Hi everyone, I am baking a cake for a friend and she wants the icing (BC dyed green) to be piped like grass... Is there any specific way I can do this wihtout messing up? What tip(s) do I need? I've never done grass before...

Also, I want to make a "banner" for the cake that says "Happy Birthday"... Any ideas?

Although I have been baking for years, I am only recently getting into the whole decorating thing so any and all advice will come in handy!!

THANKS!

Hi! Wilton No. 233 Multi-Opening Decorating Tip is used for grass. I'd make the banner out of fondant or gumpaste and write Happy Birthday on it.

Good Luck & Post pics when you're done

hey there! thanks, I will pick up the tip today... I was thinking of using fondant but was afraid that it would be too heavy? hmmm i might try gumpaste! THanks!!!!

btw... the NFL cake came out GROGEOUS!!!!!

I once wrote a message in the middle of a "field" of grass what i did was do smooth green icing where the message went and did the pulled grass around it.

oops just noticed my spelling error... meant GORGEOUS!

I like doing Happy Birthday banners out of chocolate transfers. It's the easiest thing for me, plus it always looks clean and neat, and tastes great.

Tracye... I v'e never used chocolate transfers.... can you elaborate a bit? THANKS!

Chocolate transfers can be made with candy melts. You CAN NOT use icing color (or regular food color) to color candy melts. You have to use "candy color." I know Hobby Lobby sells it; not sure about Wal-Mart. Never seen it there.

Usually I just snip off the corner of my disposable piping bag to do it. Just make sure you cut off the tiniest piece you can, so your line is super small.

To do the transfer:
1. In a word-processing program (I use Microsoft Publisher, but I think Word will work) type what you want to say, like, "Happy Birthday," or whatever. Also make your shape (if you want it outlined in a square, rectangle, banner, etc...) Then flip the sign and wording in the program so that IT PRINTS BACKWARDS. Very important that it's reversed when it's printed out.

2. Tape it to a flat surface (I use a cake circle or cutting board). Lay a piece of parchment paper over the sign and tape it down, too. Make sure your printout and the parchment won't move around. Also, make sure you're piping over the backwards printout. If you can read it the right way, it will come out piped backwards.

3. Pipe over the words with melted white chocolate or white candy melts. Also pipe the sign's outline.

4. Then fill in the sign with a different colored chocolate (candy melts) making sure to cover ALL the chocolate you've already piped. Be sure to cover the entire thing. After you've finished, and while it's wet, tap it lightly to make the back smooth out and to get rid of any bubbles.

5. Once it's dry, carefully peel away the parchment. It should release quite easily. You'll have a finished, clean-looking sign, but only if you've printed it out and piped it backwards. I know I'm beating that horse to death, but I did it wrong once and got quite frustrated!

Hope this helps you. Good luck!

OMG thanks Tracye! Seems easy enough as long as I remember to print it out backwards!! will give it a shot!!! THANKS!!!!!!!

Thanks for explaining that Tracye! I will have to try it!

I've used a tip I picked up (who knows where?) Marpol #333...it is larger than the grass tip Wilton makes and makes 'bigger' blades of grass, ie covering a larger area quicker....used it on my pool cake, Easter cake....any of my cakes where I did grass I used this tip. It is bigger, like a 1M tip. I love it!

djs328... Ah I wish I could have read this yesterday before my trip to michaels... I am doing 1/2 a sheet basically 80% is all grass... Oh well... I will remember this tip next I head over to Michaels... THANKS!

You're both welcome! Good luck!

That's usually how I make my Happy Birthday banners, since I'm so nervous about piping onto cakes.