I was reading another thread about making a cake with a speed cup stacking theme, and it got me wondering about what is the weirdest thing cake decorating has taught you?

I have researched alot of things I normally would not know the first thing about in the name of making a cake.

I guess mine would be skate board patterns. Or MAYBE the details of a casket and funeral spray for a "6 foot under party" lol weird I know

PATIENCE!!!!!!

I agree with elainec...Patience!....

me too!

Also to plan and work out things in advance--I am still a procrastinator though

come on ladies..I thought this would be fun!!

Who has researched something weird..... Fess up

Cake decorating taught me that there are only so many body parts that my dh is willing to pose for me to model a cake after!

Mine would be on how to make a cake look like a realistic man part, lol!

lol. Also to hide certain cakes better. I hid one in the oven one time and my daughter, then about 4 found it. What she was opening the oven for is beyond me, but I told her it was a rocket ship. She promptly told me it wasn't a very good rocket ship.

Let see last year it was a toilet cake that was the weirdest. This year that same person wants a urinal cake. Being a woman I don't have much experience with urinals or men's restrooms, so I have been online trying to figure out the right shape. Everyone I have asked for advice just tells me I can not forget that pink thing that goes in it. I have even asked men I work with and when I explain why they tell me I have to bring in pictures.

OMG! That is funny!!! From the mouths of babes!

Funny--I haven't had to research that area for a cake--kind of worked from memory

I have learned how to invent the wierdest fillings by throwing things together. Fortunately for me, my family or customers love them. Unfortunately I very rarely can repeat them, because I usually don't write them down.

Okay, I have to ask........ why would someone want a toilet cake or a urinal cake. Plumbing conventions? j/k. I guess I can see a toilet cake even for a party-hardy (geesh, I sound old) college kid, but I don't get the urinal cake. And what is that pink thing? I've heard about it. I'm gonna have to sneak into a mens room just out of curiousity now. Maybe I'll take a picture for ya before I get arrested.lol.

duplicate post

OK need to clarify....worked from memory on the "rocket ship" cake not the urinal. Gotta figure out how to use that quote thingy.

Well there is something I have not picture googled--urinals See I knew you guys have researched weird things in the name of decorating.

The life positive things:
Cake decorating has taught me how to be assertive and strong, how to be the kind of salesperson I like. I am better at math now than I ever was when I was taking college algebra. Patience, good planning, how to google like a champ...

Unnecessary knowledge:
how a snowboard boot attaches to a snowboard (hey, I live at the beach!!), who home starrunner is, the up close and personal details of a sundrop bottle.

O.k. to satisfy those who are wondering "what's the little pink thing" for the urinal.... Having worked a job that I had to clean them more times than I care to admit (I'll admit, I janitored a bit in previous jobs, trust me, you learn to appreciate the basics!)... The little "pink thing" (traditional pink in color, can also be an ever so-slight yellow/greenish blue instead) is a disinfecting "cake".. which also work as a "splash guard" if you can imagine (think rounded triangle with this "cake" in a guard type thing in the center)...

O.k. never thought I'd have to explain "that" one... ...

Now to answer the question: what has cake decorating taught me... besides patience (in let me count the ways), I think I've learned that I'm not the baker up the road, I have my niche, they have theirs, and even though my prices are competitive, I do business my own way that works for me and to NEVER let myself get sucked into the idea that I need to adjust what *I* do things because someone else in the area is doing it.

When I first started decorating we didn't even have computers to find all of the pics and info on all of the subjects customers come up with. I had to go to the library to research. I had a customer who collected cars and they wanted 10 different Thunderbirds on his cake. I remember in the 80's someone wanted Ted Nugent on a cake. I had never heard of him and went out and bought his album so I could do it. (that was before all of the copy right laws were enforced.) I used to go to all of the children movies the first day they were showing so I could find the perfect scene to put on their cake when the orders started coming in. You have no idea how much easier the computer has made it to do research work. It kind of takes away from the challenge of being the decorator who could say, "Of course I can do that" then scrambling like crazy to find all of the information to make it happen.

Cake Decorating has definitely led me into a bigger world.

wow....hmmm

1. I guess it's taught me that I am a much more creative/artistic spirit than I ever thought I was.

2. Cake can solve anything! I'm stressed - decorating a cake is totally soothing.

3. I can do so much more than I thought I could! Artistically speaking, business-wise, and just as a person.

It has taught me that I have NO patience

Being one who has no 'green thumb' its helped me to learn their are other flowers besides roses and daisies! I've done so much research on flowers over the past year - I think I'll change careers and become a horticulturalist!

Ooh bcjean your so right! I had forgotten about those days. Also I use to wait for McDonalds to offer the promo toys and buy them like crazy because they were less expensive then the cake decorating ones and also I could get them faster than the suppliers would offer.

Thanks for explaining that one for me Couturecakes!

Wow--the things I never knew! Thanks for clearing that up.

Never really thought about how computers have changed cake decorating. Guess I couldn't really do without mine.


Anyone else have some weird research to tell us about?