Time Saving Tips

Decorating By Scrappinstephy Updated 15 Jul 2007 , 12:51am by Brickflor

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Scrappinstephy Posted 8 Jul 2007 , 8:10pm
post #1 of 25

Okay so I am still pretty new to cake decorating, but Im loving it! However, I am not loving how long everything takes me. I know I will get faster with time, but I was hoping some of you could share your time-saving tips. Any lil advice or tip is much appreciated!

24 replies
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weberm05 Posted 8 Jul 2007 , 10:27pm
post #2 of 25

Well...something that is saving me a lot of time right now is buying Sam's Club buttercream icing instead of making my own all the time.

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weberm05 Posted 8 Jul 2007 , 10:32pm
post #3 of 25

Well...something that is saving me a lot of time right now is buying Sam's Club buttercream icing instead of making my own all the time.

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darkchocolate Posted 8 Jul 2007 , 10:49pm
post #4 of 25

1. I can make my frosting the day before and color it if it needs to be colored, helps a lot.

2. Have your cake boards ready - covered if need be.

3. Having fondant made and or colored ahead of time.

4. Sometimes I bake and crumb coat the night before and decorate the next day. That way the dishes are done and I can have fun the next day decorating.

5. With practice I have gotten faster with smoothing my cakes. That used to take a long time!

darkchocolate

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chqtpi Posted 8 Jul 2007 , 10:49pm
post #5 of 25

Welcome to the Addiction!!! (completely borrowed that from someone else-but I love iticon_smile.gif

Well I do both cakes and cookies..mostly cookies though...and I find that mixing up your icing colors while my cookies are baking is VERY helpful..I mean if you have like 12-15 colors that you are using and have to make 12-15 batches of not only royal icing but glace as well...that helps ALOT...also as soon as I buy 1-2 bags of walnuts, or almonds or whatever...I put 1 whole bag in the chopper right away..that saves time when you need them later..then you have one bag of whole peices for decoration and 1 bag of chopped.....also...look up the thread on "frosting plugs" WAY WAY WAY helpful...

Good Luck and Enjoy Yourself! icon_smile.gif

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dnrast Posted 8 Jul 2007 , 11:13pm
post #6 of 25

I use everything disposable, spoons for mixing colors, bowls, etc....throw it all away when I'm done. That is my biggest timesaver.

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indydebi Posted 8 Jul 2007 , 11:18pm
post #7 of 25
Quote:
Originally Posted by dnrast

I use everything disposable, spoons for mixing colors, bowls, etc....throw it all away when I'm done. That is my biggest timesaver.




Oh yeah baby! The only way to go!

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luv2cake Posted 8 Jul 2007 , 11:22pm
post #8 of 25

I use the parchment piping bags. I like to have several of these folded, stacked, and ready to go. I will sometimes sit and fold as many as I can and then put them in a shoe box until I need them.

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lionladydi Posted 8 Jul 2007 , 11:26pm
post #9 of 25
Quote:
Originally Posted by dnrast

I use everything disposable, spoons for mixing colors, bowls, etc....throw it all away when I'm done. That is my biggest timesaver.




You don't find that costly? Guess I am too conservative. I even wash plastic silverware and plates from a cookout. icon_lol.gif I hate it when everything is disposable and goes to our landfills.

Diane

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SugarBakerz Posted 8 Jul 2007 , 11:31pm
post #10 of 25

I never thought about the disposable stuff... might have to start buying stock in $tree now!

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dolfin Posted 8 Jul 2007 , 11:32pm
post #11 of 25

line my table and counter with newspaper or plastic trash bags so just roll up the mess and throw it away.

use saran wrap plugs for icing so clean up of bags and tips minimal.

measure things in the sink so if I spill it just goes down the drain with a squirt of water.

Make big batches of icing so I always have some on hand. Make a mess once and have enough for a few cakes.

Keep sink full of hot water and Ultra Dawn to clean as I go.

Bake and freeze one day, prepare icing colors, bags and tips next day. Level tort fill and decorate the day before cake due. That way if I have a disaster I have plenty of time to do over.

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indydebi Posted 8 Jul 2007 , 11:32pm
post #12 of 25
Quote:
Originally Posted by lionladydi

Quote:
Originally Posted by dnrast

I use everything disposable, spoons for mixing colors, bowls, etc....throw it all away when I'm done. That is my biggest timesaver.



