to get the shakes when you got to Q. But you recovered at U. So you’re good for anything that is 32 characters or less. Unfortunately, “Happy Birthday LeastPervertedFemboy!” is out. But that’s okay. Someone else should make your birthday cake for you.
Looks good to me. I also have to practice icing… I think icing is the hardest part in baking haha
Not bad! Keep practicing and you’ll see the wobbling disappear.
Looks like you had a shot of espresso before you did the t. Jk, though, very good overall.
You’ve done a good job for a starter, I’m sure you’ll be doing it freehand before you know it.
I really appreciate bakeries that put attention into detail like this, know of some that make amazing beautiful cakes and then they do the message like a horror movie.
You’ve got a good start!
One thing I like to have people do before they write letters is the practice with lines. You get comfortable with holding the bad, and your pressure vs. speed when piping, without having to thik about how to write a letter at the same time.
After you master lines, try loops like eeeee in cursive, then elelelele in cursive to work on movement.
I also tell people to start with the tip on the surface to anchor the line, then lift up to a 1/4 inch above the surface while piping, then end back on the surface. If you pipe directly on the surface you’ll see any movement your hand makes, while keeping the line elevated will keep the line cleaner.
You’ll get there, lines are so close 👏🏾
Great work.
Holding the wrist of the hand that is holding the piping bag helps me keep from getting shaky. I only have to do that when writing.
I think you did great . I’m a great artist on paper , but if you hand me some icing , it’ll look like a toddler did it 😭
Start low then lift higher. Dont worry so much about the outline and go fast. That will stop the wiggles. Youll get the font down later.
Also practice figure 8s, basically 8888888888888 but all chained together.
That H needs help
Looks good!
There’s a hint of shakiness, but I bet that’s from the fact that you were “tracing.” Hard to trace and produce smooth lines.
Using larger, less stiff motions eliminates that. I’d suggest you start free handing with just height guidelines underneath. You’ll probably see the letters come out smoother.
I get a shaky hand, too, if I focus too hard. But what you can do is stabilize your non dom hand to help ease the shake of the dom.
I like to tuck my non dom elbow in my side and take non dom hand to touch/stabilize my dom hand while writing. try it, hope this helps.
this is so smart for tracing
Does “move your arm, not your wrist” apply to icing letters?
It’s so good!! Now do each letter 100 times 🙂 practice makes perfect. You need to build the muscles in your hands and adjust your technique until each letter comes out perfect. Practice whole pans of As… whole pans of bs… ect.
Your practice sheet is already a million times better than my first few attempts! You’ve already received a ton of helpful feedback from other folks here and I know you didn’t ask, but I wanted to share what’s helped me! Take it or leave it 😆
One bakery I worked in had me practice writing all the most common phrases on 6 and 9 inch round pans so I got used to how much room I had for writing on a real cake. Easy to scrape off and try again over and over! After a few practice rounds like that it got really easy to do. It’s hard to explain but it felt more like I was drawing than writing which weirdly freed a mental anxiety block I had haha
Once you finish practicing with frosting, move onto ganache!
Best of luck to you, your work so far looks promising!
Wow. For a first timer, you did marvelous! I’m a retired custom cake baker! Icing for writing needs to be thinner than that which you cover the cake. If it’s too dry and stiff, you put pressure on the squeeze, and it makes your arm shake.
Other tips here are good. Add them up and watch yourself go!!!
Little shaky, practice more squeeze control and a steady hand. Once you begin don’t stop!