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    Cake Decorating Guide - Tips and Techniques

    The title of this page reads as cake decorating guide, but the stuff I have here is definitely useful for cupcakes and cookies too, even cake pops and just about any other decorated treats.

    I am very proud to say that this cake decorating guide page is my second most important page on this website (after my cake tutorials page). And that is partly because most of the tips and techniques I showcase here are a direct extension of my cake designs on that page so they kind of relate to one another.

    Other than techniques that relate directly to my cake designs, it is here that I share the rest of my more general 'how-to' techniques that can be used on cakes, cupcakes and even cookies. My gum paste flowers are all featured here. And while some are directly related to specific cake designs they can generally be used for any cake or cupcake project. 

    How This Page is Organized

    So let me explain how I have organized this page. The first section is about cake preparation, i.e., some of the basic prep steps that need to be done to a freshly baked and cooled cake before it is frosted or decorated with icing so that we get a flat, sharp-edged cake finishing. 

    The next section is on tiered cakes. This is where I explain how I structure and assemble my tiered cakes. And how I transport them so that they get delivered safely.

    The rest of the sections are divided into various cake decorating techniques. These range from making gum paste flowers and fondant figurines, chocolate decorations, piping techniques as well as making piped flowers.

    I will be adding more tips to this page as and when I have them. So I hope you will find these cake decorating tips and tutorials useful.


    Cake Decorating Guide - Cake Preparation

    2 tiers of a round cake filled and patched with buttercream in between the layers

    Basic Cake Decorating

    2 tiers of round cake with perfectly smooth sides and sharp edges

    Cake Decorating Basics

    A round cake tin line with parchment paper

    How to Line Cake Tins

    Pointing to the water level in a cake tin filled with water

    How to Calculate Cake Recipes

    Cake Board Ideas

    A 4 tier cake stacked on pillars, decorated with pink roses and a bride and groom topper

    Tools & Techniques for Tiered Cakes

    A 2 tier cake stacked on pillars

    How to Make a Tiered Cake

    A 5 tier wedding cake decorated in orange and yellow

    How to Transport a Cake

    Cutting the top of a cake with a serrated knife

    How to Level & Layer Cakes

    An oval cake board wrapped in blue paper

    Cake Boards DIY


    Cake Decorating Guide - Decorating with Fondant

    Name 'LISA' on a pink plaque on a white fondant cake

    How to Center Cake Lettering

    Removing fondant lace from a silicone fondant mold

    How to Use Silicone Fondant Molds

    Black and white guitar cake topper

    Guitar Cake Topper

    A heart shaped cookie decorated in pink heart and icing sugar

    Puffed Fondant Hearts without Cutters

    Stroller baby shower cake topper in yellow and green

    Stroller Baby Shower Cake Topper

    A set of silver fondant crimping tools

    Fondant Crimping Technique

    Gum paste butterfly cake decorations on a white cake

    Gum Paste Butterflies

    3 tier square wedding cake with gold fondant lace

    Gold Fondant Lace

    A rainbow cake decorated with fondant clouds

    Easy Fondant Clouds

    A two tier unicorn cake with eyes and golden horn

    Fondant Unicorn Horn Tutorial

    Rainbow colored fondant letters on a cake

    Rainbow Fondant Letters

    The bottom tier of a cake decorated with pink and purple flowers, leaves and stems

    How to Make Fondant Flowers

    3D fondant letters in a cake board, painted in gold

    3D Fondant Letters for Cakes

    2 tier round cake in light blue fondant and wavy fondant borders

    Fondant Ocean Waves

    Royal icing soccer ball on a brown backgroud

    Soccer Cupcake Toppers

    A snowflake fondant cut out with a toothpick attached

    Snowflake Cupcake Toppers

    3 round fondant pieces embossed with lines, circles and heart pattern

    Embossing Technique on Fondant

    Brown fondant bow

    How to Make Fondant Bow

    A two tier white unicorn cake with 2 large fondant eyes on the top tier

    Fondant Unicorn Eyes Tutorial

    Number 8 cake topper in purple glitter

    How to Make Standing Number Cake Toppers

    Brown fondant pebbles effect on cake board

    How to Create Pebbles Walkway in Fondant

    Tappit letter cutters in a heap

    How to Use Tappit Letter Cutters

    Top of a cake decorated with 3d clouds and rainbow lettering

    How to Make Fondant Clouds

    Fondant rainbow on the side of a light blue fondant covered cake

    How to Make Fondant Rainbow

    A two tier beach themed cake in blue, orange and yellow, with orange gum paste hibiscus and fondant surfboards

