I was wondering what tips can you share on here that you have learned from watching your favorite baking show.
For me I noticed that most of these shows use cakes 2" high, not really 3", and it seems that they are easy to handle specially when you want a tall cake..you can stack up 2 of them instead of cutting the 3" in half and then filling it up to give it the height you want. I purchased all 3" high pans now I kind of regret it...because I paid more money.
This isn't about what I learned from TV but in response to your disappointment in your 3" pans Yankie.
I love my 3" pans mainly for the reason that when I bake a 2" layer in them I actually get a 2" layer. When I use my 2" pans I never get a full 2" layer since I have to trim off the edges. With my 3" pans I don't have that issue and only have to trim in order to level.
I'm actually in the process of switching all my 2" pans over and when I buy new pans I only buy 3" LOL
This is what I've learned: A cake off with an 8 hour time limit, for a team of 4, to finish the cake really means there was AT LEAST 64 hours of work that went into that cake!! How did I figure this? They have a team of 4, multiplied by 8 hours that equals 32 hours. They are allowed to do approximately 50% of the work at their shops prior to the competition, so give that another 32 hours and you get a total of 64. Wish the general public could figure this out. It would make a bakery's life so much easier.
I've also heard they get to come in the day before to get the kitchen all set up and ready to go. And I notice they never include total clean up time in that 8 hours! 
What I've learned is to watch them critically .... meaning I find myself thinking way too often, "Oh is that for real?" What comes to mind is someone (I think it was on ace of cakes) carrying a 4 tier cake BY THEMSELF!!! and they had to go up some stairs, balance the cake on their knee with one hand while they opened the door to the building. Oh pul-eaze! I know how freakin' heavy a 4 tier cake is and there is no FREAKIN' way I'm balancing it on on knee and opening a door with one hand.
My husband comments frequently about how nice the cake may look on the table, but watching it being put together, he says "the inside is a blobbin' mess! Who would want to eat THAT?" His example was watching a ship cake being made where the nose of the ship kept falling off. Once they got it all put together, hubby said "I can't believe how they rigged that mess together and expected people to eat it."
My thoughts when watching the cake shows... Wow, if my shop looked like that (sheeter, walk-in freezer, huge mixers, huge convection ovens...) and a staff of at least 10, I could produce 5 or more custom cakes a day also. I am usually amazed by their kitchens, prep areas and staff.
I actually don't watch any of these shows nor watch tv. As weird as it sounds I find as an artist it can affect how I create my cakes and makes them less original being influenced by others work.
I watch these shows, but I don't know if I really have learned anything new. I've seen a few things that I could do that would make things easier for me. I'm not tooting my own horn I will add before some people starting taking a chunk out of me for that, but I spend a lot of time looking thru the gallery on CC and I think I learn more there then I do watching these shows.
It was watching these shows that got me into cake decorating so it was a platform to a potential plethora of knowledge xD
After watching, then creating, I understand that it's not quite as simple as they make it seem but I'm still having fun learning. Glad I got into this hobby at the age of 21, I now have 40/50/60 years of perfecting ^_^
I like watchin tv shwos about cake, I try to take note of every thing new for me
I saw in the challenge they making eye ball and after he made a eye put a very thin sheet of sugar on top of it and then used tourch to malt it a little the sugar cover the eye ball it was shiny like real eye.
or I saw when they want to pour melted chocolate on the surface used plastic rooler, it was very nice and even .
if I remmember more I come back
Lori, I was looking at your cakes THEY ARE AMAZING, i LOVE THEM SO MUCH
I have to add everything I know about cakeS I learn it. HERE 
[quote="indydebi
What I've learned is to watch them critically .... meaning I find myself thinking way too often, "Oh is that for real?" What comes to mind is someone (I think it was on ace of cakes) carrying a 4 tier cake BY THEMSELF!!! and they had to go up some stairs, balance the cake on their knee with one hand while they opened the door to the building. Oh pul-eaze! I know how freakin' heavy a 4 tier cake is and there is no FREAKIN' way I'm balancing it on on knee and opening a door with one hand."[/quote]
I saw that episode too!!! I practically give myself a hernia when I have to lift cakes! No way that was a real cake!
