Informal Poll: How Did You Learn To Make Cakes?
Business By aimeeb1224 Updated 1 Mar 2007 , 6:33pm by rlsaxe
Hello! I have been a cakecentral.com lurker and addict for quite some time now and have finally ventured out to post a question. Right now, cake-making is just a hobby of mine, and I tend to make kid's birthday cakes for my friends' kids the most. I am not trying to start a business quite yet and right now my friends just reimburse me for my supplies (I consider their cakes my practice work). Anyway, I am pretty busy with a full time job and 2 kids myself, but I was wondering if I should consider taking a cake decorating class or 2. I eventually do want to look into opening a cake business and want to make sure I do everything "right". So I was curious to know how many of you expert bakers took a cake decorating or baking class? So far I have taught myself everything and have learned a lot (especially on this site!). If you have taken a class, was it a Wilton one, or a different class? Thanks!
I actually took my first cake decorating class in elementary school - short 4 week course offered by one of the moms at school where I learned basic stuff like shell borders, etc. Then I took Wilton I a few years ago but I think I've learned the most right here from CC!
I fell in love with cake decorating and lurked around awhile but was too afraid to try anything on my own. I took a few classes and it really helped build my confidence. I don't know that I use a lot of what I learned but it made me brave enough to try some new and different cakes. My greatest teacher was everyone here on CC, I probably would have already left cakes behind if it wasn't for the talented and inventive individuals here.
I am in the same boat as you. I am just starting out and so far I have been teaching myself and learning ALOT off of this site. I honestly don't know if I ever will take classes ( the closest ones are about an hour away and late in the evening). I have a friend you used to be a wilton instructor and has been answering any questions I have had and has sent me a few books (I live in Pennsylvania and she lives in Georgia now). I am hoping that I can just pick up the techniques on my own and believe practice practice practice is the way to go!
I've taken the Wilton classes, plus other classes that were offered at my local cake supply store. I have learned so much through them and here at Cake Central!! Before classes I tried to do things on my own and actually thought my cakes looked look. Now I look back a little embarrassed, but it's nice to see how my techniques have improved.
I taught myself which is why I progress so slowly at times. HEHE. My mom and grandmother took the Wilton classes when I was little and I grew up watching them make and decorate cakes. But it wasn't until I had my son that I started decorating his birthday cakes. I didn't get serious about it until this past year. I've learned more from CC than I probably could at a class. I would like to take a class, though, just to be able to physically see some of the decorating techniques.
I started baking with my late grandma as a child (and now my business is named after her), and then I followed an evening pastry class as a young adult, but every aspect of decorating is completely self-taught from books & in the last 18 months this website!
I took the three Wilton classes back to back and then never topuched it again because I thought I was horrible. In August '05 my mother remarried and forced me to take out my tips and make her cake. I did such a great job it renewed my confidence. I then got hooked on forums like CC and used the tutorials to teach myself other techniques like FBCT, etc.
Hi. I started baking when I was in high school. Looong time ago!! 
I also have a degree in Home Economics, which means I'm pretty much in the kitchen. I started decorating cakes 12/30/2006. I have officially been decorating 2 months now! Yay! I'm currently taking Course II. I know I'm learning more from CC but I enjoy the girls in my class. So all goes that ends well! 
My mother did wedding cakes out of our home back in the day when it was all about the number of roses you could squish onto the top of one cake. My sister and I were child labor for making those bad boys.
Started again as a hobby about a year ago. I don't charge, don't sell, don't deal with people I don't like. Keeps complaints to a minimum.
i taught myself some things practicing on my own kids cakes(5 kids means a lot of practice) i worked at michael's several years back. they encouraged us to take all thier classes so we'd know more, so i took the wilton class 1. i really didn't learn anything there. i finally thought i'd take a course at the local college to learn the "right" way. i thought maybe i could earn a few extra bucks on the side. next thing you know i'm part of the pastry culinary program. i'll be graduating the end of april. i now work at a local bakery decorating cakes and cookies and i have a small cookie business. CC has probably taught me just as much as the classes minus the real hands on stuff. thanks for the post. it's nice to know where everyone is coming from
I started out in 2001 taking all three Wilton classes (twice!) because I saw the cheap grocery store cakes and thought "I can do better than that!" It took five years of sweating and practicing before I ever got my confidence up. Then I went to NYC last year and met the gracious Sylvia Weinstock and she got me all excited about gumpaste flowers. About that time I was playing with fondant as well and now I'm at a stage where my confidence is up and my work is radically improved. I'm still not where I want to be but I'm having so much fun getting there!
I took Culinary Arts as a Major in High School. Idid a bunch of cakes for family back then and for some reason just stopped, only baking the occasional bday cake... fast forward 14 years (wow has it been that long?) I am currently taking the Wilton 1 course as a refresher (they have showed me so many things I hadn't known) and have signed up for the second course. I can't wait!
I am sort of self-taught at this point if you can really call using CC and books self-taught. I think I have learned more here than I would in a class. I have tried to sign up for the Level 2 Wilton class but they keep canceling it. I have a degree in fine arts specializing in ceramics and glass blowing. I figured I could use my knowledge for these and apply them to cake decorating. Making roses in porcelain, throwing and decorating pots on a wheel and glass blowing use many of the same skills. I haven't tried blown sugar work yet but it is on my to-do list.
Made my first cake in 1972. Took me 7 1/2 hours to make a 13x9 flag cake!
Self taught all the way. Still learning!
I'm self taught. I signed up for a class after I had done some cakes on my own but then the class got cancelled. I can certainly say that I've learned a lot from folks here at CC too. I have read books learned that way too.
My first granddaughter was turning one and I wanted to make her cake. With the help of my neice (who had taken course one) we attempted to make it. It came out looking pretty good. I was hooked, so I signed up the following week for cake classes at Michaels. I've been teaching the Wilton Method for about five years.
back in 79, i made my daughters first bd cake, you could buy the wilton cake kit, it came with the pan, instructions, bag, food coloring etc. in a box with the colored photo on top. so i taught my self that way, then in 89 i got on in a bakery and saw there was a shortage of cake decorators in our area. so the bakery manager said i could do whatever i wanted on cakes, i also started taking the wilton classes then. i concider myself, both self taught and wilton classes.
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