Concern of Erasing When Cutting a Cake
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Question
Hello, I wanted to ask the opinion of the Mishnah Berurah that there is no prohibition of erasing when cutting a cake that has writing on it if it is made from the same material as the cake, but when the writing is from cream on the cake, cutting it constitutes erasing. My question is what is the law in the case of making a cake in the shape of a number and the like, where if you spread cream over the entire cake, it is clear that the writing on the cream is not significant, but the writing is the cake itself, and the cream is a covering for the writing of the cake. However, I am uncertain about the law if a frame is made around the cake from lentils and the like, which are not placed over the entire surface of the cake but only around the edges. Is the frame in this case subordinate to the shape of the cake and does not have its own significance as writing, or since the lentils are not placed over the entire surface of the cake, but only as a frame, do they have their own significance, and it is like writing with ink on the cake, which cutting constitutes erasing. And if the law is that it does not have its own significance but is subordinate to the cake, is it permitted to do this on Shabbat, as it is clear that it is permitted to spread cream on such a cake on Shabbat.
Answer
Hello
If the lentils form writing, they are considered writing on the cake.
However, the truth is that a frame is not considered writing, but rather a decoration for the cake, and therefore it is permitted both to place the lentils and to cut them.
Source
Mishnah Berurah, Siman 340, Se'if Katan 15