How Did You Get Introduced To Cake Decorating?

Decorating By UltimateCakes Updated 26 Oct 2008 , 11:39pm by wendalynn11

UltimateCakes Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
UltimateCakes Posted 16 Oct 2008 , 8:25pm
post #1 of 55

I have to give credit to my mom. She made all my b-day and school party cakes since I was 2 (she stopped a long time ago, though icon_cool.gif ) I used to watch her - for years. Then I started messing around with the left overs of her projects. Didn't make or sell and cakes until my wife was pregnant with our first child. (I made a Winnie the Pooh baby shower cake) and now I have a small business going.


How did you start?

54 replies
amazinggracecakedesigns Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
amazinggracecakedesigns Posted 16 Oct 2008 , 9:45pm
post #2 of 55

I have to credit my Mom too. She started a small business when I was younger and I grew up watching her. I took my first class 10 years ago but didn't do anything with it untill this past year. I took all the Wilton courses last year but I have found that trial and error has taught me just as much, as well as all the little tricks that I learned from watching my Mom. I know that this is the job that I was meant to do. thumbs_up.gif

vmertsock Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
vmertsock Posted 17 Oct 2008 , 1:25am
post #3 of 55

I've been baking with my mom since I was very very young, but as far as cake decorating, I owe that to my mother in law. She used to do wedding cakes and she taught me to do roses, etc for a birthday cake for my mom and I was hooked!

shadowgypsie Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
shadowgypsie Posted 17 Oct 2008 , 3:58am
post #4 of 55

I am a 3rd generation cake decorator. Both my grandmother and my mother decorated cakes as a way to earn extra cash. Now I do cakes, cookies and candy also teach Wilton classes.

tyty Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
tyty Posted 17 Oct 2008 , 4:20am
post #5 of 55

I learned to bake as a child but only made cakes for holidays. I had never decorated a cake before, just baked and iced. I had a cookbook I bought some years ago and to be nice, I baked a couple of poundcakes for my co-workers. They wanted to buy cakes because they really liked them. Then they started asking if I could make birthday cakes, so I took the Wilton classes so I could make birthday cakes, then I found CC and really got inspired. I now make cakes, cookies and cheesecakes. Now they are asking about pies, I'm NOT going there! icon_smile.gif

sayhellojana Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
sayhellojana Posted 17 Oct 2008 , 4:21am
post #6 of 55

I've always been a baker, even when I was little. No one in my family bakes much except my Oma (grandmother) who taught me. She didn't decorate though, other than smearing some icing on so it would taste good. I was the same way for a long time. So even though my cake's aren't the prettiest (I'm still learning) they sure taste good.

Lorendabug Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
Lorendabug Posted 17 Oct 2008 , 4:23am
post #7 of 55

My mom was not one of those types that bake unless it was because she had to and it was from a box . By the time I was nine I had mastered every mix there was. I remember the day I wanted to bake a cake and there was no box in the pantry. I got out my mom's Betty Crocker cook book and started baking from scratch. I could not decorate with frosting and had no clue you could so I decorated with nuts, coconut, candy, or whatever I could get my hands on. I have been cooking since I was seven, but baking cakes and decorating is definately a passion, I would love to do more of it.

Wildrose6633 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
Wildrose6633 Posted 17 Oct 2008 , 4:33am
post #8 of 55

Over 15 years ago I made an anniversary cake for my Inlaws 50th wedding party I had as a surprise for them in our house. I had no idea what I was doing and made a two teir cake. I loved it and went from there. I bake only for family and friends since I becme ill. But it is still my passion.

CeeTee Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
CeeTee Posted 17 Oct 2008 , 4:35am
post #9 of 55

I've always liked cooking, and growing up I was always the kid who would randomly bring cookies or brownies I made to school. However, I wouldn't say it was a true passion, just something I liked playing around with. My creative passions were more towards painting and drawing than baking.

But! Cake Decorating! I got into it last spring thanks to one of my close friends. I was going through a rather ugly period in my life, she was going through a rough time in Grad school. So she came up with the idea of us taking art classes together for stress relief. We ended up picking the Wilton Course 1 class at our local Michaels I instantly fell in love with it! Now I'm a WMI for the same store I took my classes at, and I do lots of cakes for friends, family, and co-workers (and the once-in-a-blue-moon commission).

