Cake decorating is not difficult, but it requires patience, time, and attention to detail. Today’s fabulous cakes are spread with rich icings of chocolate, eggs, or cream, embellished with sugar flowers and tiny figures, or covered in a lattice of delicate piping, as a continuing history of the same celebratory food that the ancient Greeks baked to appease the gods. The Essential Cake Decorating Guide outlines the basics and techniques of cake decorating then builds on those principles with decorating ideas for everyone from a beginner to the more advanced.