You don't find that costly? Guess I am too conservative. I even wash plastic silverware and plates from a cookout. icon_lol.gif I hate it when everything is disposable and goes to our landfills.

Diane




A common oversight I see in here is not counting your TIME as an expense. We have figured that my time, as owner and "head honcho" (as my hubby calls me) is valued at $100 per hour. You do not pay someone $100 per hour to wash icing bags. Even when I'm paying staff to do it, it is not worth $10/hour to wash icing bags.

The cake and icing is not what your customer is paying for. They are paying for your TIME and talent. THAT's your biggest expense.

When you reduce the time spent, you reduce your overhead and therefore reduce your per unit costs.

Git-R-Dun!!!!!!!!!! thumbs_up.gif

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Rosie_from_MD Posted 9 Jul 2007 , 12:36am
post #13 of 25

Indydebi-that is such a good idea to go with disposable. I can't figure why I hadn't thought of that before (Blond moment I guess!! icon_lol.gif )

Another tip is to be extra organized. If you don't have to dig thru 4 different places to find what you're looking for, you save a lot of time!! icon_smile.gif

Sorry dnrast, I got confused at who suggested the disposable stuff( another blond moment) icon_redface.gif I seem to be having more and more of those

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Scrappinstephy Posted 9 Jul 2007 , 4:42am
post #14 of 25

Thanks! I love it, great ideas! I have had this fear of a dry cake, by freezing until recently. I was doing everything at once and it was wearing me out. I have recently learned doing things ahead of time doesnt comprimise taste. I appreciate the help and look foward to more!!

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lchristi27 Posted 9 Jul 2007 , 4:53am
post #15 of 25

[quote="lionladydi"]

Quote:
Originally Posted by dnrast


You don't find that costly? Guess I am too conservative. I even wash plastic silverware and plates from a cookout. icon_lol.gif I hate it when everything is disposable and goes to our landfills.

Diane




Diane- You made me smile, my life was disposable everything and everything got thrown out until the hubby came along. He recycles & reuses everything. I'm fine with it as long as he wants to wash all the plastic silverware!

Thanks for all the tips, I did a cake tonight in a record time of 1 hour. Baked cakes and colored frosting ahead of time. It worked, I too was worried about freezing cakes, but no more, actually get better reviews from the frozen ones!

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chebean Posted 9 Jul 2007 , 5:01am
post #16 of 25
Quote:
Originally Posted by weberm05

Well...something that is saving me a lot of time right now is buying Sam's Club buttercream icing instead of making my own all the time.




i never even knew Sam's sold buttercream icing!!! that's great news to me!! how does it taste? how are they sold?

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bakerj Posted 9 Jul 2007 , 5:06am
post #17 of 25

i like indy debi..git r dun....quick, effecient, no stress, best of your ability...and then there's just do it...but everyone has many great tips that i try to go by.and i use most of these...so just practice practice practice...it will come in time..

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Cake_Princess Posted 9 Jul 2007 , 5:14am
post #18 of 25
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scrappinstephy

Okay so I am still pretty new to cake decorating, but Im loving it! However, I am not loving how long everything takes me. I know I will get faster with time, but I was hoping some of you could share your time-saving tips. Any lil advice or tip is much appreciated!




The best advice I can give is to be organized. Plan ahead of time what you need to do in order to accomplish your task. It does not matter how far ahead you work on stuff, it does not really save you time you have to do that stuff no matter what. The key is efficient use of time. So while the cakes are in the oven baking you could use that down time to prep cake boards, making icing, color fondant, clean up etc. If you are waiting for your icing to crust over do some cleaning up. Check your list see if you are on track for your task. You get the picture.

As for using disposible stuff to save time? I try to be a environmentally responsible individual. I am not saying I never use parchment or disposible piping bags but I minimize the use of that stuff. When I am finished with my piping bags I soak them in hot water with dawn and a bit of vinegar. After soaking I run them through the dishwasher with the rest of the stuff I need to clean and you can bet that did not cost me $100 to do.