I learned that steam really makes fondant look nicer. I did a chocolate bow today and held each piece over a pot of boiling water before I assembled it. What a difference! It looked great.
I've learned a lot from many shows. I consider myself savvy enough to discern what is useful info and what is being done just for the sake of TV (ala cake boss drama).
A few examples....
1) I've seen a lot of different techniques for sugar flowers and various ways of coloring them.
2) Using stainless steel "tools" (usually for joint compound LOL) to apply and smooth frosting.
3) How to make your own molds.
4) Using silk screening with food coloring to print an intricate logo onto fondant.
5) Using a wood grain tool you find at Lowes to make wood grain out of chocolate.
6) How to create realistic alligator skin.
7) How to create "sushi" with rice crispy treats. Also how to make realistic looking salmon filets.
8 ) Lots of poured sugar techniques and projects (sugar cages, diamonds, coral reefs, pulled sugar etc).
9) Lots of inspiring ideas for wedding cakes (ala Food Networkss show on the Tulsa Sugar Arts Show).
10) How to make realistic looking ever green trees.
11) How to make marzipan figures and fruits (Martha Stewart on Julia Childs show demo-ing a 3 tier wedding cake).
To each his own, but I personally love watching almost any cake show and enjoy seeing what other people are doing out there. Im sure you could find all these ideas out there on the internet and in books too (Ive found many things I see on tv in my cake books or on youtube) but it is nice to be able to see it being done and have the quality tv offers over a few snapshots in a book or a crappy youtube video).
What perfect timing that this thread should be posted...
I delivered my order yesterday to my customers and upon delivery another (salon customer) was there.
*She* gushed, ooohhhed and arrrred how she watches *cake shows* all the time and how we cake people make out as tho its time consuming... and charge way too much for just cake.
I stood there listening with a polite smile (perhaps smirk) on my face and after she was finished telling me her thoughts i 
when she asked if i could go and *race off and whip* her up one so as she could take to show her Mother in one and a quater hours when her nails have been finished manicured.
Then me being me i replied...
Me - Madam, no need for me to race off a all - i always carry an extra one in my hip pocket, just for these very occassions.
*she* - really, you have a spare - but in different colours, of course?
Me - No Madam, i am being stupid and ridiculous, just like people who watch those shows and assume that *we cake people* just whip them up.
*she* - ohhhh, but if you do do this for me, i will pay you 50.00 for the cake and you can keep the extra as a favour for me.
Again, Me being me and howling with laughter said, .....Madam, the only thing i do for 50.00 is between my dh and i - and it has nothing to do with cake. 
Turned, still laughing and thanked my customer -
Customer roared laughing - thanked me and arranged to catch up soon.
Not watching those shows - i won't pay for tv channels to be beamed into my home - i guess those who make and create cakes would/could pick up very useful hows too's and not what to do - but i think that the wider community gets lulled into a false sense of what we *cake people* actually do....and all that goes into creating our craft.
*race off and whip one up* - still luahging about that...
Bluehue.
..when she asked if i could go and *race off and whip* her up one.....
And my favorite response to things like that is.....
"Sure! And, uh, what part of my body would you like me to pull it out of?"
I felt like saying that - but i said *hip pocket* instead...
I think she was still trying to comprehend what i meant about
Again, Me being me and howling with laughter said, .....Madam, the only thing i do for 50.00 is between my dh and i - and it has nothing to do with cake. when i left the salon....she probabley believed that just like she believes everything else on the cake shows and how they *whip them up*
OMGosh I LOVE you guys, that is so funny! I consider myself a beginner still so it is not unusual for me to put hours into a cake. From what I hear, even the experienced have pulled all-nighters. No whippin' up anything real fast over here!
