How to Make A Vintage Cake: Decorating Techniques and Tips for All Skill Levels

Whether you’re just discovering intricate cake decorating or already know your way around a piping bag, Betty has just the techniques, tips, and inspiration you need to make your next vintage cake a true showstopper.

Vintage cakes (also known as Lambeth or Victorian piped cakes) are making a delicious comeback on the elevated dessert scene. With their stunning looks, intricate details, and vintage Victorian vibe, it’s no surprise why. And Betty’s here to give you the tools, techniques, and tips you need to decorate one of your very own.

Never tried this style of cake decorating before? No problem! We’ve broken our techniques into three different categories: beginner, intermediate, and expert. Whether you’re preparing for a special occasion or want to stretch your cake decorating skills, Betty’s right there with you. (They don’t call her the Queen of Cakes for nothing!) Decorating a vintage cake does take time, but with a piping bag and some patience, anyone can learn to do it at home. Keep reading to learn more about this decadent decorating technique and before you know it, you’ll be piping your buttercream swirls and twirls like a pro.

a person adding frosting decorations to a cake on a cake wheel with different shades of purple

What Is a Vintage Cake?

A vintage cake is intricately decorated using multiple piping styles. It first originated in Europe in the 19th century by master cake decorator, Joseph Lambeth, who wanted to wow people with a technique that reflected the ornate Victorian architecture of the time. Vintage style cakes are traditionally made with royal icing, especially for the more intricate details. Today most vintage cake decorators use buttercream frosting.

Before You Get Started

Vintage cakes take quite a bit of time to create, but the results are well worth it! Before you skip ahead to the decorating techniques make sure to give yourself ample time to gather your baking and decorating tools, bake your base layer cakes, make your buttercream frosting, and practice your piping decorations. Follow the steps below and you’ll be set for cake decorating success! And remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, so your cake doesn’t need to be either.

Gather Your Baking and Decorating Tools

The key to the perfect vintage cake is having a variety of piping tips. You don’t have to have a full piping set to get started but now’s a good time to start building your collection. You can achieve a lot of beautiful vintage cake designs with a star or shell tip, so that’s a good one to have in your collection. You’ll also want to make sure your kitchen is stocked with a few other necessities, listed below. Once you’ve gotten the hang of the process, you can add tools that fit your style and preference.

A person standing at a table, with a cake pan and various baking items, preparing for to bake cakes

Must-Have Decorating Tools

Bench scraper
Cooling rack
Offset spatulas
Parchment paper for practicing decorating techniques (not pictured)
Piping bags
Piping tips: large round tip (for filling cake layers), leaf tip (for ruffles), open and closed star tips (for swirls and shell shapes), scallop tip (for ornamental borders), and small round tip (for inscriptions)
Piping tip coupler
Rotating cake stand
Round cake pans
Rubber spatula
Serrated knife
Toothpicks for inscriptions

Prepare Your Base Layer Cakes

No matter your decorating skill level, the first step to creating a vintage cake is to prepare your base layers. This can be done up to 1 day before the decorating begins. The number of layers you want to add to your cake is up to you, however, we recommend starting with no more than two to three, especially if you are just starting out at the beginner level. Refer to Betty’s How to Bake a Cake article for helpful tips.

Betty’s Tip: Take a shortcut to scratch with Betty Crocker Baking & Cake Mixes! Betty’s quick and easy-to-follow mixes will give you a head start on your vintage cake, so you can focus your time on the fun part: the decorating! Plus the variety of cake mix flavors will kick-start your creativity.

Prepare Your Frosting

Most modern vintage cake recipes call for buttercream instead of the more traditional royal icing. While royal icing can still come in handy for more expert-level intricate designs and inscriptions, we prefer buttercream. Not only is it much easier for bakers of all skill levels to work with, but it holds its shape very well, making it perfect for a multi-layered cake. Follow this Vanilla Buttercream Frosting recipe for step-by-step instructions as well as a tip for coloring your frosting.

