Decorating is a kitchen skill like any other. Your first rose looks like a cabbage, and your twentieth looks like a rose. Any good bakery shows the same thing in its case, because all of it comes down to the same few motions, repeated. A decorating book’s job is to show you those motions clearly enough to practice alone.
This guide covers seven books on decorating, and not on baking the cake itself. For that, our cake cookbook page is the better place. Each pick comes from a named author, and we say what stands behind it.
Julia’s earns a commission on purchases made through links on this page, at no cost to you. Recommendations are based on what a restaurant kitchen looks for in a teaching book, the Amazon listing, publisher and author information and published reviews, which we name where we use them.
Quick verdict: where to learn cake decorating from a book
For most people, start with The Contemporary Buttercream Bible by Valeri Valeriano and Christina Ong, with more than 50 methods in the medium you already use, per the publisher. If you are brand new, buy Autumn Carpenter’s Beginner’s Guide to Cake Decorating. For a full reference, choose Toba Garrett’s Professional Cake Decorating.
The other four go after one skill each: piped flowers, vintage piping and sugar flowers. None of the seven has a Publishers Weekly review at the ISBN we opened, so this page leans on what the publishers and authors say, and we tell you when it does.
Five decorating books side by side
Five of the seven, one for each kind of decorator. All seven are described in full below.
| Book | Best for | Medium | Length | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most learners | Buttercream | 160 pages, paperback | View on Amazon | |
Beginner’s Guide to Cake Decorating, Autumn CarpenterBest for beginners
|
Complete beginners | Frosting and fondant | 144 pages, paperback | View on Amazon |
100 Buttercream Flowers, Valeri Valeriano and Christina OngBest for flowers
|
Flower practice | Buttercream | 128 pages, paperback | View on Amazon |
Professional Cake Decorating, Toba M. GarrettBest reference
|
Students, serious hobbyists | All major media | 416 pages, hardcover | View on Amazon |
Cakes in Bloom, Peggy PorschenBest for wedding cakes
|
Wedding cakes | Sugarcraft | 224 pages, hardcover | View on Amazon |
Our picks for the best cake decorating book, title by title
All seven were in stock and new when we checked. We have not worked through these books ourselves. Where we describe a strength, we say whose view it is.
1. The Contemporary Buttercream Bible, Valeri Valeriano and Christina Ong – A Full Course in One Medium
Valeriano and Ong moved from the Philippines to Britain in 2008 for medical jobs and founded Queen of Hearts Couture Cakes in 2011, according to their publisher. It says they have won awards for their buttercream designs and teach classes in Europe, Asia and the US.
The book teaches more than 50 buttercream methods through step-by-step photo tutorials. It starts from a basic buttercream recipe and moves through piping textures, patterns and flowers, then on to stamping, stencilling and palette knife painting. The publisher counts over 40 cake designs, from single cupcakes to multi-tier cakes.
Buttercream is the medium most home decorators already use, and it doesn’t need a kit of gum paste tools. That is why this comes first for us. Praise from Duff Goldman and Sonya Hong appears in the publisher’s copy, and we read it only there. We found no Publishers Weekly review at this ISBN.
Why we like it
- More than 50 methods, per the publisher
- Over 40 cake designs
- Starts from a basic recipe
- Goes past piping to stencils and painting
Key specifications
| Author | Valeri Valeriano and Christina Ong |
|---|---|
| Publisher | David & Charles |
| Year | 2014 |
| Pages | 160 |
| Format | Paperback |
| What it teaches | More than 50 buttercream methods |
| Medium | Buttercream |
| Best for | Most learners |
Why we recommend it
Choose this if you want one book that takes you from a smooth, plain cake to a design you would be proud to serve. It stays with one medium and goes a long way with it.
Skip it if you want to work in fondant or sugar. Garrett and Porschen, below, cover those.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Clear path from basic to advanced
- Lots of photo steps, per the publisher
- Uses what home bakers already have
Cons
- Buttercream only
- No review at this ISBN that we could read
2. Beginner’s Guide to Cake Decorating, Autumn Carpenter – A First Book From a Teacher
Carpenter is a confectionery artist, author and demonstrator based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and she co-owns a cake and candy supply store, per her publisher. This is a short book at 144 pages, and it is the plainest starting point on the page.
