A template device used to easily and precisely cut a baked cake into decorative shapes such as numbers, letters and holiday symbols. The device comprises a durable, kitchen-friendly material such as melamine, metal or plastic. It allows anyone skilled or unskilled in cake decorating to easily create a cut-shaped cake without fear of mistake. One places the template on top of the baked cake, and then cuts it using the edge as a guide for the knife or other cutting implement. The template can have cleats extending from the contact surface into the cake. This template remains in position until the cutting operation is complete and the template is removed from the cake. The template can also have a handle on the non-contacting face that would make positioning the template on the cake and removal of the template after cutting more convenient. Finally, the template can have a shaped flange extending perpendicular from the contact surface into the cake for a short distance. This flange will score the cake using the desired shape, and the cutting will proceed along the edge of the template with the flange acting as a cutting guide.