The contemporary cake decorating bible: creative techniques, fresh inspiration, stylish designs

Stenciling is an extremely effective way to add impressive decorations to your cakes and cookies quickly.

For the best and most satisfying results, Lindy Smith recommends using laser-cut culinary stencils made from durable food-grade plastic.

How you choose to add a stenciled pattern will depend on the effect you wish to achieve and the size of the item to be stencilled.

This chapter, taken from The Contemporary Cake Decorating Bible, shows you various techniques using both edible dusts and royal icing; it also shows you how to make your own stencils and some possible other uses.