Hi can anyone share ideas in how I can get my speed up in cake decorating. Working at Sam's Club part time and I was told I needed to get my speed up. Do you have to have a natural ability or is there a tips that can help me? I appreciate anyone's suggestions. Thanks!

You can buy some of those practice mats and practice at home, and dummy cakes as well. The only way to get fast is to practice and do the same thing a million times over. I would get a dummy and practice icing it, then practice borders and roses and whatever other techniques you need for your job. Don't worry if you mess up. That is to be expected and you will get better with time.

Practice will definitely help! If you have a chance to purchase some cake dummies online, (the styrofoam kind and they aren't expensive) that would be cheaper than making actual cakes. If you need to speed up then I would practice the techniques that you use at Sam's most, at home in your spare time. It helps!!

I say don't rush, making perfect cakes takes time. Just keep practicing!

It's helpful if you can watch others do it. Do they have other decorators that can show you how?

Is there anything in particular that you think you need help withicing, borders, writing, roses, or all of it? I'd like to help.

What I think is the problem I do not have a plan or system to follow. I'm like all over the place depending on the shift I work. Once I have a plan then I can work on speed. When I work at home I'm at my own schedule and pace. Sam's is the only bakery I've ever worked at. All the cake decorators are experienced but not much at a bakery. I find this is a total different world. Thanks for all your suggestions.

Unlimited, I watched your writing video and I have to say - you are amazing!! That was great.

I used to work for sams. I used to set up a speed racks of cakes like half sheets on their boards and rounds on their boards. If I did rounds I would fill them first. Then I would ice them all first then come and border them with whatever colors. Then I would sit two of them on my table and make the roses or balloons with two three colors. so if i did roses i would have a yellow border and purple border. Then i would use yellow and purple for the roses. Balloons i would take primary borders then primary balloons. Always before you start make sure all your colors bags are filled. It takes time. i know what you mean by speed. For me to get my cake wages I had to prove I can do 15 cakes in an hour. basic ice and basic decos.

Hope it helps.

Do you use a 24-inch bag with the large flat cake icer tip? It can help when you are doing a lot of sheets in a row. I found that I am much faster at putting icing onto the top of a sheet cake by scooping it over the top and using my spatula, but when it came to the sides, the cake icer tip gives a quick, even coating, then I cover the top and give a once around the sides, even the top edges and done.

For a round I would set up the bottoms and tops on the cake round and then when I put one on the turntable, set the second layer to the side, plop-plop the filling, smooth and top. A plop on top and use the cake icer tip for the sides, then smooth the top, run a spatula over the sides or the comb, even the edge and done. Back in the day we had 1 minute 45 seconds for a 8-inch round start to finish.

To speed up with roses, make lots. There isn't any other way. If you do want to practice at home, make some basic white icing, fill a bag and sit at your table. Maybe put a wax cardboard down to work on and make roses as fast as you can and move them to your cardboard. When you are done, scrape and repeat. I learned this way, at my dining room table while my son took his naps as a baby. It came in handy after I worked at my first bakery job when you do the same thing over and over.

Overall speed comes when you work efficiently and cleanly. Learn to use one spatula. I like a medium angle for sheets and a 8-inch fat flat for rounds. I have one spot I put them in on the counter, so that is the only spot that gets dirty with icing, and the handles stay clean. The same with the decorating bags, lay down a sheet pan and lay them all the same way so the mess stays in one place and when you pick up the bag you don't get icing all over your hands or clothes.

When I set up my station I have tips ready to go on my left, color buckets on my left, each with their own spoon/spatula for mixing. I start by mixing a lot of green for my leaf tips. You use a lot of that color, so I mix a lot of it in a bucket. Then I load my basic colors, blue, yellow, pink, peach, red. I have a bag just for piping a shell border in white. I like using couplers with my colors so I can just change the tip for writing or a shell border without having to use another bag.

I keep a bucket lid or sheet pan to the right and back of the turntable for putting my scissors and rose nail on, so that contains the mess that accumulates. I keep two rolling racks, one with cake set up on the board and the other to put finished cakes ready to package. In a perfect world a bored counter girl would want something to do and would package cakes and orders for a busy decorator, but I have only met one of those in all my years.

I work very clean and I keep mess to a minimum. I have had many people comment on how fast I can clean up after I'm done. The fact is, I hate to clean. If I can get out of standing there scrubbing the table down I will. Also, my first bakery job I worked with a pig. P*I*G. She had more icing coming out of the back of the bag than the front. She had icing down the front of her shirt, pants and shoes and ALL over the work space and floor. I could not stand to work that way.

Best of luck!!

Tami