In this advanced piping techniques page, I am going to talk about the forms of piped cake decorations. These techniques are those that go beyond the basic piping techniques.
By advanced piping techniques, I mean mixing and matching the basic piped designs as well as using those techniques to create elaborate designs and gravity-defying patterns. Some of these advanced techniques include the Lambeth method, Oriental Stringwork, Overpiping, and Australian Stringwork.
While the Overpiping techniques can be used for both buttercream and royal icing, the other techniques, particularly those with gravity-defying features can only be used for royal icing. Each of these techniques is explained in detail in later sections of this page.
If you are new to piped cake decorations I would recommend that you learn and practice the basic piped cake decorations first, before moving on to the advanced piping techniques on this page.
As recommended in my basic piped cake decorations page, the best way to learn and master the art of piping would be to watch someone doing it. And then you go on to practice it yourself. You can join a local cake decorating class or enroll in an online cake decorating class.
Advanced Piping Techniques – The Best Way to Learn Piped Cake Decorations
Craftsy is an awesome platform to learn cake decorating, particularly these advanced piping skills. Each class covers a specific skill so you get to pick and choose the skills you would like to learn. Classes are all conducted by experts in their own niche. And you know you are getting tips and advice for the best in the industry. Once you enroll in a class, you get to watch it online as many times as you like, wherever and whenever you want. Your access to the class never expires. And if you not entirely happy with your purchase, they provide a 100% money-back guarantee.
Below are online classes that teach specific advanced piping techniques:
Advanced Piping Techniques: Piping Buttercream Borders
| Piping Buttercream Borders Turn your next creation into a timeless masterpiece with everyone’s favorite icing: Buttercream! With Roland Winbeckler, the father of American cake decorating, you’ll make perfect decorating icing, roll your own parchment piping bags and even tint the icing right in the bag! Start with simple shells, swags, and scrolls before diving into rustic rosettes, flawless filigree, and dramatic drop strings. Also included is a buttercream technique for the hottest thing in cake these days: ombré ruffles. Roland will show you how to cultivate your skills on a practice board before heading to the turntable. |
In this cake decorating techniques class, award-winning cake artist Roland Winbeckler teaches how to make the perfect buttercream for decorating, how to make your own parchment piping bags, and tint your icing right in the bag. You will learn to pipe shells, swags, scrolls, rosettes, drop strings, and ombre ruffles. This is an excellent class to learn how you can use these advanced piping techniques to create flawless designs on your cakes.
Learning the Lambeth Method, Wendy Kromer
| Learning the Lambeth Method The Lambeth Method brings unmatched intricacy and depth to cake designs through layers of elegant over-piping. Reach new heights in your piping repertoire by adding these traditional techniques that are now back on-trend. Join master decorator Wendy Kromer and learn everything you need to create your own Lambeth-style cake designs. Using three modern projects, Wendy will teach you to pipe 12 Lambeth border constructions: pearl, serrated, crescent, lattice and so much more. You’ll even get Wendy’s professional advice for designing, pricing, and transporting your own Lambeth-style cakes. Don’t miss your chance to add this rare and remarkable technique to your skillset. |
Lambeth method cake decorating is a traditional cake decorating technique which uses the elegant over-piping techniques to create intricate designs on cakes. In this video, instructor Wendy Kromer uses 3 modern projects to teach 12 Lambeth border constructions. She also provides professional advice for designing, pricing, and transporting Lambeth-style cakes. The Lambeth method is not widely taught nowadays. And this video is a great source to master this elegant art of advanced piping techniques.
Advanced Piping Techniques – Contemporary English Over-Piping
| Contemporary English Over-Piping Learn how to make sophisticated cakes that are fit for royalty with royal icing maestro Ceri and his modern take on classic over-piping. Ceri walks you through advanced piping techniques for sweeping scrolls, beautiful barrels and stacked line work that you can use time and again to wow friends and clients. Pipe darling miniature roses, perfect for finishing cakes, cupcakes and cookies. Make a pastillage dome with over-piped lattice work. And learn to control your icing consistency for impressive results on every project. |
In this video, instructor Ceri DD Griffiths teaches the art of over-piping with royal icing. Ceri starts by introducing royal icing and pastillage and teaches how to pipe miniature roses. He also teaches how to make a pastillage dome with over-piped lattice work. And goes on to teach stringwork, sweeping scrolls and the art of line work. He finishes this video with delicate finishing touches by teaching how to create delicate leaves and attach it to your cake for a beautiful finishing touch.
Elevating Oriental Stringwork, with Toba Garrett
| Elevating Oriental Stringwork Expand your repertoire of advanced piping techniques with delicate Oriental stringwork. Join distinguished cake artist and instructor Toba Garrett, and start with the basics: make and use the perfect royal icing to ice your cake for a super-smooth finish and razor-sharp corners. Move on to measuring and marking your cake, before Toba guides you through piping a traditional design with gorgeous Oriental stringwork. Then, create a more modern design that incorporates trellis piping and a piped ornament for tremendous style. Toba will even teach you tips for safely transporting this sophisticated style of cake. Deliver gravity-defying stringwork that has the elegance customers crave and the precision judges look for. |
This video by the master decorator Toba Garrett is all about advanced piping techniques. The focus is on gravity-defying stringwork piping. She starts with an introduction to royal icing. And goes on to teach how to cover your cakes with royal icing and how to pipe the gorgeous Oriental stringwork. She also teaches trellis piping and a piped ornament. Toba finishes the video with tips for transporting this kind of delicately decorated cakes. This video is a great extension for anyone who wishes to further master their piping cake decorating techniques.
Mark Seaman: Mastering Australian Stringwork (Cake Decorating)
| Mastering Australian Stringwork Build a bridge from design to delight as you add Australian string work to your cake-decorating repertoire. Clients and friends alike will marvel at your perfect bridgeless extensions as royal icing appears to float right off the cake. Award-winning cake artist Mark Seaman guides you through the process from conception to completion, teaching you flawless technique and tips of the trade along the way. You’ll love Mark’s step-by-step approach to designing and applying intricate Australian string work to cakes of any size. |
Learn the art of impressive Australian stringwork with this video by award winning cake artist Mark Seaman. Here, he guides you through the process of creating perfect Australian Stringwork. This includes bridgeless extensions of royal icing that appear to float right off the cake. Mark starts by teaching how to make royal icing most appropriate for Australian Stringwork. He then goes on to teach all the details of piping perfect Australian stringwork. He completes the video by sharing tips on to price this highly time-consuming cake art and how to transport your cakes safely.
Advanced Piping Techniques – The Best Way to Practice Advanced Piped Cake Decorations
Now that you know where to get the lessons from, the next step would be to practice what you have learned. As in the practice of basic piping skills, you can use the Wilton 406-1075 Decorate Smart Deluxe Practice Board Set or the Wilton 406-9464 Practice Board Set as a guide particularly for stringwork.
As a personal preference, I use a styrofoam cake dummy covered in fondant as a practice board to practice these techniques. And I like to use royal icing because royal icing. This is because royal icing can be scraped off the fondant and does not leave any grease stains. Plus, the cake dummy gives the closest-to-real-cake experience when practicing these skills.
Hope you find this page useful.
Happy Decorating 🙂
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