My tip is for cookies. I always got frustrated making cookie dough in my KA because the flour would always make a mess on the counter, so now I melt the butter and sugar in the microwave, add the eggs and flavoring, then mix the flour in by hand, which isn't hard since the butter is melted. If I use chocolate chips, I have to wait for the mixture to cool down or the chips will melt. (I learned this the hard way ) Once this is done, put it in a gallon ziplock bag and in the fridge overnight. It works for me but I'm sure it's not for everyone.

I don't know if its been added or not, but right after I frost a cake I spray water on it and re-touch it with the icing spatula. It makes the buttercream look smooth as fondant.

this thread is a blessing,thank you.

1) I get grocery store boxes and cut them up for cake boards (the softer the content, eg marshmallows, the sturdier the box) I get a size of each cake box (8, 10, etc) and fill them with cut to sized grocery box boards.

2) I do the same with paper for my different sized cake pans.

3) I try to have an extra (in storage) of anything I use OFTEN....yes, I DO have an extra stand mixer.....

Great tip!  Never heard that one before... Thank you.

A

Being a newbie makes these hearing all these wonderful tips exciting. Thanks everyone

AHas anyone ever done this before? I recently made 60 red gumpaste roses. I used Wilton plastic rose cones so that I could hot glue them to tooth picks so that the the roses could be inserted into a cake. I notice the centers of my roses had popped open and you could see the white cone every so slightly, but you could see it. Well, I rolled a piece of red gumpaste into a real skinny snake, chopped tiny pieces. I stuffed one piece into the center of the rose with the tool that has a sharp, skinny point and voila' , it looked like a rose again. I hope this help someone, cause I was not about to remake roses (LOL)!

A

Thank Costumeczar for sharing, I never thought about chocolates kisses! That is such a cool way to make flowers. I've made gumpaste cones on tooth picks before, some stay on after drying some fall off. What do you use to glue them on tooth picks that really works? I really think I will go back to using the gumpaste cones. Long ago, there was a post on the internet about making flowers using round suckers, the petals were made from bubble gum. I have yet to try that too! Just sharing! Again, thanks!

AThis might've been said already, but if your cake batter or icing or whatever has a yellow tint, add a touch of purple food color and it will become far more white. I loved this one !! Purple cancels yellow. Blue cancels orange

A

Here's my tip for getting evenly spaced scallops on any cake.  I use the paper rolls made for adding machines or cash registers and cut a piece that fits around my cake (doesn't matter if it is round or square).  Once I have the circumference of the cake I fold the paper in half, then in half again and keep folding it until it is the size I want the scallop to be.  Once it is all folded I cut the scallop once, unfold it, and wrap it around the cake and lightly mark the scallops.  Perfect scallops every time.

AMy wilton teacher taught me to add meringue powder to some buttercream and I can made rose ahead time, lay them on parchment paper store in Tupperware in fridge for later use

I use Viva paper towel for smoothing sides and top of my cakes.  The underside of the Viva towel is smooth.

I use a square cake and a round cake to easily make a heart shaped cake.

Very clever, never would have thought.  Thanks!

Yep.  To catch folks up, after I closed the shop, I went back to school and got my teaching degree to teach high school history.  But since I had a catering background, I was hired to teach high school cooking (nutrition and wellness) classes.  I teach my kids to bake cakes this way!  :-)

Here is my tip...

This is for those who frost with whipped cream but use fondant or gumpaste decorations or accents.

We know how fondant and gumpaste melt with the moisture of whipped cream, so to stop the melting process I brush a light coat of melted chocolate on the back side of the decoration. Just a thin layer to cover most of the decoration. You don't have to go all the way to the edge or it will just squish out when pressed onto the frosting. Press onto the cake surface until it sets. Also, if your cake is chilled, the chocolate sets much quicker so you don't have to hold the decoration as long.

The chocolate should be tinted to match the color of the frosted cake so it is not as noticeable should it squish out.

The chocolate acts as both a barrier from the moisture and as a glue.

This works like a charm!

Here's my tip, learn how to make cake fillings or buttercreams using egg yolks and egg whites separately, I'm always either only using yolks or white separately in some cake recipes, so instead of throwing them out I make the filling or the buttercream with it.  

SO when i make a white cake I use the left over yolks to make a french buttercream filling that can be flavoured anyway and it can also be lightened with some whip cream.  When I make yellow cake I use yolks only, the whites are then used to make SMBC or IMBC.  I usually plan my cakes so that I do not waste the eggs this way, I am lucky in that people usually give me the freedom to choose the cake type mostly.

Hello there! You posted a thread about wholesale a while ago and I was wondering how much did you charge the car dealer that was buying 300 cookies a day. I know it was a few years ago but I just want to have an idea since I'm really interested in going wholesale especially with my cupcakes. Also do you have any tips on how to get wholesale orders? For cupcakes I mean. Thank you

Thank you so much! Tha cheapest flour I found is 0.05.  If you have time please give me some ideas of how to get wholesale customers.

For the best tasting fondant, I use 1-1/4 lbs of pre-made fondant, softened, to 1/2 cup shortening, 2 tablespoons warm water, 1 lb. of melted campfire marshmallows, and 2 lbs. powdered sugar.  I mix all the ingredients except the fondant and then add it to the fondant at the end. Knead very well until it is stretchy and smooth.  The flavoring is much better than purchased fondant.  I separate it in portions and color with gel as desired.  It can be kept in a zip lock bag for months at room temp.  Warm it and knead again before use.  (If you want another flavor than marshmallow you can add the flavoring when you are mixing the shorenting, water, and marshmallows.)

AHere is VERY VERY helpful hint, that saves me a ton of time. I'm a little embarrassed that I didn't think of this & have been wasting a lot of time, as I have just learned this.

Before loading your icing into piping bag,drop the amount needed onto saran wrap. Wrap the saran around it, twisting it into a log. Put one end of it down through your bag & pull down through your opening (where your coupler or tip is going to go). Trim excess saran wrap&viola, your ready to post art piping & no need to clean your bag or inner coupler. Want to use a different color, just take out saran wrap & reload a different color. ALSO no morekeeping your royal icing bags & buttercream bags seperate or scrubbing your bags for fear of any grease being left behind. You can now reuse your bags as often as you like, the environment & ocean wildlife will hold parades in your honor.... Ok maybe I exaggerated that last part. ;)

I've been doing this for a while after spending a fortune on new piping bags.  Now I have a couple of really good ones that will last forever.  I am glad you are posting because this is a great tip.  

No biggie here but use Mother Nature for your food colourings, takes a bit more work but beetroot for red/pink, violas ground down for blue. cornmeal for yellow

and herbs such as mint for green.

Get those pestles out girls and colour without E No's for 2015.

Okay we have to rethink the sugar/liquid ratio but what a selling point for the ones in business.

Cheap cake lady sells to her own kind and the serious ones sell to the rest?

Wouldn't that affect the flavor?  Especially the mint!