I had thought in my younger years that I'd like to try decorating cakes but it wasn't until I retired that I finally did. My hubby asked what I wanted for Christmas and I said I wanted to take cake decorating classes.
Sometimes I'm sure he regrets that one question. When I go into a hobby I go in deep. I have spent more money on cake stuff in the last 3 years. Some of the pans and stuff I will probably never use.
He does like my cakes though. So does my family. My son is in a business where he intertains large groups and "Mom's" cakes are always a big hit. My church also orders all their cakes for special occasions from me. Those are two reasons why most of my cakes are sheet cakes. My grandkids love to order their birthday cakes and can't wait to see how I interpret their ideas.
I love the feeling I get when people see and comment on my cakes. I love designing the cake. I love this websight and all the things I have learned from all of you.
This is a very nice topic. I have enjoyed reading everyone responses!
I took Wilton classes to save money on birthday cakes for my children. I thought that grocery store cakes were overpriced. Little did I know! I spend more on my cakes now than I would at the store, but I absolutely love it! Like Indydebi said, I was also "talent-less" and cake decorating gave me a boost. I always wanted to be good at something and I finally found that something to fill my need. It gives me such pleasure to see someone's face light up when they see my cakes. And when they have a hard time cutting into it because it's "too pretty", I love it even more!
I started "playing in sugar" when I was in HS. I had an older sister who was planning on teaching Home Ec. She took a class in cake decorating to learn tips for when she taught school and had a Wilton book at home, along with the tips and bags. So I opened the book, played with the tools, and the rest is history! I grew up south of Chicago, so we would make trips up to Wiltons in Chicago and I would study the cakes on display and buy more tools. This was WAY before the days of fondant and gumpaste. I took every opportunity to make cakes. By the time I was finishing college, I was making my friends wedding cakes.
I taught school and did cakes for friends and family. My boys were born and I quit teaching to be a SAHM, but continued learning more. I went to the State Fair and saw fondant and gumpaste for the first time and my competitive streak emerged. I began competing and challenged myself to do bigger and better things. It was competition cakes that I first used fondant and gumpaste (and our tools were pretty crude!) Soon I was winning Sweepstakes ribbons. Someone who was opening a shop in the city saw my work at the fair and called and asked if I was interested in a job. I worked part time for 6 years, then decided to open my own shop. After winning everything for several years, I retired from the fair, and actually judged it several times.
I continued competing in some gingerbread contests, and some competions out-of-state. I started the shop 15 years ago, with just me working. I gradually grew and started hiring help. I now have 12 employees and have an award winning shop, have had cakes published in local magazines and papers, and one cake in "Elegant Bride" several years ago. I never expected the store to become what it has, and continue to be awed and humbled by it.
Meeting all the people, the gratification of a job well done, and the satisfaction of starting something from virtually nothing keeps me going!
I got started with cakes from watching Ace of Cakes on TV and thinking...hey, I could do that. At the time I was working in a job that I absolutely HATED, and when I got laid off I took some decorating classes at my local cake supply store. It something that calms me down and helps keep me sane(?) I'm nowhere near the talent level I want to be, but someday...
okay, first, gerripje, if that cake is ugly, then i'm in the wrong business!!
Haha, well, it just really looks funny to me. I wish I could back and do it again now that I know a little more. I would not have left that ribbon like that and the tiers should have been a little higher, but I guess if I can't look back and say that I've improved then I should hang up my piping bags! 
I had always wanted to learn to decorate cakes but never got a chance. I took a cake decorating class and do cakes for family and friends. Then I found CC, got addicted and learned a lot from here. I love to see the happiness on people's faces when they see their cakes.
My mom use to decorate cakes for fun and she was awesome at it.
I however, only had interest in eating them.
I love art and never found the perfect medium to work with. My teacher use to tell me that I just have not found my perfect medium and style yet.
Anyways fast forward a few years and my DH and I with baby #1 are poor. I didn't want to spend the $18 for a Sams cake because it was just to much money. My friend talked me into taking a cake class with her, my MIL paid for me to go. The class wasn't that great.
