A Stylish Introduction to Buttercream Cake Decorating

What you'll learn

🎂 Master the art of making Swiss Meringue Buttercream from scratch!
🛠️ Craft personalized cake boards to complement any cake design.
🔪 Perfect your skills in leveling, torting, filling, crumb coating, and achieving a smooth buttercream finish on cakes.
🎨 Become skilled in using gel colors and color dusts for vibrant cake decorations.
✒️ Learn how to expertly prepare piping bags for flawless cake decorating.
🌹 Create stunning rosettes and ruffles with precision piping techniques.
🍰 Design intricate cake patterns using a metal cake spatula like a pro.
🖌️ Explore the art of painting directly on buttercream for unique cake art.
🌈 Master applying watercolor and ombre techniques for breathtaking cake designs.
🎉 Construct a sturdy two-tiered cake that's perfect for any celebration!

Course Content

Introduction- Get Started!

3 lectures

Welcome!

Welcome and thank you for enrolling!

Swiss Meringue Buttercream Method

This lesson will guide you through the process of making SMBC from scratch.

Custom Cake Boards

What better way to personalize your cakes than to make your own bases for them to be displayed on!

Frosting a Cake Smooth

5 lectures

Trimming Cakes

The first step to level and sturdy cakes is to trim the cakes before adding frosting.

Layering Cakes

See how to layer cakes with buttercream or other fillings to achieve a level and professional look.

Crumb Coat

The crumb coat will trap pesky crumbs inside of buttercream so that you can add a second coat that will be flawless.

Applying the Second Coat

Once the crumb coat is well chilled, it's time to apply a second coat of buttercream/

Frosting the Cake Smooth

In order for your cakes to look professional they need to have a really smooth finish. Learn how to achieve that with my secret tool that works every time!

Spatula Techniques

4 lectures

Technique 1-Zigzags

This lesson is and introduction to using a spatula and turntable to achieve a pretty design on a 5" cake.

Technique 2- Straight Lines

The second technique in this section which takes a look at applying a vertical straight line design.

Technique 3- Pinwheel

This technique creates a really lovely motion that ends in a pinwheel look on the top of the cake.

Technique 4- Circles

A turntable is an indispensable tool when it comes to cake decorating. In this lesson you will learn how to use it to it's full advantage while creating a simple design.

Color

7 lectures

Getting Started with Color

This lesson discusses the different options for adding color to your baked goods and how to use them.

Watercolor Technique-Preparation

It's important to prep your buttercream colors before you get started. This lesson will show you how to achieve varying shades of purple.

Watercolor Technique- Method

Have fun with color! See how to apply and decorate a 7" cake with pretty purples.

Transfer the Watercolor Cake

Cake boards and plates really finish the look of a cake. Learn how to safely transfer from turntable to cake plate.

Ombre Technique-Preparation

Learn how to prepare buttercream for the ombre method of decorating.

Ombre Technique-Method

The ombre technique looks difficult, but is actually rather simple. Learn how to successfully decorate a 7" cake with this technique.

Transfer the Ombre Cake

It's time to move this beautiful cake onto a custom cake board.

Piping

4 lectures

Piping Bags

This lesson will walk you through different types of piping bags, couplers, and pastry tips.

Filling a Piping Bag

Sometimes filling a piping bag can be messy work! Learn how to do it with ease and keep the mess at a minimum.

Rosettes-Practice

Before you start piping directly onto a cake, it's important to practice on a flat surface until you feel comfortable with the technique.

Rosettes-Piping on a Cake

Remember that pretty purple watercolor cake? Now we are going to add some more interest and pipe varying sizes of rosettes onto it.

Ruffles

8 lectures

Ruffles-Practice

Become acquainted with different types of ruffles and start practicing the techniques!

Ruffles-Transfer a Design

Ruffles- Transfer the Cake

In this lesson you will learn the importance of thinking ahead when making a tiered cake. Should you move your cake onto it's base now or later?

Ruffles- Piping on a Cake

Now that you know how to lay out the grid for a pattern and how to pipe ruffles, it's time to pipe them onto the sides of a cake.

Floral Ruffles- Practice

Now that you are a master of ruffles, you can start piping them into new patterns!

Floral Ruffles- Planning

You don't always need to mark guides on a cake to achieve a certain look. This lesson will show you how to have an idea and make it happen as you go.

Floral Ruffles- Piping the Sides

We have an idea of how to pipe the ruffles, now we just have to make it happen!

Floral Ruffles- Piping the Top

Finish off this gorgeous design with a focal point top. Learn how to fill in the rest of the cake in this lesson.

Painting

3 lectures

Prepare your Paints

This lesson discusses the supplies necessary for mixing icing colors and luster in order to be able to paint with them.