As corny as this will sound, I think picking up cake decorating as a hobby helped saved my sanity.

youngestdecorator Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
youngestdecorator Posted 17 Oct 2008 , 4:45am
post #10 of 55

Pretty weird actually! I became diagnosed with a kidney problem and was confined to my house because i could get sick in a snap! I had a mom who wasn't real into cake decorating just did it because all her friends were doin it, not really the best work i might add! But i shouldn't talk! So anyway i picked it up my sophomore year in high school and am now a senior. I love what i'm doing and hope to get amazing enough to get a cake shop! I'm gonna go now cause i want to read everyone elses!

paulstonia Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
paulstonia Posted 17 Oct 2008 , 4:45am
post #11 of 55

I've always wanted to take the wilton classes, but it took my son getting married to motivate me. He was married on 7/7/07 and I made his wedding cake. And my kids say I am now cake obsessed! I love it and even decorate cakes in my sleep (dreams) sometimes icon_redface.gif

paulstonia Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
paulstonia Posted 17 Oct 2008 , 4:53am
post #12 of 55

youngestdecorator, I was born and raised in Bakersfield! My parents and all of my aunts and uncles still live there. Hope you are healthy now. I took a look at your pictures and your cakes are beautiful. If you want it I'm sure that cake shop is in your future.

sweetness_221 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
sweetness_221 Posted 17 Oct 2008 , 5:03am
post #13 of 55

When I was young my mother used to decorate wedding cakes, but never taught me how to bake. She was not a patient teacher. It was just easier to do it herself then to teach me. It was my best friend's grandmother that taught me how to bake. As for the decorating part. I started that myself several years ago when my 2nd child was turning 1. I wanted to make her birthday cake for her. It was the most God awful looking thing, but tasted wonderful. After more and more practice I got better and started to try different things. I'm not the best, but I have improved dramatically since I started to decorate. Plus now that my mom has stopped decorating I get to use all of her pans, tips, etc.. thumbs_up.gif

tara22 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
tara22 Posted 17 Oct 2008 , 5:19am
post #14 of 55

I just started to decorate cakes about 8-9 months ago and everyone has been asking me this same question. To be honest, I'm not really sure. I wouldn't consider my mother a great baker and as of a year ago I had never really baked a cake. I have always been really artistic and a little OCD, so when I ordered a cake for a friends wedding shower I invisioned something spectacular. I was very disappointed when I received a sheet cake with a design airbrushed on it. Everyone else loved the cake....but i thought to myself - i could have done better. So I THOUGHT about giving it a try ....for almost a year. Finally I broke down, got a few basic supplies and have been hooked ever since!! icon_biggrin.gif

sarahpierce Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
sarahpierce Posted 17 Oct 2008 , 12:35pm
post #15 of 55

I'm extremelly cheap. I didn't even want to pay grocery store prices for a cake icon_surprised.gif . Plus I wanted my kids to have awesome birthday cakes. Oh, and I'm artistic. Everytime I sell a cake I look at my DH and say "Can you believe they just paid that much for a cake! Crazy people." Granted my cakes are beautiful and I deserve the price I get, but I wouldn't pay that much. icon_lol.gif

sweetideas Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
sweetideas Posted 17 Oct 2008 , 1:07pm
post #16 of 55

I too, am a 3rd generation decorator. I am not very good but I am passionate about it. I never attempted to decorate a cake (my mom only made them for other people and we seldom got decorated cakes as older kids, before that my grandma decorated our bday cakes) until 2006. I went through a terrible loss and my mother bought me the wilton Class 1 to help redirect me. It helped and I ended up taking 3 more classes. I am also someone who considers it theraputic. The problem is that my family is full of diabetics, my workplace is filled with skinny minnies who don't eat sweets and I have no one to bake and decorate cakes for so my skills don't get improved upon. My son loves my cakes, and I was hoping to make cupcakes for his preschool until I found out that they are banned! I am someone who puts my heart into the project, but my visions are often greater than my skills. But I love it and I love Cake Central!

pianocat Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
pianocat Posted 17 Oct 2008 , 1:09pm
post #17 of 55

DH and fav niece and I were traveling in a car. To pass the time we began talking about things we would like to try before we die. My two were photography classes (have not done this yet), and cake decorating. I came home and signed up for Wilton 1, and eventually took all four. This was summer of '07. I have a long way to go to be a 'real decorator', as I only bake for family and close friends-no money. But, I love it.

BREN28 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
BREN28 Posted 17 Oct 2008 , 1:15pm
post #18 of 55

started decorating as a hobby a few months ago because of a co-worker (and good friend) had been wanting to take the wilton courses,but wanted someone to go with her. so i finally said i would go too,and of course we loved it,and have so much fun doing it.

adonisthegreek1 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
adonisthegreek1 Posted 17 Oct 2008 , 1:16pm
post #19 of 55

Every year I'd sketch out an over the top birthday cake for my kids and start searching for a good custom baker. About 2 years ago the cake was overpriced and the wrong flavor. I decided that I could do better and I've been baking ever since.