A few years later I decided to try again and this time tried the Wilton classes. I only was able to take the first 2 courses but learned something.
I started making cakes then for my kids and just have not stopped.
I just don't do cakes though. Food is my perfect medium and I'm glad I finally found something that I love to do. To me an empty plate is a canvas to create something beautiful and the oohs and aahhhs don't hurt either. I still have a lot to learn and doubt I'll ever get to the point I want to be at, but I'll keep on trying. It's been a long twisted ride to get where I am today.
My family was always responsible for bringing the desserts growing up. I have fond memories of making desserts with my mom. And mom made all my cakes growing up. My best friend in Jr. High and I were born a couple days apart and always baked a cake for our birthdays. We were always baking something. I always wanted to take classes. Many years later I finally got to take them. It was the only way hubby would let me do my kids cakes. I don't get to make cakes as often as I would like so usually for the holidays I make several small 4" cakes.
Judi
I started doing cakes because I could not afford to buy one for my DD birthday. Boy was that cake ugly but her little eyes lit up. Then I got a job in the Deli-Bakery of a local grocery store on the deli side. I had worked with the cake decorator at another job and when the boss caught me on the bakery side watching her make her perfect roses, I got into trouble. For 'punishment' she decided I would be the backup decorator. Unfortunatly, the boss mainly had me doing the undecorated cakes like coconut, german chocolate, etc. But I did learn how to do borders and she was able to teach me how to make buttercream roses
I started because the cake I wanted for my sons birthday couldn't be bought. Just got going from there..... am still learning.
I've loved baking ever since I got married, 27 years ago. Honestly, and I'm sorry to all of you professional bakers, but I've only bought something at a bakery about twice in my life!!
So, I guess trying to make the stuff that tasted so good look a little better was the next logical step. Plus, I live about 5 minutes from the Wilton headquarters, so I always attended their annual tent sale to get character pans for my kids' birthdays.
Then, last year for Christmas, my awesome husband surprised me with the Wilton Master Course!!!! He just thought of that on his own, with no prompting from me. So, I've been practicing ever since. If you look at my photos, you'll see that I still have a lo-o-o-o-ong way to go, but I'm really enjoying it!
Ahhh, to Cake or not to Cake. Well I started out as my daug. 14yrs old wanted to do a hobby together. I got this great Idea of taking the Wilton classes. We had fun in class, we would come home and then at dinner talk CAKES!!! I found this so relaxing and so bonding especially with kids now days.
I decided I really liked the challenge and being creative, and pushing myself. So Here I am...middle room is a storage room with shelves with all my cake items, decorations, tips, boards, pans, etc..you name it. I look like a darn CAKE SHOP STORE!!! I do cakes for people around here, and makes extra money. I LOVE IT...Alot better than spending money on bars, drinking, etc..I also keep looking for MORE TO LEARN, MORE TO CHALLENGE ME...Im only 1yr into it...and IM HOOKED!!!
I got an airbrush kit for my bday last yr...still scared to use it. Just got inks, got my printer also just now, and icing sheets.
Mine is kinda weird and slightly embarrassing. I started when I was 20 years old. My fiancee at the time was "planning" a bachelor party for his best friend. He sucked at it! Big time! I have always enjoyed cooking and baking, so I talked to them both. The groom was really the outdoorsy type, so I planned a float trip weekend for like 60 guys, food included!
My fiancee decided that he wanted to take a cake along with him for the first night. He wanted something 'racy' since it was a bachelor party. I called around to a bunch of bakeries, and finally got one and placed my order. I explained the situation to him and then he asked me what color I wanted the bra to be, I was like "umm can you just make them naked?" The bakery refused to make me a set of naked boobs. So, I took matters into my own hands and made them myself, a naked torso cake complete with belly button and purple g-string. I also packed about 50 mini boobie cupcakes.
The guys loved them, and I had so much fun making them that I just kept doing cakes. Oddly enough I have never made another cake like that again.
