Melting the Chocolate

1. Heat 1 inch of water in a double boiler or saucepan over medium-high heat. Set the boiler insert in the pot, or place a metal bowl in the saucepan so it sits over the simmering water.

2. Place 1/4 cup of chopped chocolate, preferably a variety with a high cocoa butter content. Add 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil.

3. Stir constantly with a small whisk until the chocolate is at a pourable consistency, similar to a thick batter.

4. Insert a fine writing tip into a piping bag. Pour the chocolate into the bag, filling it no more than one-half full.

Piping the Letters

1. Draw a shallow vertical line at the start and stop point of your writing on the cake surface, using a toothpick. Add more lines to indicate the start and stop points of each word between the two initial marks so you can ensure there is enough room for all your letters.

2. Find the center letter for each word or line of text on the cake. Trace in the center letter with the toothpick, and then fill in the letters on either side. This helps keeps the words and lines of text centered.

3. Twist the top of the bag closed, squeezing the writing chocolate to the tip. Hold and squeeze the bag from the top using your dominant hand, and support the bag near the tip with your non-dominant hand.

4. Pipe the letters onto the cake, following your traced lines. Squeeze the bag gently, with even pressure when making the line, and then stop squeezing as you lift the bag from the cake after each line. Do not dot the “i” or cross the “t” when you first pipe on the letter.

5. Add dots and crosses after all the letters are filled in so you can adjust their positions to fit on the cake evenly. If your start and stop points on each line appear messy, squeeze a small dot of chocolate onto the end of every line so it looks like part of the writing.