I'm very new to cake decorating and am wondering what's the best way to learn techniques...wilton classes....books....

Thanks!

It depends on how you learn. Some people can learn easily by reading the instructions, some require hands on lessons.

I would say try it yourself. Get a Wilton book, or just go to the Wilton site. All the basic recipes are there, along with clear instructions for many techniques.

Start by frosting a "cake" and making it smooth. You can use inverted cake pans or cake dummies for practice.

Then try making borders- a batch of icing and some inverted cakes pans works great. You can scrape it off and do it over.

If you find it isn't coming together, a Wilton class would be an excellent step.

When I first started decorating I found that the Wilton yearbooks were very helpful. They have an instructional section that shows lots of techniques.

Experience is the best teacher. You can practice a lot of techniques on a practice board (cookie sheet, or a cardboard covered in freezer wrap). Make small cakes for your family and friends choosing simple designs. A cake mix will make a two layer cake; just keep the layers as separate cakes. Use the "SEARCH" area of this forum to find almost everything for advice.