How to Decorate a Buttercream Cake | Easy Techniques for Beginners
Chef Alan TetreaultIn this tutorial: What You'll Need · Divide the Cake · Mark the Garlands · Pipe the Garland Border · Add the Inner Garland · Bottom Shell Border · Top Reverse Shell · Drop String Accents · Writing on the Cake
Once your cake is sliced, filled, and iced, it's time to decorate. In this tutorial — part of the Buttercream Basics series — Chef Alan Tetreault of Global Sugar Art walks through decorating a complete 9-inch cake with garlands, shells, reverse shells, drop strings, and flowers using just a handful of piping tips. This is an approachable cake for any skill level, with tips on hand control and pressure technique throughout.
What You'll Need
- Buttercream icing — white, pink, and yellow (or your color scheme)
- Piping tips: #104 (petal/rose tip), #16 (star), #22 (large star), #18 (star), #3 (small round), #2 (small round)
- Piping bags — 8 or 10-inch bags recommended for beginners
- Coupler sets
- Turntable
- Offset spatula
- Garland marking tools (choose one):
- Wilton garland marker
- Round cookie cutters in various sizes
- A plastic cup cut in half (Chef Alan's budget-friendly favorite)
- Pre-made gumpaste flowers — for the final arrangement
Step 1: Divide the Cake into Sections
Use a spatula to mark the top of the cake into 8 even sections:
- Mark one side, then straight across to the opposite side.
- Rotate 90° and repeat — you now have 4 sections.
- Mark one more point between each pair — now you have 8.
These marks guide where each garland will be piped on the sides.
Step 2: Mark the Garlands
Three ways to mark garland curves on the side of the cake:
- Wilton garland marker — adjustable for depth and width, pushes right into the buttercream.
- Round cookie cutter — choose the size that fits between your marks and press it into the side.
- Plastic cup cut in half — squeeze it together for narrower garlands, let it spring open for wider ones. Free, disposable, and works on any size cake.
💡 You don't need a deep impression — just a light guide in the buttercream. The piping will cover the marks completely.
Step 3: Pipe the Garland Border
Tip: #104 (petal/rose tip) | Position: Large end up, thin end down and slightly angled outward toward you.
Pipe an up-and-down ribbon motion following the garland marks. The result is a ruffled ribbon border that follows the curve.
Step 4: Add the Inner Garland
Tip: #16 star tip (or #14, #15, #17, #18 — anything in that range) | Color: Pink (or your accent color)
Use an e-motion (small circles, like writing the letter "e") following the garland curve. Start on the left side and pipe consistently to the right.
💡 Beginner tip: Use a slightly larger tip. Smaller tips show every mistake. A #18 is much more forgiving than a #14.
💡 Shaking hands? Use your non-dominant hand to steady your piping hand. Rest your elbow against your side for stability. And use a small bag — large bags require too much hand strength and cause more shaking.
Step 5: Bottom Shell Border
Tip: #22 (or #30, #31, #32, #19, #20, #21) | Angle: 45°
- Squeeze the bag and lift slightly — let the icing roll over itself to form the head of the shell.
- Relax pressure and pull down for the tail.
- Release pressure completely before pulling away.
The most common mistake: pulling away before releasing pressure, which creates a messy point.
Step 6: Top Reverse Shell Border
Tip: #18 | Angle: 45°
Same technique as the regular shell, but alternate between clockwise and counterclockwise arcs. This creates a flowing, swirly border along the top edge of the cake.
Step 7: Drop String Accents
Tip: #3 | Color: Yellow (accent color)
↪ Along the bottom shells
Touch the tip to the icing where two shells join, pull outward and away from the cake, then guide the string back to where the next two shells join. The secret: lift the string, don't drag the tip along the surface. The string should fall naturally into a smooth curve.
↪ At the garland peaks
Add small accent loops — one larger loop and one smaller — at the point where two garlands meet. This adds color and dimension without much effort.
Step 8: Writing and Flowers
↪ Writing
Use a #2 or #3 tip for writing. Steady your piping hand by resting your index finger from your other hand on the bag as a guide.
↪ Flowers
Chef Alan finishes with pre-made gumpaste flowers (calla lilies and pink roses) arranged at the top of the cake. A separate video in this series covers how to accent and color purchased gumpaste flowers with petal dust and luster dust.
Quick Reference: Tips Used
| Decoration | Tip | Color |
|---|---|---|
| Garland (ribbon border) | #104 | White |
| Inner garland (e-motion) | #16 | Pink |
| Bottom shell border | #22 | White |
| Top reverse shell | #18 | White |
| Drop string accents | #3 | Yellow |
| Writing | #2 or #3 | Yellow |
This tutorial is part of Global Sugar Art's library of free cake decorating videos by Chef Alan Tetreault. Browse all tutorials →
