After a recent run-in with a Wilton teacher who really needed to lighten the heck up about fondant, and a few posts that leave me wondering...

Do we collectively need to lighten the heck up?

One of the reasons this is what I want to do when I grow up is because cake is such a happy thing. No one ever buys a cake because of something bad. Cake is a celebration food!

Ok, as a decorator we have the customer's/recipient's satisfaction to worry about. But the vast majority of them aren't as hard on us as we are on ourselves (and a lot of times, each other).

And I know, as someone who isn't required to make money doing this (yet), I'm probably less under the gun than someone who has to maintain a storefront.

I just want everyone to be a little happier! We chose to work with sugar for a reason and it wasn't so we could lecture the new people, drive ourselves crazy and scare the poo out of anyone who dared to dream.

I dunno. The tone of the boards just seems to have turned a little south and I wanted to do my own little cake PSA that cake is happy! Have fun, dadgummit!

Don't make me smite you with my spatula!

True that. Good stuff.

Consider me blusplatula-ed!!

Amen.

I just want to know what the heck happened with the fondant-hating teacher!

i missed that one.

i just got done teaching a wilton course 1 (i didn't know till the last minute it was going to be a wilton course lol - it was for a 4h group) i'm not that skilled with fondant but i love its versatility for borders accents figurines etc.

I would have to agree with blu_canary...these boards are getting pretty scary lately.

It's just the summertime...heat makes everyone grouchier.

And remember too, with as many ladies as we have here, Aunt Flo's gotta be visiting a big percentage of them at a time. I wouldn't say we were as hormonal as the pregnancy boards I've belonged to in the past, but still...

Wait and see, in the fall when our icing behaves a bit better and we can take the kids outside to play without getting heat exhaustion, we'll all be a little bit happier.

I'd love to hear the story about the fondant too.

I have read some that was not the happiest people, but there are some good ones as well. I like the information and the encourgement of others. That is why I am here.

Old saying goes 'if you can't say something nice then don't say anything'. I agree we are not all perfect and some of us have much further to go than others. But we all had to start somewhere.

I'm happy.

It's just hot, the oven is on and the buttercream is not acting right! LOL...maybe the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg in the fall/winter will lighten us up a bit. Thanks.

I figure none of us really knows what goes on in the kitchen of our favorite restaurant or cake shop. Not that we should not practice food safety, BUT some of the stuff that people come up with around here, just takes the fun out of baking/decorating. I can promise I won't scrape buttercream off the floor and re-use it, but I can't promise I won't smooth it with a putty knife from the local hardware store. I did wash it in hot soapy antibacterial Lemon Joy first.

I haven't taken the Wilton fondant class, so this is just an outsider's opinion...

Wilton is the master of the American buttercream-iced style of cakes. They've been teaching hobby bakers how to do it well since my grandma was a newlywed. Buttercream is an art form and someday when I move somewhere cooler and less humid I'm going to master it

But Wilton is kind of lagging behind in the fondant department. A lot of the fondant tools they sell don't work very well and a lot of their ideas are kind of dated. I think you could learn more from books, especially the British books on fondant, than you could in a Wilton course. Of course, CakeCentral is a great place to learn things too...I've already read more than I'll probably have time to try in my lifetime, all filed away until I need it, assuming I can remember it then

I agree 100%!!
cakes are fun, and when cakes become "work" I will not do them anymore.
Once I lose the passion for it, there is no point to make cakes.
I love making them, I love seeing peoples faces when they pick up their cakes.. and I love it when they are repeat customers because it reassures me that I know what I'm doing.lol

Good one Dee!! LOL...I was just about to post to another thread about giving up when I came across this one...this is why we all love it soo much and if it's in your blood, then no matter if you are having a terrible day or a fantastic one, VOILA! We all end up here getting re-booted for the next round!! Thanks CC'ers!!

BTW, I am going to my FIRST carved cake/airbrushing class this weekend and I'm still a little nervous about it b/c I am NOT naturally artistic, and I've spent a TON of $$, but you know what? I know that it's in my blood and I'm determined to get out of 'the box'!! I will have a blast no matter how the cake comes out!! Keep cakin' everyone!!

P.S. If there are any Louisana cakers that are looking or willing to take in a novice under their wings, then let me know!! I'm sooooooo ready for more hands on instruction!!

I agree that Wilton is behind time on the fondant end. I recently took a gumpaste/fondant class just to see what was new. Instructor was a little snoddy and thought she knew it all. However, in the end she had never branched out from Wilton products or methods and was amazed at the nifty toys I had that were not Wilton. I truely believe Wilton is a good place to start if you are new at cake decorating.

Hang in there Klat7292, I don't think of my self being a naturally artistic person either, but technique can be taught. I can learn technique and if I have enough time to think on it I can be somewhat creative. Just staying inspired helps me go a long way.

To cheer you all up and to get great laughs check this site out at cakewrecks.blogspot.com. Guarantee (had to double check the spelling after viewing this site) it will make someone out there laugh!

I'm fairly new to the "fondant" cake decorating world (since march '09) but I have totally noticed the divide between "Team Buttercream" and "Team fondant". I'm left-handed and it is SO hard to get it smooth when your hand dips in the icing! So, I do fondant and get the flak from Buttercream Devotees who sniff at my 3-d creations that would be impossible with buttercream.

And, whenever I am decorating a cake (usually as the sun rises @ 6o am and I realize that I've been up all night) a lyric to a "50 cent" song pops into my head... (yes, cake decorators listen to rap)- "I love it...way more than I hate it."

I agree that cakes are (and should be fun) to do. I think this is probably one of the largest influences that the majority of those on here took up caking, myself included.

But I've also got to say that I appreciate some of the posts that are a little less 'sprinkles and rainbows'. A lot of people are thinking about doing cakes as a business, have newly started their own cake shop, or have been at it for years. Cakes might be all sweetness and smiles (usually) but business is anything but.

I like getting a real view of things when it comes to the world of cake business. And as long as you are selling your cakes it is a business.

I'd be mighty unprepared if all I ever saw were posts about how all customers write two page emails about how much they loved their cake, everyone can get their buttercream as smooth as SugarShacks in minutes, all cakes bake up perfectly level and moist, competitors always politely ask if they can use your photos on their websites, and customers have taken to writing blank cheques and telling us to fill it in for however much we think the cake is worth.

I'd rather go into the world of cakes knowing that the sprinkles and rainbows come with the bad, ugly and indifferent.

* Edited to add: No disrespect meant to OP and others. I completely respect your point of view, just thought I'd offer another one.

I lucked out with my fondant instructor ... she taught the Wilton class, but did not insist on using Wilton fondant. She explained that all brands have their own 'personality' and what works for some may not work for others.

Ugh...My daughter is 10 and wants to be a foot surgeon for some unknown reason. I have the anti-foot fetish and would be happy to never have to see feet. She loves feet, and when she saw those cakes she thought they were awesome.

I have to admit that I go through spells where I just don't want to get on Cake Central because all the friendly criticism makes me feel inferior. I've been selling cakes for a long time and I think I'm a good decorator, but sometimes all the advice, hints, and tricks makes me feel like I'm not up to "Cake Central Snuff"! Then I get discouraged and question whether I want to keep doing this.

I am a buttercream only decorator and I've learned a tremendous amount of stuff on CC that has helped me improve my craft, but sometimes I feel like people on CC look down upon those of us who don't do fondant. And that makes me feel bad.

Thank you for this thread. I think it's long overdue. Some of you may think " whatever is she talking about!!" This is just how I feel. Thank you for letting me vent.