This is a truly awesome topic! Wow, let me see. I have always loved to bake but was never allowed to because I made "weird" stuff. No one in my family was up to experimenting. Fast forward to child #1. For his first birthday, I was determined that I was going to make his cake. I mixed up a box mix, poured it into a huge metal mixing bowl and baked it forever. I remember having to trim the edges and extra crispy outside. 
This was in '98 before I realized there were personal computers. So anyway, I made him a half baseball. He was thrilled with it. Well as thrilled as a 1 yr old can be. 
Then life got in the way and I wasn't able to pursue baking at all. As a matter of fact, I kind of forgot about it. Once my DD was born and I had to quit working (child care costing more than my paycheck 
) I've been a stay at home mom ever since. I was bored with everything, didn't have a hobby, and frankly, I was miserable.
The turning point for me was when we signed up for Dish Network. I saw Ace of Cakes and was fascinated! For my DS's 9th birthday he wanted a fiesta. I ordered a sombero cake for him. When we picked it up and got our first glimpse at it, it looked like a giant butt. 
I was NOT happy. I told DH that I could do better. I proceeded to buy a Wilton 11x15 and went to town. I scoped out Charm City Cakes website and from there learned about Cake Central. I have been hooked since then.
I love that you can express your creativity, embrace the challenge, and get the need to make others happy satisfied.
VIVA CAKE CENTRAL!
I started when our twin daughters were 2. Wanted to make their cake after getting one of the worsed store bought cakes I have ever had. Took the Wilton and some classes from a wonderfully talented woman by the name of Klara Johnson in Cambridge, ON and fell in love!!!! I have a degree in Graphic Design but love the freedom of cake decorating. I DON'T NEED A COMPUTER TO DO IT! Other than an edible image. Always wanted to have my own home bakery and have been hemmin' and hawin' about it for the last 3 or so years. Well, as luck would have it, I was laid off today. So I believe this is the "kick in the pants" which I needed. How does the saying go..."When one door closes another opens"? Wish me luck.
Wow! Where do I begin? I have never been the artsy or crafty type. That was my sister. But I have always LOVED to bake. I remember my grandma teaching me little tips and techniques. After my grandma died, I became the master baker of my family. If someone wanted a dessert, they called me. When my daughter was turning 3, cupcake cakes were just starting to get popular. I couldn't find anything that I really liked. The more that I got to looking at them in stores and online, I figured that they couldn't be too hard to make. So I did. I used a boxed cake mix and canister icing. I had a blast! 
My family liked it so much that my aunt bought my first Wilton course. I was hooked! Now I find reasons to make a cake. I have sold a few to coworker and church friends, but it is still very much a hobby. I have always dreamed of opening my own dessert shop, even before I started decorating cakes. Hopefully, once I get better at the cakes (I am still a newbie), I hope to go into business from home.
I've never been much of a cook, much less a baker. I quit smoking after 25 years and I needed something creative to do to keep me and my hands busy. I have always watched the Food channel and all those cooking shows and one day I saw them make a cake. I thought, well, I could do that. I can read directions anyway! LOL I didn't even finish the first Wilton course and I just started on my own. Sent my husband to work with my cakes and word got out and I just love it!
I have always loved to bake. I had the Easy Bake Oven too. Never was any good at decorating, just very simple flowers and writing. Got married had two kids. Fast forward 18 years my daughter wanted a big graduation party and we didn't have the money to spend on cake so I made a fondant covered cake made to look like a hallway full of lockers. (picture in the Wilton fun with fondant book). We had a blast making it together, neither of us had ever worked with fondant before. After she left for college I had empty nest syndrome and took my first Wilton class last October. Am starting the fondant and gumpaste course in 2 weeks. Found this site and am hooked for the rest of my life
I have always loved cooking and started helping my aunt when i was fourteen, she done catering wwedding cakes and wedding planning, she taught me basic decorating skills, but i really got into it when i was 16 and saw a cake in one of her bridal magazines that had been done by ron ben isreal, that;s when i decided i wanted to do cakes, i took a break when my daughter was born but am getting back full swing again now that she is 3!
awww, i had an easy bake oven when i was a kid, but i wasn't allowed to have a lightbulb 
sad day 
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