Painting a Cake

Find out how to create a colorful design of blues and greens on a 5" buttercream cake.

Painting with Luster

You don't have to paint a whole cake. In this lesson you will see how to add some color and shine to piped ruffles.

Stacking

5 lectures

Fundamentals and Equipment

Building a cake requires some sturdy know-how. This lesson discusses dowels and how to use them.

Green Ruffle Cake Stacking

Take your painted beauties to a new level! Learn how to successfully stack a 5" on top of a 7" cake.

Green Ruffles-Finishing Touches

Now that the cakes are stacked, it's time to pull the whole look together and finish up the cake.

Orange Floral Ruffle Cake Stacking

Let's put this pretty peachy cake together!

Floral Ruffles-Finishing Touches

A tiered cake isn't complete until the two layers look like one.

Conclusion

2 lectures

Thank You!

Thank you for taking the course!

Resources

Print or download these materials to help you practice the techniques from the course.

Description

🎂 I learned cake decorating years ago using only buttercream, and it's still a relevant skill to master today. 🌟

Every event, activity, celebration, or even an ordinary day, can be made special with a cake! Why? Because cakes bring joy to everyone. 🎉 If you want to brighten someone's day, join me in this comprehensive beginner cake decorating course. 🎈

You'll learn all the fundamentals from start to finish for decorating two-tier cakes with simple Swiss Meringue Buttercream. 🍰

We'll cover:

Preparing Swiss Meringue Buttercream 🧁
Creating custom cake boards 📏
Techniques for carving, filling, and frosting a cake with sharp edges 🔪
Simple spatula design techniques 🎨
Using gel colors for a watercolor and ombre effect 🌈
How to prepare piping bags without mess or fuss 🤹‍♂️
Piping rosettes, ruffles, and creating patterns with piped decorations 🌹
Painting on buttercream with gel colors and luster dust ✨
Using wooden dowels to properly stack sturdy cakes 🏗️

The beauty of these techniques is their versatility. Create unique designs for birthdays, baby showers, graduations, weddings, or simply because you can! 🎊

This course offers downloadable resources you can print. You'll get a handy buttercream recipe to try in your own kitchen and a list of essential equipment with tips on where to purchase them. 🎁 Additionally, you can ask questions and receive personalized support should you encounter any challenges! 🤝

Whether you want to pursue cake decorating as a hobby or a career, this beginner course provides all the basics to build a solid foundation. I hope to see you in the course! 🙌

Who this course is for:

🎯 Students comfortable with baking, eager to master decorating.
🎨 Complete beginners interested in hobby decorating or starting a career.
👩‍🍳 Cake decorating career seekers wanting to enhance their buttercream skills.
🏢 Bakery business owners aiming to expand menus or train staff.

Start the Course

Course Reviews

😀 Josie Greenhouse

3.5
😀 Melissa Cooper

4
😀 Afton Wynne

5

I like your teaching methods
😀 Julie Hough

5
😀 Dina Rivera

5

This course validated the things I learned on youtube, plus a lot more. Very easy to understand and she went at a perfect pace. If your new to decorating cakes, I'd without a doubt take this course!
😀 Barbara Gonsalves

4
😀 Jasmine Carlos

4
😀 Cheryl Wikeley

4
😀 Henny Bensily

5
😀 Amanda Slingerland

4.5

I would have never thought of customizing cakeboards. Clear instructions and good pace.
😀 Liza Frydenlund

5
😀 Kamille Alyssa Fuentes

5

Very simple and easy to follow along! I'm going to keep coming back to this course as I practice my piping skills!
😀 Linda Justus

4.5

I enjoyed the merengue buttercream it the custom cake boards was kind of corny. The satin ribbon buckles a bit with the wet glue. Maybe a grosgrain ribbon? I just didn’t like the looks of the finished product due to the ribbon.
😀 Alison Goodere

4

Love it
😀 Lora Jordan

4
😀 Vivian Miller

4.5

I liked learning how to make the custom cake boards.
😀 Judy Darwish

5

Yes. I'm just starting and need the basics.
😀 Sakina

4.5
😀 Soumaya Beddey

4
😀 Wally Warwick

5
😀 Lisa Yukelson

5
😀 Clare Siu Hing Choi

4
😀 Priyasa Roy

5
😀 Angela Brown

5

Loving it so far. Never though about customizing the cake board. Great tip!
😀 Shyamini Szeko

4
😀 Amber Samaroo

5

The instructor is very clear, and the video is easy to follow because I can see everything she is doing. She makes Swiss Meringue buttercream look easy, especially with her comforting words. I like that she acknowledges things can be tricky, but then simplifies it
😀 Rosemary Mocke

