Culinary Tutorial: How to Decorate Cakes with Buttercream Piping Techniques

Learn how to decorate stunning cakes using piping tips like 1M, 4B, and 104 to create swirls, rosettes, stars, and more

If you’ve ever admired a beautifully decorated cake and wondered how do they do that?, you’re in the right place. In this tutorial, cake artist Whitney DePaoli, the creator of Sugar and Sparrow, walks us through the fundamental piping techniques for decorating cakes with buttercream.

Whether you're a beginner or looking to refresh your skills, mastering these piping techniques will elevate your cake decorating game. Whitney uses three essential piping tips—1M, 4B, and 104—to demonstrate how to create eye-catching textures and shapes like swirls, rosettes, stars, shell borders, and ruffles.

Buttercream Swirls with Tip 1M

Whitney begins with the ever-popular 1M piping tip, perfect for making large buttercream swirls and freeform squiggles. Holding the piping bag at a 90-degree angle, she pipes circular motions to form a swirl. For rosettes, she starts at the center and moves counterclockwise. Want something more creative? Try squiggles at a 45-degree angle for a playful texture.

Creating Stars, Shells, and Rope Borders with Tip 4B

With the 4B tip, Whitney demonstrates clean stars and shell borders, ideal for decorating the base or top of a cake. Shells are created by applying pressure, lifting the piping bag, and dragging to a point. When making a rope border, simply overlap rosettes in a continuous motion for a classic finish.

Ruffles and Coral Textures with Tip 104

The 104 piping tip offers versatility for creating ruffled textures. Whitney shares how she’s inspired by nature—especially coral reefs—wiggling the bag back and forth to achieve an organic, flowing look that brings a sea-inspired elegance to any cake.

Bring Your Cakes to Life

Whether you're decorating a birthday cake, wedding treat, or a fun weekend bake, these cake decorating techniques with buttercream piping add a professional flair.

Want to dive deeper into the world of baking and cake decorating? Join Whitney in her Domestika course where she shares step-by-step cake design techniques, tips for working with different piping tools, and ideas to let your creativity shine through sugar and frosting.