OMG - where have I been - I love these ideas!!!!! Thanks to all for posting. Here's my tip: Whenever I purchase a new pan I cut 1-2 parchment papers the size of the pans and keep them in the pan. This saves me time when I'm mixing and baking.
But wait - that's not all. When my cakes come out of the oven, cool and invert onto a cake cake rack I remove the parchment paper and throw it in the sink along with the dirty pan. Both soak in the sink and when its time to wash I also wash the parchment and hang it over the curtain rod at the kitchen sink to dry. They dry very fast and then I place it back into the pan - saves $'s but more importantly, SAVES MY TIME!!!! 
Wow! What great tips, I don't have time to read this all right now so I will need to save it!
Thanks everyone!
cookie4 just reminded me of another thing i do. i engrave on the bottom of my cake pan, how many cups of batter, and the circumferance in case i need to cut ribbon.
Ok heres my tip...I think I have read them all so I hope this is not a repeat. I use clear plastic shower caps... to cover the motor and the switch on KA. I have had to have one fixed already from getting PS inside the switch. So this keeps the gunk off and the powdered sugar out! (you can buy 20 for a dollar at the dollar store)
Happy Cakes!!
Laura
Here's my tip...hope it's not a repeat.
I use a clear plastic disposible shower cap to cover my KA motor and switch. I have had to repair one and buy another and we all know they are not cheap. It keeps the gunk off and the powder sugar out of the switch. When I done whipping things up for the day, just throw it away!
I buy them at the dollar store... I think they come 12 for a dollar.
Happy baking!
Laura
Whew! Finally got through all these tips - thanks so much to everyone.
Thanks to whoever posted the tip (2 days of reading and what feels like a hundred pages ago) about the clean dish towel and pressing down on the warm cake to level it. I would just caution people to be careful about burning your hands. I just did it today and pushed very quickly and the steam that escaped from the crack was very hot!
Didn't read this one - got it from one of the many decorating books I've taken out from the library....put a damp paper towel in the bottom of your cup or whatever you use to hold your different colored royal icing bags. It will stop the RI from drying in the end of the tips - very annoying and hard to fix, especially when using small tips like #1 and #2.
Speaking of the library....for all us newbies out there - don't spend lots of money buying lots of books right away. The excitement can really dent your wallet. Check your local library first, then you can just purchase the ones your really want for your collection. There are also great threads on here where experienced decorators give their faves - a good place to start!
Just got my first real cake order! Will be up late with what my boyfriend has dubbed "cake porn" trying to get inspiration for a design.
Great tips! I have one I came across one day when I was tired of the icing spilling out of the icing bag. I looked around to see what I could use to tie the end of the bag and I found a bunch of unused twisties that come with the trash can bags I buy. The twisties are great because you can just throw them away and there are so many that come with the trash bags that I can use 2 at a time for more reinforcement.
om goshhhhhhhhhh u ppl r so crafty!!! Thank u all so much for ur tricks,I'm a newbie who has been reading and reading all these great tricks and tips I;m crossed eyed and sleepy now I wll think of somthing to share and post soon Thanks again all!!
When I first started decorating cookies and cakes I had very minimal counter space in my apartment. It was two, two foot pieces of counter split in the middle by a gas range. So for more counter space I had a piece of plywood cut (yea Dad!) to the width & depth of the range top and then covered it in contact paper and just set it over the burners and volia! 3 more feet of counter space!
Now that I've moved I use that same board only I use it on top of my dining room table (with a table cloth under it) so that I only have to wipe down my board and not the whole table when working.
I've been reading through this discussion on and off for days, and I haven't yet seen my tip written exactly this way.
When I torte my cakes I always make a small vertical cut along the side of the cake before I cut my layers. When it is time to ice between the layers, I line up the vertical cuts. This way I stack the cake evenly--even if my torting wasn't precise.
This is a great thread. I've picked up some great ideas! 
I've only gotten to page 16, but this has been a great learning experience! Thanks for sharing your tips!
these are all fabulous tips! thanks!
i have a couple of tips to share.
that measure-all cup from pampered chef - i use it to fill my piping bags. i take the plunger out and put my piping bag into the outer tube and fold the edges over the top. i fill the bag, the pull the tip out through the bottom. no fuss, no muss!
my second tip is for fbct. i use a glass cutting board to pipe my design onto (with waxed paper taped to it). since the glass freezes too, it keeps the transfer cold longer.
i love the crisco in the cup of water idea. i've never done that, but i do leave my measuring cups wet when i measure out crisco and it seems to come out easier.
