I read a lot on the forum that the best tips to become better is to practice, practice and practice...I like making cake and cupcake and decorating them, but to get practice it tooks a lot of them...How are you doing that? You're eating cake all the time? I don't want to waste cakes or fondant just to practice, but I don't want to eat only cake it's not good for the waist

* sorry for my bad english it's not my first language and I haven't speak it for a long time*

What do u want to practice?
If it's just piping, make up your butter cream (minus nice flavourings to save money!) and just pipe on cake tins or baking trays.

For actually covering a cake, buy (or make) cake/ cupcake dummies.
Or if you want to practice cakes, donate to local shelters, nursing homes, emergancy services etc.
xx

I made a cake a week and then had friends and neighbors over. Once I improved they became my clients. They knew my limits, what my cakes looked like and what they tasted. If you want to practice butter cream icing do what I did and practice designs on a plate and then scrape it off and put it back on your bag and repeat. Some people flip their cake pans and practice decorating on the outside of them others use Styrofoam or cake dummies to practice decorating. I say practice baking and decorating on a real cake and then invite your neighbors or as I now call them my costumers.

thanks brincess, in fact I want to practice everything lol!
when you use a dumies for practicing covering can you re-use the fondant after?

thanks bankencake,
it's a great idea to offer cake to my neighbor, I'm new in town so it will allow me to have lots of new friends lol
you think one cake a week is enough pratice? you're really seeing difference since you're doing that?

Catou333, everything said above is excellent advice. I started cake decorating in March this year after taking the 4 Wilton courses at my local craft store. I am addicted to cakes and want to learn every technique out there.
1st, prepare yourself for the cost, giving away cakes is expensive (but isn't every hobby?). 2nd, if you have children you can take the practice cakes to the teacher's lounge at the school, or send to your kids' workplaces (I do that & they love it!), also neighbors, friends, etc. 3rd, I have practiced on real cakes so far because I'm so new at this that I find using real cake helps me the most in learning the basic tools of caking--how different cakes turn out, what to do when a hunk of cake sticks to the pan or falls off during crumb coat, how to get smooth BC (still working on that!!!), how to get smooth fondant (still working on that!!!), which cakes rise to 2" and which are only 1" high, and why; torting, fillings, filling bulges, leaving fingernail marks on your perfect surface, how different BC's work, SO MANY basic skills needed before decorating can look great.

Basically, I learn best by making mistakes on nearly every single practice cake! The good part is everybody else thinks my not-perfect-practice-cakes are gorgeous (little do they know).

Once you have used fondant on the dummy, you can't reuse the fondant - it's too dry to work properly. Although if you work fast, then maybe you could try it.
What you really want to do is a series of designs so you just cover the cake once. Then add ribbon. Then add blossoms. Then add piping. So you get three (or more) different cakes from one set.
xx

thanks a lot!
I have juste done 3 decorated cakes yet but I love doing it so much!!
I'm starting to equip myself to allow me do do nicer cakes.
I just buy piping tips so it opens me new horizon...I'm sure that I will be able to do more things with different tips then just with a ziploc bag cut at one corner!
I have one more question : when you cut shapes in fondant what do you do to get nice side? mine are always a bit messy

thanks carmijok!

thanks snocilla, it's probably because I take my time to write trying to do at least mistakes as possible and trying to be accepted here too!

Welcome to CC catou333.

I just try to make cakes for any special occasion in the family or for any type of group dinner, holiday, teacher appreciation, ect. I am always bringing the cake.

I use MMF, so it is fairly inexpensive to make and practice with. I also do not make fancy flavors to practice with. That helps on the cost too.

Stephanie

My best practice "tools" is my DVD collection! I have TONS -from flower making by Nicholas Lodge, to smoothing buttercream and applying fondant by Sharon Zambito or Jennifer Dontz.
They are priceless, and can teach you a lot so you don't practice using incorrect methods. I think this will be very helpful to you, and possibly save a lot of frustration during your practice time.

thanks a lot,
I'm using MMF too and I like it so much!! and I'm watching a lot of tutorial video on youtube lol
I'm trying to make cake for every occasion, but I have a aunt who's already the cake bringer so it's a bit complicated for now, but I think my last cake has impresse few familly member so maybe I will be ask to bring the cake again!

Welcome Catou333! Be sure to look Edna De la Cruz up on You Tube. She has really good tutorials!

Your English is very good. Where are you from?

thanks bakingangel I will look for her tutorials
I'm from a small city around montreal in canada

To find Edna's videos, search for tonedna1. I absolutely love her tutorials!

thanks snocilla!

I read on CC a while back that you can use saran wrap on your cake dummies before you put the fondant on & that makes it easier to reuse the styrofoam without damaging it.

Happy caking!