10 Best Cake Decorating Books 2025 in the United States

'The Perfect Cake: Your Ultimate Guide to Classic, Modern, and Whimsical Cakes' could be a wonderful addition to your kitchen if you're looking to elevate your cake-decorating skills. This book is suitable for a wide range of skill levels, offering something for both beginners and more experienced decorators. With its comprehensive coverage of techniques, from basic to advanced, you'll find step-by-step instructions that make even complex designs manageable.

The book's design variety is impressive, featuring classic, modern, and whimsical cakes that can fit various occasions and preferences. One of the highlights is the author expertise, coming from America's Test Kitchen, known for their reliable and thoroughly tested recipes. This ensures you're getting tried-and-true methods that work. Additionally, the book is visually appealing, with high-quality illustrations and photographs that inspire and guide you through the decorating process.

On the downside, at 448 pages and weighing 3.4 pounds, it's quite a hefty book, which might be cumbersome for some users. Also, given its in-depth content and hardcover format, it might be on the pricier side compared to lighter, more casual cake-decorating guides. However, if you are serious about improving your cake-decorating skills and want a reliable, well-rounded resource, 'The Perfect Cake' is a strong contender.

The book 'Cake Decorating for Beginners: A Step-by-Step Guide to Decorating Like a Pro' is an excellent starting point for those new to cake decorating. It is tailored for beginners, offering easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions that help build skills gradually. The techniques covered are comprehensive enough to give new decorators a solid foundation, from basic piping and frosting to more advanced methods.

Design variety is another strong suit of this guide, featuring a range of styles and ideas to inspire creativity and cater to different tastes and occasions. The author’s expertise is evident throughout the book, presenting information clearly and confidently, which can help build the reader's confidence. Additionally, the book's visual appeal is notable, with well-illustrated pictures and diagrams that make the learning process engaging and easier to understand.

However, it is a relatively thin book with 168 pages, which might limit the depth of coverage on more advanced techniques. Also, those with some prior experience may find the content a bit too basic. The paperback format might not be as durable for frequent use in a busy kitchen environment. This book is best suited for absolute beginners who are eager to learn cake decorating from the ground up and enjoy visually stimulating instructional materials.

The Wilton Cake Decorating Course 3 is a solid choice for those interested in learning how to create tiered cakes with fondant and detailed decorations. It is designed for users who have some basic cake-decorating experience and want to advance their skills, particularly in creating smooth fondant surfaces, elegant flowers, and intricate accents like embroidery and lace. The book offers step-by-step guidance that is easy to follow, making it suitable for self-study. With 48 pages, it provides a focused, manageable amount of content rather than overwhelming the reader.

The variety of techniques covered allows for a good mix of classic and decorative skills, especially useful if you want to impress with tiered cakes and refined borders. Wilton is a well-known brand in cake decorating, which adds credibility to the instructions and techniques presented. The book's visual appeal is somewhat limited due to its softcover format and relatively few pages, so it may not be as richly illustrated or inspiring as larger, more photo-heavy books.

If you’re aiming to build confidence in working with fondant and tiered cakes specifically, this book is a practical and approachable resource. However, if you're after a broader range of cake decorating styles or more detailed photography, you might want to explore additional titles.