It covers basic tools and equipment, recipes for cakes, fillings, frostings, icings and fondants, and introductory techniques. Techniques named include piping, molding, hand modeling and stencils, with flowers, banners, ribbons and letters as styles, and the copy also promises hacks and shortcuts.
The projects are aimed at occasions such as birthdays and baby showers. The copy gives no count of projects, and it has no outside praise. We found no Publishers Weekly review at this ISBN, so this pick rests on the publisher’s and author’s details.
Why we like it
- Covers tools, recipes and technique
- Written by a working teacher and demonstrator
- Both buttercream and fondant work
- Short enough to finish
Key specifications
| Author | Autumn Carpenter |
|---|---|
| Publisher | New Shoe Press |
| Year | 2022 |
| Pages | 144 |
| Format | Paperback |
| What it teaches | Piping, molding, modeling, stencils |
| Medium | Frosting and fondant |
| Best for | Complete beginners |
Why we recommend it
This is the book for someone who has never held a piping bag and has a birthday coming up. It covers enough of everything to show you what you want to learn next.
Skip it if you already pipe comfortably. At this length it can’t go deep, and the Bible above will take you further.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Friendly starting point
- Includes the recipes
- Broad coverage
Cons
- Not a deep reference
- No project count in the copy
3. 100 Buttercream Flowers, Valeri Valeriano and Christina Ong – One Flower Per Cupcake
The authors of our top pick follow it with a book on one subject. Each of the 100 flowers is shown on a cupcake in step-by-step photos, and they are arranged by color. It also covers making stable buttercream, coloring and flavoring it, filling a piping bag and basic piping technique.
Five full-scale projects then show how to combine the flowers into cakes. This is a different book from the Bible, which spends its pages on methods and designs. Here, you are building a vocabulary of flowers, one at a time.
The publisher quotes Duff Goldman calling it “hugely aspirational yet completely approachable.” We read that in the publisher’s copy. We found no Publishers Weekly review at this ISBN. We included two books by these authors because they do different jobs, and you can buy either one alone.
Why we like it
- 100 flowers, per the publisher
- Each flower shown in steps
- Five full-scale projects
- Covers stable buttercream
Key specifications
| Author | Valeri Valeriano and Christina Ong |
|---|---|
| Publisher | David & Charles |
| Year | 2015 |
| Pages | 128 |
| Format | Paperback |
| What it teaches | 100 piped flowers |
| Medium | Buttercream |
| Best for | Cupcake and flower fans |
Why we recommend it
A good pick for someone who already likes piping and wants to practice something specific each weekend. A dozen cupcakes is an easy place to try a new flower without risking a whole cake.
Skip it if you want variety. This book is all flowers.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Very specific and practical
- Easy to practice on cupcakes
- Works well with the Bible
Cons
- One subject only
- Same authors as our top pick
4. Professional Cake Decorating, Toba M. Garrett – The Classroom Reference
Garrett heads the Department of Cake Decorating and Design at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York, according to her publisher, Wiley. This is the serious textbook here, written for professional and aspiring cake artists, baking and pastry students and hobbyists.
Skills run from covering a cake board, icing and stacking tiers through basic, floral and advanced piping, lettering and painting, royal icing flowers and embroidery. It adds hand modeling, marzipan and chocolate modeling, rolled icing and pastillage, gum paste flowers, miniature cakes and decorated cookies.
Recipes for cakes, fillings and icings are included, along with appendices of templates and cake-cutting guides. The publisher’s page is inconsistent about whether she won an IACP award or was nominated for one, so we don’t rely on it. We found no Publishers Weekly review at this ISBN. The lead offer was from a third-party seller when we checked.