But anyways, back to the thread. I actually have learned something just about every time I watch one of those cake shows. Those things now, of course, escape my memory. But the thing that I question is about the Cake Boss show. I see them just pull a cake out and throw it across the counter. And then they just slap the frosting on. How the heck do those cakes stand up to that?! And just how good can they really taste of they are THAT durable??! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE me some Buddy, but that is something I've wondered every time I see the show.
Actually I did learn how they make molds and that was something I really want to try. As you all have said, I learn most everything right here at CC 
OMGosh I LOVE you guys, that is so funny! I consider myself a beginner still so it is not unusual for me to put hours into a cake. From what I hear, even the experienced have pulled all-nighters. No whippin' up anything real fast over here!
But anyways, back to the thread. I actually have learned something just about every time I watch one of those cake shows. Those things now, of course, escape my memory. But the thing that I question is about the show. I see them just pull a cake out and throw it across the counter. And then they just slap the frosting on. How the heck do those cakes stand up to that?! And just how good can they really taste of they are THAT durable??! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE me some Buddy, but that is something I've wondered every time I see the show.
Actually I did learn how they make molds and that was something I really want to try. As you all have said, I learn most everything right here at CC
I asked the same question once and someone said that their cakes are partially frozen when assembled, so I guess that would make them easier to throw around without damaging them. I always think that their yellow cake looks like that rubber foam stuff in texture - mmmm, tasty!
I don't mind watching them once in awhile. I don't like when they throw cake (Cake Boss) on the floor - stupid- looks like bad acting. ..Watched one show (forgot the name), the assistant made the cake, carved it wrong, took handfuls of cake and patched it..(thought who's going to eat that?) by the time the fondant went on, of course looked great. The cake costs a few thousand..all I remember was the handful of gunk thrown on... I prefer the shows that feature techinques.
I don't mind watching them once in awhile. I don't like when they throw cake () on the floor - stupid- looks like bad acting. ..Watched one show (forgot the name), the assistant made the cake, carved it wrong, took handfuls of cake and patched it..(thought who's going to eat that?) by the time the fondant went on, of course looked great. The cake costs a few thousand..all I remember was the handful of gunk thrown on... I prefer the shows that feature techinques.
OMGosh I thought the same thing, that was on Fabulous Cakes and was the famous chocolatier - Vincent (can't remember his last name) assistant. I was totally shocked they would let that go out like that. Can you image what it looked like when it was cut? Or maybe the guests blamed it on the people cutting it?
When they first hit the airwaves I watched, but found myself getting frustrated at some of the things they do.....like taking an uncovered, unboxed cake through a horse stable and then showing people eating it!!! What could be more gross???
I don't really watch anymore because of the artistic thing (I also don't look at other cake artists pictures for the same reason). The cakes get in your head and the next thing you know, you're making their cake, not yours.
I have picked some technique ideas, but mostly I've learned what NOT to do--lol. And all that 'drama' gets old after a while.
I am such a visual learner that I wish I had more time to watch some of these shows. But what I have had a chance to see, I'm with everyone else who says 'that's not possible in that time frame'! and it's so misleading to the general public who have no idea the amount of time and energy put into each project.
I too have spent more time here on CC than I could ever spend sitting in front of the TV. So what I've been able to accomplish, I've done right here where I am right now I would have never made the progress in my work that I have by watching cake shows...I don't recommend them to anyone who wants to strive to be a better cake decorator! I just give them this website
@ Bluehue....that's funny stuff!
I love watching most of the shows just to see their designs and to see what kind of tools they use.
One thing that bothers me is that people are constantly touching their hair, etc while working on the cake that somebody is going to eat. It drives me CRAZY!
I have to say this even though my tread is about what you learned..LOL...what I don't like on Charm City Cakes..is that the guys look so rough as if they just got out of bed didnt wash their faces and their hair OMG..they look like they had a rough night. Makes me think twice about ordering a cake from there.
Wouldn't it be nice if there was a tutorial show? No drama, no bickering, no yelling, just showing us how to accomplish something. Like the old Julia Child or Graham Kerr shows. Today we will learn how to ..... Now that's a show I would always set my DVR to copy!
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