The Contemporary Buttercream Bible

The essential reference to modern cake decorating with buttercream icing, this remarkable book demonstrates more than 50 innovative techniques in beautiful step-by-step photographic sequences.



With over 40 stunning cake designs to create at home, from simple cupcakes to three-tiered wonders, you will discover the sheer accessibility of buttercream, which needs very little specialist equipment or skill to get started.



Start by perfecting a stable buttercream recipe that also tastes delicious then learn how to pipe simple textures and patterns, buttercream roses and an array of other flowers. From there you will learn how to create a myriad of creative effects in buttercream using diverse techniques such as stamping, stencilling, palette knife painting, buttercream transfers, lace and crochet effects, brushed embroidery, marbling, blending, writing, embellishing and more!



If you're a beginner, you will learn new techniques that you can put into practice straight away on easy, single-tier projects and cupcakes; while more experienced cake decorators will enjoy mastering some of the more intricate and advanced buttercream piping techniques and create stunning three-tier cake designs.


This is the only complete guide to creating buttercream cakes, bringing a traditional cake-decorating method bang up to date for the modern baker!



Praise for the book:

"The Contemporary Buttercream Bible is an absolute game changer in the industry of cake art. I've never seen techniques and talent presented in such a way as to be concurrently hugely aspirational yet completely approachable. I look forward to learning all the skills that I, as an artist in rolled fondant, have only the most rudimentary grasp of. Not since Cakewalk by Margaret Braun have I been this excited about a cake book. Bravo!" - Chef Duff Goldman, Ace of Cakes



"If you love buttercream you'll adore this book. Lots of fascinating techniques to try and lovely ideas to develop. Thank you Valeri and Christina for generously sharing your buttercream secrets." - Lindy Smith, author of The Contemporary Cake Decorating Bible

Introduction

BUTTERCREAM BASICS
Stable Buttercream Recipe, Adding Flavours
Equipment
Nozzle Guide
Colouring Buttercream, Mixing Colours
Inspirations
Covering Cakes, Crumb Coating, Smoothing, Sharp Edges, Textured Finishes
Covering Boards
Dowelling
Cupcakes, Recipe, Piping Peaks and Swirls

PIPING TEXTURES AND PATTERNS
Ruffles, Up and Down, Back and Forth, Squiggly
Basketweave, Contemporary Basketweave
E- and C-Scrolls
Star Fill
Dots
Leaves
Shells and Fleur de Lis
Scrolls, Lines and Zigzags

FLOWERS
Sunflower
Leaves
Camellia
Hydrangea
Carnation
Sweet Pea
Lilac
Daisy
Chrysanthemum
Daffodil
Rose and Rose Buds
Piping and Arranging Flowers on a Cake
Cupcake Bouquets
Cuppie Cakes

PALETTE KNIFE TECHNIQUES
Palette Knife Brush Strokes
Thinning
Blending
Gradient Blending and Painting Flowers
Marbling

TRANSFERS, STENCILLING & STAMPING
Frozen Buttercream Transfers
Transfers Troubleshooting
Stencilling
Stamping

TEXTILE EFFECTS
Brushed Embroidery
Lace, Irregular Lace, Fishnet Lace
Crochet, Patchwork Crochet

WRITING
Direct Piping
Painting
Pattern Transfer
Embossing
Stencilling
Using Writing Creatively

BEYOND BUTTERCREAM
Embellishment Choices
Rice Paper
Sprinkles
Candies
Fruit Loops

Templates
Suppliers, About the Authors, Acknowledgments
Index