When there are pieces of fondant left-make your own cake toppers, pearls, decorating accent pieces.
Look in the toy department-play dough molds work well with fondant-dust with the 50/50 cornstarch and confectioners sugar.
When a recipe calls for superfine sugar-run regular sugar through a food processor not a blender.
Happy Baking and Decorating,
Chef Angie
I got a little carried away after taking the Wilton Master Course this summer, buying several sets of shaped pans. I got home and realized I had nowhere to put them! I bought a box of those storage-size Ziploc bags. After washing all of the pans and making sure they were completely dry, I put them in the bag, zipped it shut, and slid it under the bed. Now, they're out of the way and always clean for immediate use!
Secondly, in the class, we were taught that 7-minute frosting is great to decorate with. Stringwork is beautiful and, best of all, this kind of frosting is fat-free.
Last tip . . . Martha Stewart said once to wet a towel, wring it out, and lay it on the floor of your car when you need to transport a casserole (or a cake!!) I don't know why it works, but it really does!
What a nice thread! I hope I didn't miss someone already writing this one...
I used to HATE HATE HATE cutting dowels...what a pain in the a**. I used to use my kitchen shears....then my DDDDDDDDDDDDDH bought me a pair of PVC cutters from Home Depot....
OH my gosh!! It's like cutting through butter.
GET THEM!!!!
These little gems are the best, and they work just as well for those plastic columns you use with the seperator plates, like SPS.
I have a tip for torting cakes of any size. I get the flexible plastic cutting boards and slide it through my cakes. It really makes torting easy and less messy. I will never torte w/out them again. Hope this helps.
I have a tip for torting cakes of any size. I get the flexible plastic cutting boards and slide it through my cakes. It really makes torting easy and less messy. I will never torte w/out them again. Hope this helps.
Do you actually cut the cake with these, or just slide off the layer after cutting.
Oh Wow!!! 2 days and 24 pages later, I've read thru them all. So many great ideas. A great BIG THANKS to everybody that has contributed to the thread.
I used to just run my whisk thru my cake mix or dry ingrediants, advice from Ms. Stewart, I am going to try the sifting thing this week for sure.
And for sure the shower cap over the KA.
I want to add another tip to the one that said run a warm spatula across your icing. I use Pastry Pride alot and to those who use whipped toppings if your topping was overbeaten and is porous, pour a little of the liquid whip topping over the iced cake and spread it around. It will fill in all those holes and leave your cake nice and smooth. Allow it to dry and then decorate.
Ok so I haven't had time to read all of these wonderful tips yet so I don't know if this has been mentioned my oven is very uneven i've tried levelling it to noavail so I folded a piece of aluminum foil up placed a empty cake pan in the oven and slid the foil underone edge of the pan placed my level on the edge of the pan in both directions and ajusted the foil till it was level i made several and it works great and my cakes come out perfectly level every time
My favorite fondant "tool" is my large quilting mat that is made for use with a fabric rotary cutter. I use it for rolling and cutting. It has grid type measurements as well. When I'm done I just take it to the sink and wash. Countertops are saved!
Okay, I have two more tips.............
#1) When stacking a tiered cake, sprinkle a little powdered sugar underneath each cake plate before stacking. This keeps the icing from sticking to the cake plate above it when they pull each tier off during the cutting.
#2 learned this one from Bronwen Weber during a class I took....If you have fondant cutouts to place on your cake, don't bother taking the time to brush water on every individual cut-out. Just get a damp towel and lay it on the counter beside you before you start cutting them out. As you cut out each one, place it on the damp towel. Once you have all your cut-outs finished, they will be moist on one side & ready to place right onto the cake! This one has been a HUGE time saver for me!
Does anyone have a tip for how to get the same color in different batches of frosting? I used Wilton gels right now. Eye dropper maybe?
Wow!!! Thanks for all the great tips! Now if I can just remember all of them. I only have one tip that I haven't seen posted yet. My instructors from my cake class told us this tip: store your powdered sugar in the freezer, it will cut way back on the dusting effect you get when adding it to the mixer. I love this tip, it saves me alot of cleaning time and sneezing! 
Does anyone have a tip for how to get the same color in different batches of frosting? I used Wilton gels right now. Eye dropper maybe?
To make many batches of the same color, take a small amount of icing, a cup or so, and add a lot of your color to it. Make it pretty dark. Let it sit overnight, during which time the color will deepen even more.
Starting with an exact amount of white icing (I highly recommend using a scale for this), add small amounts of the dark icing until you've reached the shade you want. Now, weigh it so you can see exactly how much of the dark color you've added. There's your ratio. 
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