Betty’s Tip: Keep in mind that vintage cakes require an abundance of frosting—we recommend making at least 6 to 8 cups of buttercream. This will ensure you have enough frosting for each color you want to add to your cake as well as some leftover for filling in any imperfections or gaps.

Fill Your Piping Bags

You’ll want to fill a bag for each color of frosting you are working with. Start by making a ½ to ⅓ inch cut from the narrow end of your piping bag, then insert your piping tip and coupler. Twist the end of the piping bag, just above the tip and coupler, to prevent any frosting from leaking out. Using a rubber spatula, add your frosting to the piping bag. Be sure to only fill the bag a little over halfway up—the more you fill it, the more pressure you’ll have to apply in order to decorate. Once the bag is filled, gently press any air bubbles out of the top.

person adding a piping tip and coupler to a piping bag

Betty's Tip: Using a piping tip coupler or adapter makes changing out frosting colors and tips easier. It also secures the piping tip so that it won't fall out. Because the temperature of the frosting can change with the warmth of your hand, it’s also a good idea to use multiple piping bags for the same color of frosting. Prepare multiple bags ahead of time and alternate as needed to maintain consistency.

Practice Piping Your Designs

a person sampling different color frosting and piping styles with multiple bags of frosting

When it comes to piping designs, practice makes perfect for all skill levels! It’s always a good idea to practice your designs before adding them to your cake. You can pipe your design on a piece of parchment paper or a clean plate and scoop the frosting back into the piping bag when you’re done. Practice piping at a 45 degree angle using varying pressure and different sizes of piping tips. You can also practice layering smaller designs on top of larger ones.

Betty's Tip: First time using a piping bag? No problem! Watch Betty’s quick and easy How to Pipe Frosting video.

Techniques for Beginner Decorators

Vintage cakes are all about consistency, so don’t expect to be an expert on day one—it takes practice and patience. Vintage cake designs can also be highly intricate, so take your time and most importantly, have fun!

a person using a knife to trim yellow cake rounds on a wooden board

1. After you’ve baked your layer cakes and allowed them to cool completely (at least 30 minutes), level them by cutting off the domed tops to create a smooth decorating surface. Use a serrated knife and stabilize your elbow against the side of your body so you can achieve an even and level cut.

a person frosting a 2 layer cake on a wooden cake wheel

2. Frost your center layer first. Flip one of your cakes cut side down and place it on your cake wheel and use an offset spatula to add a ½-inch thick layer of frosting. (A butter knife works well here, too.) Repeat this process for the remaining cake layers. Make sure to set aside 1 to 2 cups of frosting for the outside of the cake.

Betty's Tip: Use a piping bag and a large round tip to fill your cake layers with frosting.

a person smoothing out purple frosting on a 3 layer cake atop a wood cake wheel

3. Create your crumb coat by adding a thin ½-inch thick layer of frosting to the entire outside of the cake. Use an offset spatula or bench scraper to even out the frosting while you rotate the cake on the stand. Start at the bottom and work your way toward the top. Bubbles and uneven areas will happen, but don’t worry! You can simply add more frosting to even them out. Once your cake is completely frosted, chill it in the refrigerator for at least 1 to 2 hours, or until the frosting is firmed up.

Betty's Tip: Not familiar with a crumb coat? No worries! Watch this quick Betty video: How to Crumb Coat a Cake.

person pipes purple frosting shells onto a board

a person pipes purple frosting shells around bottom of cake atop of wood cake wheel

4. Once your cake is chilled, piping bags are filled, and practice rounds completed, it’s time to decorate the cake! Start by adding a traditional Lambeth border to the bottom of your cake. Using a large star tip, pipe shells on the bottom edge and top edge of the cake. Hold the bag at a 45 degree angle and squeeze the piping bag until the buttercream fans out and gently forces the tip upward. Relax pressure, lower the tip and pull the bag toward you to create a tail.

Betty's Tip: The key to piping is using even pressure. Place your elbow on the table or a stack of cookbooks to help steady your hand.

