An curved arrow pointing right. Lani Halliday of Brooklyn's Brutus Bakeshop uses stencils to create the patterns that end up on her unique cakes. The finished product is a tasty work of art.

Stencils come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, perfect for any bake, big and small. These super simple tools are the secret to picture-perfect cookies or that dreamy, snow-dusted effect on cakes ...