Stenciling

Stenciling is a decorating technique that transfers a pattern onto a cake by working icing or powdered sugar through cut openings in a template.

Stenciling: A frosted round cake with a crisp white lacy floral pattern on top made by sifting powdered sugar through a stencil
  • Decorating, finishing and presentation

Also called: cake stencils

Stenciling on a cake means laying a cutout template on the surface and filling its openings to leave a pattern behind. University extension decorating manuals describe stenciling with icing: an angled spatula keeps fingers out of the icing, one color is applied at a time, and the icing is spread completely over the open area of the stencil for the best coverage. They caution against rubbing back and forth too hard, which can smear or lift the cake icing underneath.

A stencil can be cut from lightweight cardboard, such as a cereal box, by tracing a simple pattern and removing the shapes, or bought from a craft store.

A lighter alternative is to place a stencil on the cake and dust it with confectioners' sugar, then lift the stencil away, as one university news article suggests. Cocoa powder dusted through a stencil works the same way on pale frosting.

Related entries

Sources

Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.

  1. Cake Decorating (4-H project manual 42500), University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service
  2. The art of cake decorating, University at Buffalo (UB Reporter)