    2D Fondant Waves Tutorial

    A violet and brown fondant loop bow on top of a 2 tier square cake

    How to Make Fondant Loop Bow

    Poster for fondant surfboard tutorial

    How to Make Fondant Surfboards and Surfboard Toppers

    3D Olaf cake topper with its arms stretched out

    How to Make 3D Olaf Cake Topper

    Cupcake covered in turquoise with a letter "m" topper in blue, white and turquoise

    How to Make Initials Cupcake Toppers

    Leopard print on fondant circle

    How to Paint Leopard Spots on Fondant


    Cake Decorating Guide - Piping Techniques

    Basket weave buttercream pattern in white against brown background.

    Buttercream Basket Weave Technique

    Blue lines piped all around a round cake

    How to Pipe Consistent Lines on Cakes

    A strip of amber and orange fondant with royal icing lace piping

    Lace Motifs for Cake Decorating

    Filigree icing on parchment paper

    Filigree Icing Technique

    Fixing the piping tip into an icing coupler

    How to Fit an Icing Coupler

    Poster on how to use one icing coupler for many icing colors

    How to Use One Coupler for Many Icing Colors

    Poster for advanced piping techniques

    Advanced Piping Techniques

    Piped lace pattern in beige against a grey background

    Lace Work on Cakes

    Cupcake lace topper in amber

    Cupcakes Lace Piping

    Piped buttercream patterns in white, green and pink

    Basic Piping Techniques

    Orange and yellow royal icing butterflies against a grey background

    How to Make Royal Icing Butterflies

    3 piping bag, one with a tip attached, 2 with orange and yellow icing without any tips

    How to Pipe Different Colored Icing with One Piping Tip

    Turquoise and blue buttercream flowers arranged in a circular pattern around the top edges of a round cake covered in buttercream

    Simple Buttercream Flowers


    Cake Decorating Guide - Decorating with Chocolate

    A pot on a stove with a bowl of chocolate on top

    How to Melt Chocolate

    Chocolate cake with wide basket weave pattern and white royal icing daisies

    Chocolate Basket Weave Cake


    Cake Decorating Guide - Gum Paste Flowers

    White gum paste poppy flower with black and green center

    Gum Paste Poppies

    Purple gum paste roses in a bouquet

    How to Color Gum Paste Flowers

    Colorful sugar flowers on a cake

    Fondant Sugar Flowers

    White and purple hydrangea flowers in a group

    Gum Paste Hydrangea

    A white gum paste hibiscus

    Gum Paste Hibiscus

    2 pink gum paste roses against a marble background

    Gum Paste Roses

    Gum paste plumeria with yellow centers grouped together

    Gum Paste Plumeria (Frangipani)

    2 white gum paste flowers on the corner of a cake

    Simple Sugar Flowers


    Other techniques

    A flower pot cake with purple gum paste roses

    How to Attach Flowers to Cakes

    A heart shaped cake decorated with pink buttercream rossettes and a gum paste arrow going through it

    Gum Paste Arrow Tutorial

    A fondant dusting bag made using white cloth

    Fondant Dusting Bag

    Poster for how to resize templates for cake decorating

    How to Resize Templates for Cake Decorating

    Cake dummies stacked to form a 2 tier fake cake

    Cake Dummies Decorating Guide

    Using a small sieve to sift icing sugar

    Fondant Dusting Tools

    A white cake decorated with gold painted molded fondant and gold dragees

    How to Color Dragees

    A cupcake on a white plate, cut into half with sprinkles flowing out

    How to Color Sprinkles

    Poster for fondant glue tutorial with the image of a white gum paste rose

    How to Make Fondant Glue

    Poster for weekly routine as a cake decorator

    The Cake Decorator in Me - My Weekly Routine

    DIY cupcake stand in blue and silver

    DIY Cupcake Stand

    A cupcake in a black and white damask pattern wrapper

    How to Make Cupcake Wrapper Templates

    A pink buttercream rossette frosted heart shaped cake with a gold paper arrow through it.

    Paper Arrows for Cakes - Tutorial

    Poster on how to stick fondant deco on cakes

    How to Stick Fondant Deco on Cakes

    Poster for baking essentials list

    Baking Essentials List

    A 3 tier cupcake holder in silver and red

    How to Make DIY Cupcake Holder

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    Hi there!

    I'm Priya, and I'm so excited that you dropped by :) Welcome to DECORATED TREATS, a place where I share all my cake decorating ideas & true and tried recipes for all things sweet.

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