Shelle_75 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
Shelle_75 Posted 17 Oct 2008 , 1:36pm
post #20 of 55

I was in a craft store many many years ago and bought a Wilton book. This was way back when they had the courses you could order and take through the mail. I took a few of those, mostly just learned on my own, and since I have found this site I have been obsessed with perfecting my craft. I actually have a paid order for next week! Yay!

Nicolle711 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
Nicolle711 Posted 17 Oct 2008 , 1:42pm
post #21 of 55

I have been baking since I can remember! I remember waking up early on Saturdays as a kid and tuning in to any Julia Child's programs to catch her baking. I didn't know much about cake decorating back then, just baking from a box mix or from scratch recipes in my mom's old cookbooks. No one in my household baked, just me so I was thrilled to find out recently that my great grandmother was a cake decorator in her country who specialized in wedding cakes and floral arrangements. icon_biggrin.gif

A little over two years ago I got into the decorating aspect of it all and became hooked. I never took a Wilton course, I got as close as to signing up but had to cancel. But I have learned primarily through cake decorating books, youtube, sugarshack's DVDs and CC. I do want to take the Wilton courses just so I understand what all those darn tips can be used for! lol! icon_biggrin.gif

You guys are all an inspiration to me, so thank you! icon_biggrin.gif

DollyCakes Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
DollyCakes Posted 17 Oct 2008 , 1:48pm
post #22 of 55

I started because I wanted to make my little boy's birthday cakes. My first cake was a star-tipped lion 6 years ago! I just piddled with decorating until about a year and a half ago when my 2 friends and I got together to make our kids birthday cakes, and then we found we really enjoyed decorating together. We took one Wilton class, but have just learned mostly through this site and youtube how to do most of the skills we've learned. We enjoy the time together, and our kids all love playing together (while the moms are unaware in the kitchen!) One of our kids calls us the "3 Mamas"! icon_smile.gif

loriemoms Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
loriemoms Posted 17 Oct 2008 , 1:53pm
post #23 of 55

Mine love for cake decorating influence is a mix bag. My mom had her own business and worked 20 hours a week, so didnt cook at all. My dad was the cook, and would make these wonderful gourmet meals so I learned to cook from him. What really got me into baking at all (mainly breads) was the girl scouts, beleive it or not! I was working on my cooking badge and started baking when I was in jr high. In high school, my step father was on a health kick (and it seems to be working, he just had his 95th bday) and I would experiement baking breads for him, then healthy cakes. When I had kids, we would make all kind of fun cakes on a snowy day, from the betty crocker cookbook. (you know, the kitty cat and the coconut bunny rabbit) and I started playing with puff pastries and fancy filings for a dinner club I belonged to. When my daughter got married, she wanted me to make her wedding cake and I made so many cakes experimenting and learning how to stack and such, everyone in my office gained 20 lbs. But it turned out so beautiful, I decided it would be fun to take community college cake decorating class. I have a degree in design and I loved working with ceramics and sculpting. I found there was very little difference in carving a cake or playing with fondant and I was hooked. I was just going to make a few cakes a year, just if anyone called me, and it just kind of exploded. I now wish I had done it years ago, started a full catering biz, but I am too old now haha

My step son now loves to play with gum paste and I have him make funky things for me all the time...so hopefully I will pass it on to a new generation. (non of my daughters like to decorate cakes, but they all love to cook!)

grammynan Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
grammynan Posted 17 Oct 2008 , 1:54pm
post #24 of 55

I learned to decorate cakes when I was 16. I worked at a Baskin-Robbins ice cream store and we sold decorated ice cream cakes. I was one of 3 decorators there. One of the guys working there ended up being my husband, so I have very fond memories of working for "Mr. E". Who would have thought that 31 years of marriage later I would have a home based cake business!!

My decorating really improved when I joined Cake Central. I've learned so much and I am so grateful to all of you for sharing your knowledge!!

sugarcheryl Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
sugarcheryl Posted 17 Oct 2008 , 10:53pm
post #25 of 55

I went to a Michael's store and they offered Wilton cake decorating classes and I was staying at home at the time. So I signed up for the class and has been hooked now 8yrs later still loving it.

Sweet_Guys Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
Sweet_Guys Posted 17 Oct 2008 , 11:26pm
post #26 of 55

Ok, our turn! LOL

We both grew up with our mothers baking all the time. When my mother married my father, he told her she better learn to cook well because the family was a family of eaters. She burnt her first few pie crusts and eventually became the person all of the community came to when they needed pies. Our mothers also did the star-tip "hot cake fo the year" type birthday cakes.

After we moved into our new home, Peter asked me for the cake decorating kit from you-know-where for Christmas. Not only did I get the kit for each of us, but I also purchased the you-know-where cake classes I, II, and III at our local Michaels. Our instructor was the believed YouTube Tonedna.