Why we like it
- Widest range of skills on this page
- Written by a culinary school department head
- Templates and cake-cutting guides
- Covers tiers and stacking
Key specifications
| Author | Toba M. Garrett |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Wiley |
| Year | 2012 |
| Pages | 416 |
| Format | Hardcover |
| What it teaches | Piping, royal icing, modeling, gum paste |
| Medium | All major media |
| Best for | Students and serious hobbyists |
Why we recommend it
Buy this if you are thinking about selling cakes, taking a class or doing a tiered cake for a wedding. It is the book you would keep for years.
Skip it if you only decorate a few birthday cakes each year. It is more than most home bakers need.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Comprehensive
- Teaches in a structured order
- Long-lasting reference
Cons
- Textbook feel
- Third-party seller at our last check
5. Fancy Cakes, Roxy and Corinne Mankoo – Vintage Piping, Newly Styled
If your feed is full of frilly cakes with swags and pearl borders, this is the book behind that look. The Mankoo sisters are the designers behind April’s Baker in London, per their publisher. Roxy trained at Le Cordon Bleu and launched the business in 2019.
The book gives 40 designs and breaks Lambeth and baroque technique into achievable steps. It covers piped swags, rosettes, pearls and filigree borders, along with sponges such as matcha and strawberry and lemon Earl Grey. The publisher promises beginner to expert guides.
The copy calls the authors acclaimed but has no outside praise, and we found no Publishers Weekly review at this ISBN. It rests on the publisher’s description. It is also the newest book on the page.
Why we like it
- 40 designs, per the publisher
- Lambeth and baroque piping in steps
- Includes sponge recipes
- A recent book
Key specifications
| Author | Roxy and Corinne Mankoo |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Quadrille |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 256 |
| Format | Hardcover |
| What it teaches | Lambeth and baroque piping |
| Medium | Buttercream |
| Best for | Style-minded decorators |
Why we recommend it
Choose this if you know exactly which look you are after. It will suit someone who has mastered a smooth coat and is ready for careful, patient piping.
Skip it if you want a plain beginner course. Vintage piping is slow, and the Carpenter book is a kinder start.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Very current style
- Recipes as well as decoration
- Hardcover format
Cons
- One style throughout
- No review at this ISBN that we could read
6. The Art of Modern Cake, Heidi Holmon – Sugar Flowers and New Textures
Holmon is a British-born designer turned cake artist who owns De la Crème Creative Studio, according to her own site. The book centers on sugar flowers and botanicals, with more than thirty-five flower and foliage tutorials, from peonies to dried leaves.
It also covers modern textures, which her site lists as origami, geometric curves, concrete, watercolor painting and crystal trails, with chapters on edible flowers, piping and food coloring.
All of that comes from the author’s own page, so read it as her description. It also calls her one of the top ten cake artists in the USA, which we can’t confirm. We found no Publishers Weekly review at this ISBN. The lead offer was from a third-party seller when we checked.
Why we like it
- More than 35 tutorials, per the author
- Modern finishes as well as flowers
- Author came to cakes from design
- Edible flowers chapter
Key specifications
| Author | Heidi Holmon |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Yellow Pear Press |
| Year | 2022 |
| Pages | 280 |
| Format | Hardcover |
| What it teaches | Sugar flowers and modern textures |
| Medium | Sugar and fondant |
| Best for | Experienced decorators |
Why we recommend it
This is for the decorator who wants a cake that looks like a magazine cover. Expect to buy specialist tools and to spend real time on each flower.
Skip it if you want quick results or prefer not to work in sugar. Buttercream is the easier road, and the Valeriano and Ong books cover it.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Unusual finishes
- Long hardcover
- Strong focus on flowers
Cons
- Advanced work
- Copy read on the author’s site only
7. Cakes in Bloom, Peggy Porschen – 24 Sugar Flowers, Step by Step
Peggy Porschen’s publisher, Quadrille, calls this the ultimate reference and inspiration for sugarcrafters. Treat that as its own marketing. What it does offer is 24 varieties of sugar flower, from vintage roses to frangipani, each with step-by-step photography.
It introduces basic techniques and specialist tools first, then shows close-ups of the finished flowers and how they sit on her wedding cake designs. The copy gives no skill level and no count of cakes.
