How to Cut a Design Out of a Sheet Cake

Cutting designs out of sheet cakes provides more decorating options.

Made popular by television shows like "Ace of Cakes" and "Cake Boss," 3-D cakes revived interest in the humble sheet cake. Often served at birthday parties or to supplement more elaborate wedding cakes, sheet cakes are large, rectangular cakes that require little effort to frost and cut into equal servings. With some extra work, a crafty baker can transform a sheet cake into a 3-D creation. Learning how to cut a design out of a sheet cake is the first step in making 3-D cakes. Does this Spark an idea?

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Instructions

- 1
  
  Firm up your sheet cake. Add any filling or frosting between layers if desired. Store the sheet cake in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours prior to cutting.
- 2
  
  Create a template from a piece of tracing or butcher paper. Draw the design on the piece of paper. Cut along your lines to remove the excess material.
- 3
  
  Lay the template on top of the sheet cake. Tack the template in place with a few bamboo skewers.
- 4
  
  Pierce holes in the sheet cake with a skewer along the edge of the template. Space them approximately every few millimeters.
- 5
  
  Cut through the sheet cake with a serrated bread knife. Follow along the holes made by the skewers to control the knife's path.
- 6
  
  Remove the excess cake. Smooth out any rough edges with the bread knife.