We took the classes, loved them, made our offices fat and wanting more. We perfected the buttercream recipe and ended up coming up with our signature recipe that was, surprisingly, picked by both offices. Neat, huh?!

Well, at the classes, Edna told us of this supply shop in Orlando. After checking the place out (and buying many more supples), we met Ellen, the woman who would teach us how to fine-tune and hone our chocolates.

Since we're both disgruntled with our current jobs that pay the bills, we decided to create our business and are trying to get it to take off.

This summer, we joined ICES and went to the convention, met wonderful people, took classes with Kerry Vincent, Autumn Carpenter, Zane Beg, and Norman Davis.

Good things going our way! Can't wait to read more from the rest of you! You are all great!

Paul & Peter

rnp3603 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
rnp3603 Posted 18 Oct 2008 , 1:27am
post #27 of 55

Baking or cake decorating was not something I grew up with. Neither did I have the pleasure of having a party or just a cake on my birthday. I don't resent it because I understand 6 girls were a little too much for my parents to finance. But I sure want my kids to, at least, have a cake on their birthday.

Early this year, my son's birthday theme was Transformers. We didn't like the crappy design available at our local grocery stores. Since I had made them cakes from ideas out of a magazine before (Spongebob, Blue's clues, racing track, etc.), I started looking online for a cake idea. To my surprise, I found cakes that not even in my wildest dreams I could've imagine. I was hooked. Signed up for a Wilton Class I and wasn't impressed. I mean, I did learned a couple techniques, but it wasn't what I was looking for. My interest was mostly on kids fantasy cakes (modeling characters, carved cakes, etc.), so after about 10 books on the subject and discovering this site, I decided to learn on my own.

My dream is to open a home-based cake decorating business. I already have people interested in buying my cakes, but I don't feel ready yet. There are so many things I want/need to learn. Although my son had to settle for the crappy Transformers cake, next year I hope to wow his friends with a unique creation using my newly learned skills. Thanks to all of you who don't mind sharing your knowledge and expertise with us newbies.

CakeChica Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
CakeChica Posted 23 Oct 2008 , 3:25pm
post #28 of 55

I as a child never liked cake, so its weird my hobby and small business as a cake baker/decorator is surprising for me. However I think I just didn't like cake when I was younger because I had never had a good one and assumed all cakes tasted nasty. It wasn't until I got married almost 3 years ago and decided I need to know how to cook and bake and while I like cooking I love baking and studied many recipes to find the perfect ones then I decided I need to take this to another level and start learning the decorating side. So I signed up for classes have taken all Wilton Classes that were offered and here I am still a beginner but ready to learn much more. I am just under a year at cake decorating, my wilton cake instructor told me about this site, I have been done with the classes for just a few months now and just have barely started searching this site and I must say I am addicted. There are so many things I have had questions about and they seem to always get answered on here without me even having to post one.

cakedout Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
cakedout Posted 23 Oct 2008 , 5:36pm
post #29 of 55

This farm kid grew up in a large extended family that believed hospitality meant food! icon_lol.gif Two of my aunts worked in restuarants most of their lives doing cooking and baking...and any and all family events included hordes of goodies! As for our house, I could bake a coffee cake from memory by the time I was 10, and there was always a chocolate cake on the counter! icon_biggrin.gif

We were farmers, so there wasn't money for extravagence like birthday cakes from a bakery. Maybe that's why I was always so fascinated with them! Anywho, during my year at college (should've gone to culinary school like I wanted too!) I visited the home of a college friend. Her mom was decorating a horsehoe shaped cake for a graduation. My friend was annoyed, but I sat in that kitchen watching her pipe out dozens of roses in a manner of minutes. I was completely enthralled! She sent me home with a few of her old Wilton Yearbooks...and I was hooked!

I piddled around on my own for awhile, and later got a job at a local craft shop and bought one of those Wilton Beginner Kits. Shortly thereafter I got married...and a year later got a job in a local bakery-without so much as a single cake decorating lesson!

I eventually took the Wilton classes at a local cake decorating supply shop, where the owner told me about ICES and a local cake club and soon I was gung-ho into the cake competition circuit! icon_biggrin.gif I worked in bakeries for about 4 years before starting my own in-home business.

My shop has a good little business going for 18 years. Three years ago my husband sold his business and because my hands were having problems, I closed my shop and we downsized to a new house.

I'm back to hobby status with a "real" job...bummer. I miss the cake business, and hope to be able to pick it up again someday.

myheartsdesire Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
myheartsdesire Posted 23 Oct 2008 , 9:29pm
post #30 of 55

I have always enjoyed baking but about a year ago I saw Ace of Cakes for the first time and was hooked

Quote by @%username% on %date%

%body%