I'm a newbie at decorating, so please give an honest opinion of this cake. I have been baking cakes for years, but not decorating. It is a 6 layer yellow butter-cake with Swiss butter cream icing. Thanks in advance.

I think it's very pretty...good job for a first effort. If I have to be picky about it I would tell you to work on your piping (and don't we all need to do that?) and make your lettering a bit smaller so it doesn't touch the outside trim or the flowers. Keep at it...I think you will grow as a caker very quickly if you keep working at your skills and this place is perfect for learning skills!

Thank You Catlharper for the nice Comments about My Cake, and Thank you very much for taking time to answer My Post. Any Advice is greatly appreciated.

Nice job on your new efforts at decorating. A couple things to consider may be color choice, Green flowers with green leaves and writing is a little bit monotone. You lose a little of the detail of the leave against the flower because of this as well as I may cut back a little on the amount of leaves you pipe. Keep at it and can't wait to see your next try!

Looks nice! Try slowing down a little and thinning your piping icing just a touch. Your roses look better then mine... I am still hoping for a miracle one day and to just be able to make them. LOL

I think it's a really great newbie-cake (Looks kind of like my first cake!) I think buttercream roses and star-tipped piping is a bit "Wilton" ie: outdated. Practice practice practice. And, good job!

Thank You Lady s for those nice Comments, I did not know anything about coloring Icing and I think i got carried away with using Green. My Daughter did tell Me roses are not Green Mamma, LOL. My Husband 's favored Color is Green and He really enjoyed eating His Cake. I will work on improving My Skills and post again,Thank You all for those kind Words.

Yes, as mentioned it is a bit too green/monotone, but you did very well on getting the sides smooth and your roses look nice; picture how great they will look in a different color. Are you using regular food coloring? You will have a lot of fun using gels; also just a little more practice with piping. I use a much thinner icing to write with. Your cake sounds truly delicious! There are a lot of great tasting cakes that are not as attractive as yours and other cakes that look great and do not taste very good - yours sounds yummy and looks cute.

I think your roses are lovely! Roses are the hardest for a first time decorator and I think you have natural talent for them!

Next time maybe you can take a round cutter and mark the center of your cake so that it is easier to place and center the roses evenly in the cake.

You did a nice job with icing the cake pretty evenly too, without sloping the sides or top.

Great job!

I think its lovely. your sides and top are smooth (wish mine were, but buttercream is not my friend! lol) and your roses are really good! i cant make a BC rose to save my life! im much happier working with fondant. i agree though, too much green. invest in some gel colours, they are great! keep up the good work!

Thank You all for all the Comments on My Cake, Especially on all the Advise. I really Appreciate all .Amazing all the talented People on here. I bought some Ameri Color, this is much better . Hope My next Attempt of Decorating will be better, Thanks again You all are a nice Bunch!

You did an incredible job. I'm no professional but that a darn good cake! Smooth, neat writing and fantastic roses!

What technique did you use to smooth the top and sides? It wasn't until I began coming in here that I got help with that. And now I'm planning to try the upside down method and see if I can conquer that too.

Very nice job for a first attempt. Confidence is the biggest thing you need now, along with practice, practice and more practice. You are off to a very good start.

I am with you sista . . . I have been baking for years and just started decorating a few months ago. I am so glad I found CC and so much inspiration. Your cake looks great!

Yes! Nice first cake, not sure my first one looked that good. Have to agree with the other comments. My only other comment would be to use flowers in odd numbers. So instead of 6 do five. It's a design thing that florist and others use in decorating and sort of follows thu with caking too! Keep up the good work, I think you have a natural talent and since you are here.......you'll become addicted like the rest of us really soon! Ha.

Thanks a lot for the Compliments. I try not to get a big Head, I did use the Water and the Spatula. The Roses i made many and I picked the best ones out and froze those and put them on the next Day on the Cake. I have been baking Cakes for 45 Years , but when I put the Icing on i did that Design with a Spoon . This is a whole new World opening up for Me. Thanks all!

I think it's an excellent job for a first go at decorating. Try making the shells of the border smaller and more delicate and individual, not overlapping. As for the flowers, keep practicing, you'll get there. They need a bit more height and fullness. Try making the base bigger before starting on the petals.

yep, always odd numbers and contrasting colors...some burgundy roses and light green leaves would have looked great!

I think your butter cream looks very smooth for your first time!! congrats!

I'm confused, though, this is 6 layers? So you torted them? You sound like you know what your doing as far as baking but thought maybe it was a typo..

which makes me think..if this is in fact 3? layers torted..is that considered 6 layers?? hmmm...

I think I need to explain this a little better. I love to bake Cakes, I bake 3 Layers and cut each in half. they are always White or yellow I usually fill the Layers with Butter cream and Raspberry Jelly. In the Past i always used Whipping Cream Icing, much easier to use. Before I found Cake Central i looked on You Tube at Tutorials. My new Butter Cream Recipe is from Diane bakes, I use a Scraper and hot Water Spatula to smooth the Icing. My basic Cake baking I learned from the Dr. Oetker Baking Book. Hope this explains things a little better.Thank you everybody.

I have no criticism, well done. love your roses, I just want to have a slice right now it looks YUMMY

Your cake is very good for a newbie!....we all go through this, and in fact, Im "still" going through I can do this or that! and its been like 3yrs....lol

I did all the paper towel, computer paper smoothing, the roller...nothing works for me, I did change recipes from Diane's to Indys and wow is all I can say!!!! alot better for me....

Also I found that if I get a scraper, and have a hot pot of water on the stove with the scraper sitting in it, I pull it out, wipe dry and move over my cakes, ALOT SMOOTHER THAN EVER for me!!!! and the icing doesnt stick to the scraper as its hot....the heat smooths the icing.

Thank You ,I use the Scraper Darcy uses that with hot Water seem to work for Me. The Cake tasted very good, looked at Hails Pumping Cake if You don't mind telling Me what is the Color green You are using? I never get the Leaves to look right. 2texsmedic I love the Writing on Rachels Cake do You use a small Piping Bag to Write with?Thank You all.

No are you kidding!!! me write perfect on a cake...lol

It was my first try at Stenciling on a cake!!!! I had one of those Sets from Wilton, I bought it with my 50% coupon off, LIKE I DO ALL MY WILTONG STUFF FROM MICHAELS...I use coupons to buy cheap.....

I iced my cake, and placed the stencil on there, then I got some BC, and I made it real thin....and I gently just spread it over the stencil in one direction....and pulled it off gently.

I didnt do a good job on the side I had a hard time!!! But it was my first and I did the cake for a friend, BUT THANK YOU!!!!