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 There are numerous new and fresh techniques in the book ... but the main take-away for me was that buttercream designs are limited only by one's imagination. The authors' examples are inspirational and a demonstration of what is possible if you 'put your whole heart into it.' Overall, Valeriano and Ong have created a book full of inspiration and encouragement that re-energizes the use of buttercream in modern cake design. Sonya Hong, American Cake Decorating magazine