Can Anyone Do This Cake Decorating Thing?
Decorating By nikki983 Updated 5 Feb 2007 , 5:47am by katy625
i am just curious do you guys think you need to have like a natrual talent for cake decorating? i really like baking and stuff but im not very good at it.. just wondering what ur thoughts are on that..
i made this cake yesterday all was going well until i went to move the cake of the wire rack, then it broke and i had to try patch it, then the chocolate leaves went funny over night,, kind of cloudy.. so yeah i guess wot im wondering is.. this cake decorating.. can it be learned without any natrual talent in there?
I think it can definately be learned without natural talent. Trust me............If I can learn to decorate cakes.......anyone can!
I took the Wilton Course...........It was extremely helpful..........otherwise I would never be able to teach myself how to decorate!
the chocolate got cloudy because of the sudden changes in temp.
It's called "blooming" if you used real chocolate it means that you didn't temper it correctly and it also happens when chocolate gets warm and cools and warms and cools...
have you ever seen a candy bar ..when you open it it looks "off?" that's what happens when they leave it on a shelf with the ac on and then off at night.
one reason...
Natural talent definately helps...but if you stick with it and practice, practice I think anyone person can be as talented as anyone else. Your leaves got cloudy because you used a lower quality chocolate or candy melts I'm willing to bet...What's probably happening is the hydrogenated chocolate clouds when it sits out after you have melted and shaped it. I really like the leaves, the cake looks yummy!
I am still learning and I have no talents and with my Wilton classes and CC look at my pictures they are actually getting better!!
The rainbow cake was my first cake ever!!!!!
Take some classes that would help with the most basic also CC is always here for you they are ton of help they have always helped me!!!
Of course you can decorate cakes without any "natural talent". You just have to find what medium you are good at whether it is buttercream, fondant, gum paste, etc. I'm not sure what happened with your leaves but I think your cake looks nice. I know my chocolate leaves wouldn't look like leaves. I tried doing a chocolate Easter basket I saw on Martha Stewart one year.........let's just say the kids had an early Easter treat. She is such a liar......"it's soooo easy". HA!
a little practice and determination will make you a better decorator, and a little talent helps..
but...being determined and practicing your techniques will improve your skills!
Good luck!
Your cake looks fabulous! I have adopted Julia Child's approach to baking. That is you learn a few dishes that you can do well and then go on from there. This I think is a good approach to baking. Get a few things down really well and then move on. You have to figure out what you like to do most. For instance, is it choc. work, baking from scratch, flowers or everything and just take baby steps. But never, never, reprimand yourself. It's counter productive. Your leaves looked beautiful. I think Jaque Torres has a quick tempering method..You might search it out on the web.
If you have determination, I believe you can make beautiful cakes!!
I think those with natural artistic abilities maybe have it easier but if you practice and try to learn and practice your cakes will be wonderful.
Keep up the good work and I have found that when things go wrong, that is when I have learned the most.
Your cake looks very yummy and the shape of your leaves looks great!
Tip: because I used to break all my cakes when I started out, I started sliding them onto a cake board covered with press 'n seal to move them anywhere...I have a couple covered and use them for transferring cakes..I think I learned that tip from someone here..anyhow, no more broken cakes
I think that a natural aptitude for art and craft is probably an advantage to becoming a really good cake decorator.
I've been in classes with people who just can't do the things with their fingers that is required to form flowers or models. That doesn't mean they can't be good cake decorators, they just need to understand their limitations.
My flower teacher is one of the most awarded sugar flower makers in Australia, her flowers and techniques are amazing, but she can't model, not at all, she sux at it, a fact she's happy to share. She looks at my models and assumes that I have purchased most of them, simply because she can't do them, then she's amazed by the fact that I made them.
But surely, the most important thing is that you enjoy yourself and you feel proud of your accomplishments. We can't all be Ron Ben-Israel 
I think natural talent does help and makes things alot easier... But with this day and age you can learn anything and everything if you put your mind to to... There is that much help out there... Good example is this lovely forum aswell as books and dvds... also classes you can take (Dont come to W.Australia as there isnt that good of classes anywhere so its all really self help)
I self-learned how to decorate. I'm still learning, but as usual practice makes perfect. And if ever any advice is needed, CC'ers here always give up some real jewels. (like icing bullets! 
) just keep working at it and you'll be great!!
Natural talent makes anything easier. However, for those of us lacking in such talent while making up for it with the love of the subject matter (cake and frosting)
, I show my students how to do a few moves with the pastry bag and show them how to elaborate on that to get various looks. Then they practice and find it really is quite fun! Remember, there's nothing really hard in sugar! And don't strive for perfection, strive for overall excellence and most of all relax -- remember, it's sugar, it's FUN!!!
thank you for all your responses! I have learnt lots on this site the short time ive been here.. like, i really didnt realise there were so many types of buttercream! i always wondered how poeple got their butter cream so smoothe then i came here and discovered a thing called crusting buttercream!
i didnt no about the melting of chocolate either.. i put those leaves in hte fridge then i thought hmmm maybe they shouldnt go in the fridge so i took htem out... i also kept remelting the choclate cos it was going hard on me.. i will look into that tempering thing
i look at all your wonderfull cakes and think WOW! they all look so great and id love to be able to decorate like you guys.. i live in nz and i havent managed to find anywhere where they teach cake decorating in my area.. that would sure be real helpful tho!
i really love to bake and stuff so i will keep trying and keep looking here, thank you heaps for all your great help! you pple rock!!!!
I think it looks great! I love the leaves! I am supposing however that you made a ganache cake from the look of it....what type of chocolate did you use? What does your recipe call for? The two ganache cakes I have in my pics (one I did today) I got the recipe from Emeril and its 8oz semisweet chocolate and 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream. Heat in a double boiler together until melted then pour immediately on cake. Don't put it in the fridge. I believe that can do bad things to chocolate. I am self taught and still learning and new at all this but I CONSTANTLY study and learn and soak everything I possibly can in....then i practice practice!!!! Crazy days happen. My chocolate modeling clay cake was distroyed today before I could even get the cake covered because my nieces couldn't keep their hands off it. So you will want to pull your hair out that is for sure but you just keep going. I love finding a new techinque and trying it!
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