5
😀 Moza

5
😀 Komal Sachdeva

5
😀 Amanda Ferri

5
😀 Madhurima Basak

5
😀 Hope Jacobs

5
😀 Deborah Wright

4
😀 Austin

4.5
😐 Jeremy McClung

2

The pace is slow and the video quality seems amateur. It’s seen better videos for free on YouTube
😀 Hillis

4.5
😀 Charmaine Iemmolo

3.5
😀 Kylie MacKay

5

I love the way she teaches and it really helps me with the questions about baking I have
😀 Anita Grant

4
😀 Claire Sieve

4.5
🙁 Dinugi Pulajitha

1
😀 Ma.Gracia Santiano-Boomsma

5
😀 Manjula

5
😀 Kavitha MS

4

Very nice and helpful. Good effort. Good instructor.
😀 Rahessa Jamaloodeen

4

Yes it's an excellent beginners course, I've had a bit of experience with some of the techniques but I learnt several new ones.
😀 Andrea Cardoso

5
😀 Claudia Margarida Macedo Camara

5

Great course
😀 Javincia Birch

5
😀 Leanne Solomons

4.5
😀 Tejal shah

5
😀 Felisha Scales

4.5
😀 Angshumi Dutta

5
😐 Maribel Rodriguez

2.5

it's quite slow even for a beginner . Did not match my expectation .
😀 Azlyn

4
😀 Marilyn E. Chelini

5
😀 Susan Zachariah

4.5
😀 Naomi Chapman

4

I like the idea of custom boards for personalising cakes. Amy is very thorough in explaining. I’m just keen to get to the decorating side now.
😀 Olivia

4

It’s understandable enough though should have made another demonstration for those without a thermometer
😀 Margo Van Wyk

4

Yes it a good match
🙁 Ilana Teixeira

1.5
😀 Ainne

4
😀 Ananya Gupta

4

I really enjoyed this course because it teaches us the main basics of making, decorating, etc. a cake and explains everything step by step.
😀 Keerthana Mahesh

3.5
😀 Sabrina

4
😀 Elie Harb

4
😀 Deborah Windhorst

4.5

So far, so good! Learning a lot of techniques and am practicing as I go.
😀 Sandra Kushniruk

4.5
😀 Aashka Paresh Mistry

5
😀 Mercedes Delano

5
😀 Nomita tanti

3.5
😀 Jael Caballero

5
😀 Lisa Mead

5
😀 Lucy Talei Al-Madani

5

I am finding this course really enjoyable. The tip with the personalised cake board was really helpful.I find most time when I am trying to take a photo of one of my cakes, sometime the plates or stand do not help with the image. With this helpful tip I can create my own boards which will help elevate the final image. I would really like more information about the Swiss Buttercream and the other buttercream styles.
😀 Teresa Johnson

5

yes
😀 Fatima

5
😀 Sipho Shava

5

It was good a match with good knowledge.
😀 Dayne Nel

4.5

Yes
😀 Farai Benson Hove

5

Having fun, Am realy enjoying great technique
😀 Sandra Davis

5

Fantastic course! I am looking forward to practicing some of these spatula technique for decorating cakes. I think I'll practice on very small sized cakes similar to the ones in your course. Perfect size for practicing and giving away ;) Thank you, Amy, for creating such wonderful courses. Can't wait to learn more from you!
😀 Susana Parada Cury

4
😀 Charizma Singh Sorrentino

4.5

All my learning before this was from youtube but having someone slowly demonstrate and describe the process i detail is a game changer. Hopefully I can start creating cakes that are sale worthy
😀 Lori Nisbet

5
😀 Pamela Rossouw

5
😀 Latisha

5
😀 Vanity Mercado

5
😀 Neha

4
😀 Cheryl Jameson

5

This class taught me how to make beautiful cakes that look like they were purchased from a bakery! Amy is the best instructor! She goes through every detail thoroughly explaining the steps. I have taken several of her classes and am pleased with every one.
😀 Deborah Miracle

4.5

very enjoyable to watch
🙁 Posey Bones

1.5
😀 Aji

5

Great information and clear instructions thank you
😀 Vanesse Baumann

4.5
😀 Engy Abdou

5

Great
😀 M Abigail

4.5
😀 ElsieElaine Woods

5
😀 Nydia Odendaal

4.5

Great so far!
😀 Nouf Alghanimi

5
😀 Magalie Habchy

3.5
😀 Samantha Estrada

5
😀 Rowena D. Sowders

5
😀 Gugu Ralekoala

4

Yes this course is a good match, for now baking is a hobby that I would love to turn into a business. I prefer working with buttercream so this course was perfect.