Congratulations on completing your first vintage style decoration! Your cake looks beautiful just as it is. But if you’d like to continue adding layers of piping, follow the techniques for intermediate and expert decorators below. (Remember, practice makes perfect!)

Techniques for Intermediate Decorators

Do you have a few vintage cakes in your repertoire or are you ready to take your decorating skills to the next level? Here are Betty’s top techniques for building on what you’ve already learned and elevating your cakes with more intricate details and designs.

a person drawing a cake design onto paper, with bowls of decorations and a red and white napkin on the side

1. Map out your design before you begin decorating your cake. For example, for draped frills, use a cookie cutter or other round tool to mark out where your frills will sit on the cake.

a person piping letters on top of a decorated cake

2. Try piping an inscription on top of your cake—the more loops the better! Use a toothpick or small knife to etch the inscription, then go over it with frosting, using the same color frosting for the inscription as the base layer of the cake. This will make it easier to touch up any mistakes without leaving marks.

3. Practice layering with a variety of piping tips to add depth and dimension to your designs. Betty recommends starting with wide tips and using smaller tips for top layers. Here we’re using a star tip to add a small reverse shell border on top of the larger shell border. (A leaf tip was used to make the white ruffle design.)

Betty's Tip: Be sure to let the first layer of frosting dry before adding another one. Don't be afraid to mix and match patterns to make your cake even more beautiful and interesting.

a person adding butterfly decorations to a frosted cake atop a cake wheel with bowls of sprinkles and red and white napkin on the side

4. Try adding edible embellishments to your design like fruit, pearl sprinkles, sugar flowers, etc. It’s all about experimenting with different elements and techniques to add your own personal flair to this traditional and classic cake style.

Techniques for Expert Decorators

You’ve mastered your piping skills and frosting consistency, and have learned how to add depth and texture. Well done! Now it’s time to start honing your craft and truly make it your own. Here are Betty’s top techniques for creating more ornate details and introducing modern elements into your designs.

1. Plan your design ahead of time, including your color scheme, piping, and embellishments. For inspiration, look to historical examples of Lambeth cakes. If you’re looking for more of a challenge, try incorporating unconventional shapes, asymmetrical designs or contemporary themes and colors into your traditional piping techniques.

2. When testing out new piping techniques, don’t be afraid to go back to the basics—use a piece of parchment paper or a clean plate to practice on before adding the design to your cake. Remember, you can scoop the frosting back into the piping bag when you’re done.

A person using a frosting bag to add intricate designs to a cake

3. Use a scallop tip to add a border to the top of your cake. Hold the piping bag at a 45-degree angle to the cake’s surface. Applying even pressure to the piping bag, start piping at the edge of the cake, moving the bag slightly up and then down in a semi-circle motion to create the scallop effect. Repeat this motion around the entire edge of the cake.

A person using a frosting bag to add green rosettes to a cake

4. Use a star tip to add rosettes to your cake. Hold the piping bag perpendicular to the surface of the cake. Applying even pressure to the piping bag, start at the center of where you want to place the rosette, moving in a spiral outward motion until you reach the desired size.

A person using a frosting bag to add fleu-de-lis designs to a cake

5. Use your favorite tip to pipe fleur-de-lis decorations on your cake. We recommend using either an open star or a round tip. First, use a toothpick or a small knife to lightly outline the fleur-de-lis designs on the cake’s surface and make sure each design is placed equally around the circumference of the cake. Next, holding the piping bag at a 45-degree angle, start from the top of the center line and pipe downward, releasing pressure at the bottom to form a tapered end. Then, starting at the center of the leaf on the left side, curl up and around toward the center line then pull downward until the frosting meets the bottom of the line. Repeat for the leaf on the right side.

Whatever level of cake decorator you are, don’t be shy about showcasing your achievements! Afterall, these showstopping cakes are meant to be seen and celebrated. Document your vintage cake decorating journey by taking photos or videos and sharing your own techniques, tips, and ideas with your fellow Bettys! Add a comment below and be sure to share your work with us on Instagram and Facebook with #BettyCrocker. We can’t wait to see what you create!