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bakerj Posted 9 Jul 2007 , 5:27am
post #19 of 25

i do recycle everything i can......i don't have a dishwasher but i have dishpan hands from dawn dishwashing liquid....i spent over 9 hours doing a family picinic thing, cake, cupcakes and cookies for the 4th,,never again...its one or the other..shoot,
i bought disposable cups for mixing colors and still wash then out..hmmmmm

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Carson Posted 9 Jul 2007 , 5:31am
post #20 of 25

When I need a large batch of colored icing, I color it as I make the icing. So for BC, I add color as I'm whipping the icing. For MMF, I add color to the melted marshmellows. I would say this is my biggest time saver next to being super organized and baking ahead. To keep organized and efficient, I bought a plastic "bathroom organizing toolbox thingy" to keep my most used tools in (brushes, cutters, smoother). This organizer cost a dollar at the Dollar Store and has a handle and three separate compartments. I've seen them in many places, my best buy yet!

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cupcake Posted 9 Jul 2007 , 7:22am
post #21 of 25

I agree with cake princess, I limit my use of disposables, I mean how hard is it to run hot soapy water and throw your bags in, let them soak a little and then wash a minute and rinse. I try to keep things organized and done up ahead, saves time. I don't have a problem paying someone 10 bucks and hour to help keep things clean and organizied. I do not like waste. We have become a society of convienience and all those items add up.

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arwa Posted 9 Jul 2007 , 7:52am
post #22 of 25

i've never frozen my cakes.... so a few questions regarding tht.... shld i torte and crumb coat n then freeze or then freeze the cake once its baked n cooled. N how do i thaw it?

TIA

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Carson Posted 9 Jul 2007 , 4:19pm
post #23 of 25

I bake, cool then freeze my cakes. I do not ice before I freeze. I wrap them in a couple layers of plastic wrap, then in foil wrap. I just leave the cakes in the wrapping to thaw.

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indydebi Posted 14 Jul 2007 , 6:55pm
post #24 of 25
Quote:
Originally Posted by lionladydi

Quote:
Originally Posted by dnrast

I use everything disposable, spoons for mixing colors, bowls, etc....throw it all away when I'm done. That is my biggest timesaver.



You don't find that costly? Guess I am too conservative. I even wash plastic silverware and plates from a cookout. icon_lol.gif I hate it when everything is disposable and goes to our landfills.

Diane




Here's an example of where I'm not 100% disposable. It doesn't quite fall under the heading of "time saver", but fits in with the side discussion that ensued in this thread.

Had a bride in today to finalize her reception plans. She is having my appetizer table. THe pricing for that includes disposable plates and forks - I use the clear ones.

She asked about some forks she had seen that are silver and plastic but look real. I had some on hand for her to see and it's exactly what she was talking about. Her colors include silver so I am throwing these in for her at no charge. (I told her there was a catch .... she had to tell everyone how great I was for doing this for her! icon_lol.gificon_lol.gif )

Now, these silver "real" looking plastic ones are very expensive. A knife, fork and spoon in these materials would cost me (repeat: MY cost) $0.45 a set, or $45 per 100 guests. In this case, it is cheaper for me to pay one of my staffers $10/hour to wash my real silverware rather than use these disposables at a cost of $45.

At the end of the day, the bottom line is how does it affect the bottom line? Using these plastic utensils would save me time at the end of the event (just throw them away) but would cost me about $25+ more than the cost of payroll when using the real stuff. And as you point out, they'd just end up in a landfill.

It's a balancing act .... time is money and so is the cost of supplies. Disposable decorating bags cost me about 2 cents each. If I used 100-200 bags a day, I'd probably find it worthwhile to pay someone to wash bags. But in this case, the volume usage, time and individual cost, and the effect on the bottom line makes it more financially logical to use disposables.

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Brickflor Posted 15 Jul 2007 , 12:51am
post #25 of 25

Tough thing, trying to decide which is worse, landfill or wasted time. There is always the fact that when you use something reuseable, you are also using water and dish detergent that will have to go to a treatment plant and be recycled for our drinking water. Is it better to fill a landfill, or add chemicals to our water? I am in the middle for this one. I use wash-able bags for frosting the cake and disposable for decorating.
^Brick's $.02 on the subject icon_biggrin.gif
As far as making ahead the frosting and cakes, a definite must. If I plan on putting a lot decorations on a cake, I will make my colored frosting the night before and then use fresh frosting for frosting the cake, made right before I start. I have 3 little ones so any decorating has to be done after 7:30 at night. I bake in the day, decorate at night.

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