Buttercream icing is the most delicious cake decorating medium, is very accessible and needs very little specialist equipment.

This essential guide demonstrates more than 50 innovative techniques via easy to follow step-by-step photographic tutorials and includes over 40 stunning cake designs to create at home, from simple cupcakes to three-tiered wonders.

Valeri & Christina start by showing you how to perfect a basic buttercream recipe and then how to pipe simple textures and patterns, and an array of flowers. They then demonstrate how to create a myriad of creative effects using...