We found no Publishers Weekly review at this ISBN, and the copy has no outside praise. The lead offer was from a third-party seller when we checked, so look at the seller and arrival date before you order. Other Porschen books showed only a few copies left, so we chose this one.
Why we like it
- 24 flowers, per the publisher
- Step-by-step photographs
- Shows flowers placed on real designs
- Introduces specialist tools
Key specifications
| Author | Peggy Porschen |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Quadrille |
| Year | 2018 |
| Pages | 224 |
| Format | Hardcover |
| What it teaches | Sugar flowers |
| Medium | Gum paste and sugarcraft |
| Best for | Wedding and special-occasion cakes |
Why we recommend it
A good pick for someone making a wedding or anniversary cake who wants sugar flowers in particular. Sugar work has its own learning curve, so start early.
Skip it if you have never decorated a cake. Learn on buttercream first.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Focused on a classic skill
- Trade publisher
- Shows flowers on finished designs
Cons
- Needs specialist tools
- Third-party seller at our last check
How to choose a book for learning to decorate
These questions matter more than the pictures on the cover.
- Which medium? Buttercream is forgiving and tastes good. Fondant and gum paste give you crisp shapes and flowers that keep, but they take more tools and practice. Decide this first, because it rules out half the books.
- Are the steps photographed? A hand position is hard to describe in words. Nearly all of these promise step-by-step photography or line art, and that is the feature to look for in any book you consider.
- Does it include recipes? Carpenter, Garrett and the Mankoos include cake or icing recipes. For a good stable frosting, the Valeriano and Ong books start with theirs.
- How much equipment will it ask for? For buttercream you need piping bags, a few piping tips and an offset spatula. A cake decorating stand makes the sides much easier.
- How much time do you have? Sugar flowers can take days, and buttercream can be done the same afternoon. Plan your book around the next cake you actually have to make.
How we picked these seven decorating books
We searched Amazon’s book listings first and kept print editions from named authors at established publishers, plain in stock with a new lead offer. We compared each one with every other book page on this site so that nothing repeats. Author, year, format and page count come from the Amazon listing. Descriptions come from the publisher’s copy as carried by a bookseller, or from the publisher’s or author’s own page, and we name the author’s own site where it is the source.
Here is what stands behind each pick. We opened the Publishers Weekly page for all seven and found no review at those ISBNs, which does not mean no other review exists. So all seven rest on the publisher’s and author’s details, and any praise is quoted only as the publisher carries it.
We have not baked from or practiced with these books. The Wilton school books, which many decorators grew up with, showed only a few copies left or a used lead offer, so they aren’t here. Christina Tosi’s All About Cake and Whitney DePaoli’s Anyone Can Cake are on our cake cookbook page, and we don’t repeat a book across guides.
Learn cake decorating book questions, answered
What is the best cake decorating book for a complete beginner?
Autumn Carpenter’s Beginner’s Guide to Cake Decorating. It starts with tools and recipes, and it covers several techniques in a short book.
Can you really learn cake decorating from a book?
You can learn the basics, if you practice. A book can show you what a hand should do, but only repetition teaches it. Try piping onto parchment paper first, then scrape it back into the bag and go again.
Is buttercream or fondant easier to learn?
Most beginners start with buttercream because it needs fewer tools. These books lean that way too: the two Valeriano and Ong books and Fancy Cakes are built around buttercream and piping.
Do I need a turntable?
You can get by without one, but a cake decorating stand makes a smooth side coat far easier, since the cake turns while your hand stays still.
Which book is best for wedding cakes?
Cakes in Bloom shows flowers placed on Porschen’s wedding designs, and Garrett’s book covers stacking tiers. Allow plenty of practice time before a big date.
The best cake decorating book for your next cake
Start with the Buttercream Bible, or with Carpenter if you have never piped. For the cake underneath, our best cake cookbook page has plenty of places to begin, and a cake stand will show off the finished work.
And when you would rather leave the kitchen to someone else, see our menu or call to order.