I am wanting to start decorating cakes but am not exactly sure what some of the essential items are that i will definately need to have on hand. I have loved to bake since i can remember and have recently started thinking about decorating cakes. My daughter is 13 and wants to start decorating as well. Its a perfect chance to get to spend lots of quality time with her. i know basic things like pans but not sure of other things that i would never think of that i would need. I've been on cakecentral.com for about a week now and am loving it! like it says, it is very addictive lol! any help that y'all can give is very much appreciated! Thanks!
A turntable is an essential for me, bench scraper, cake leveler (or serrated knife), spatula, if you are decorating with buttercream you will need tips and pastry bags. I using fondant you will need rolling pin, cornstarch, pizza cutter, fondant smoother etc. There are tons of things, it really depends on what you want to do! To learn the basics of buttercream decorating buy a wilton decorating guide...it will tell you what tips you need for certain things and how to use it! Have fun, cake decorating is so fun and a great way for you and your daughter to spend quality time...send me pics! 
take the Wilton classes. that's how i started. they showed me all the basics and gave me a great foundation. Every class had at least one mother/daughter combo. They both learned at the same time and made friends with others their age. Plus, i found that all you have to do is buy a kit per class (i always buy with 40-50% off coupons) so this made it cheap and convenient for me. All i did was buy the kit and show up to class, learn and go home and decorate. I would definitely do it over again
Like tamtam219 said buy the Wilton Course 1 box @ AC moore or Michaels. I'm self taught and thats what I did. Follow the directions and it gives you step by step instructions. Then when you are ready get course 2. It also includes everything you need to get started, then you will not be guessing on what to buy. Good Luck and have fun with your daughter
First, make sure you have a good mixer and a good recipe. Then I personally think you should have a cake design in mind and buy accordingly rather than go out and buy a bunch of pans and accessories all at once. My first cake was a Tiffany box cake and I knew I wanted to make a white gum paste bow and gold charm bracelet, so I bought all the essentials to make it happen--gum paste, fondant, blue gel colors, lustre dusts, dowel rods, etc. It's much better to buy only what you need for the cake you want to do now and see how it goes. You may find it less fun than you thought it would be...or you could get addicted like I am. Good luck!
The toys never stop!!! As you learn to decorate, you will learn which "toys" you will need to complete certain tasks. If you are going to work with flowers, look at clay tools as well. For whatever reason, they slap the work cake in the title and the tool goes up in price.
You can start with ebay and buy the Wilton class books. I know there are great Wilton decorators/instructors out there; but I wasn't lucky to have that experience. So I practiced with my books in hand, and those class books will walk you through everything you need for the basics.
Welcome to CC and have fun!!!
I started a long time ago just doing my kids birthday cakes with character pans but then quit for a while. When I started again I started with the Wilton classes and doing that I was able to buy the supplies I needed for each class when I needed them and not all at once and that helped.
I agree with not buying any character pans. Get yourself a great stand mixer, turntable, a big ol' box of kleenex for the occasional failure and a good camera for your successes!
Sugarshack( Sharon) has a variety of wonderful dvd's out from step one and up and her latest back to basic dvd would be a good way to start !
Here is the link
http://www.sugaredproductions.com/
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%