Rate my cakes? I really need some critique...a thirteen year old can only do so much tho!...but please look at my pictures, notice the diff between the first and last rocket...all that jazzy stuff...just...comment plz!

You're off to a great start!! If you go into your profile, you can enable the comments option on your pics so we can leave comments for you.

oh whoops i thought it was on...ill go change it.

They are looking good.

Looking good!! Keep up the good work! Wish I had started at 13!

Have you taken any classes yet? Would be fun to see you learn to make frosting roses and other flowers to add to your cakes Good start!

thanks...im trying tro find wilton classes nearby, but the closest is two hours away...*no car*

whoops. late post...well i have the flower nail, adn i attempted once...adn then i ate the glob. boyfriend on my butt for a week. (a.k.a. dietary pageant coach yay) anyways...thanks, my friends and people are wanting me to like, make birthday cakes and stuff so im happy i got off to a good start...funny story it all happened b/c i went to a church activity with a friend instead of going to my youth group one night...best night of my life.

This is great! I would recommend that you get the Wilton yearbook, it has a lot of decorating techniques in it. You can also go to www.wilton.com for some specific techniques. Keep reading Cake Central and you can learn a lot without take classes. Many things I've learned is from my fellow CC'ers, they are great! Keep working on it!

Your cakes are great! What do you mean there's only so much you can do?! I say through that out the window and go peddle to the metal. You have the basics down for the most part and as far as that goes, only practice can make things better. I have a question though. What kind of frosting are you using on your cakes? Trust me on this one, a little crusting butter cream for a beginner or anyone that just can't get the icing fondant smooth can go a long way. Here's some links for you.

P.S. Keep up the good work. You have great creativity.

http://www.cakecentral.com/article10-How-To-Create-Faux-Fondant-The-Paper-Towel-Method----Viva.html
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-1940-38-My-Easy-Buttercream-Frosting.html

oh i use a family recipe frosting...my only problem is that i never have a proper white b/c of the shortening we put in.

Awesome! You have years of amazing cakes ahead of you my friend! I can't wait to see more! If you have trouble getting the icing white... put the tiniest little bitty dot of violet in there to cancel out the yellowish tint. So tiny... not much at all! Also, if you want to smooth your cakes really easily, read this... http://www.cakecentral.com/article83-Quick--Easy-Smooth-Icing-Using-a-Roller-Melvira-Method.html

Keep up the great work!

a little tip, if your frosting is a little off-white because of butter or other yellowish ingredients, you can add a touch of violet color. It will counteract the yellow and whiten the frosting.

Very nice start.

But you asked for critique so here it goes!!!

In your chocolate cake, you could work one the icing of the cakes. I'm assuming you need to get a larger spatula for wider strokes, you need not to touch the bread part of the cake- ever. This will cause crumbs and unevenness in your icing.

By looking at the writing and the stars on the chocolate cake, it seems you need to work on getting the consistencies right, but I'm not sure if you know what that means since you haven't taken Wilton courses. What that is is how thin (easily you can pipe) or how stiff (not so easy to pipe) your icing is.

Don't make little strokes when icing, make long wide strokes. Make sure your cakes are level; you can cut off any humps or unevenness using a serrated knife or a cake leveler which will cost you about $3.

The sides of your cakes need to be really smooth to give them a nice presentation. You can use a small offset spatula for sheet cakes and that will make them look a lot smoother thus better.

I noticed, also, that many of your cakes are on top of a foil-covered baking sheet or something to the like. There are boards that will make your presentation cleaner and smoother. To avoid getting icing on your cake board or w/e you will be using, put parchment or wax paper underneath it on the edges of the cake (about 3-4" in width is fine) and remove them when you're going to take the cake wherever you're taking it.

Just some suggestions. You will be a great decorator very soon; don't give it up- I gave up at twelve and looked what happened!

thanks...yah ive been trying to look for a better presentation for the cakes, and ive been trying to find cake boards...leveling is still a problem, b/c the tops are just as bad as the bottoms when i bake cake in glass pans, which are mainly what i have. but i do have one metal pan (pokes super bowl cake) that comes out perfectly! If i'm lucky ill end up wiht a MagicLine 9x13 for my birthday and all of my leveling will start. that chocolate cake...that was back in september, ive learned since then. and note to me: GO TO HOBBY LOBBY AND GET CAKE LEVELLER

I had the Wilton cake leveler (big one) and it drove me crazy. Would oftentimes eat the cake up! I bought an agbay leveler, and am sooo happy. Pretty sure it is out of your price range, but put it on your wish list. In the meantime, a heavy duty thread or fishing line works good. Cut off enough to go around the cake (and some so you can hold on to it) and make sure it is of even height all the way around, cross the ends of the thread and pull the thread ends (not pulling the thread toward you, so that it is making a circle and you are tightening the circle). That works good!

what is a piece of crap? That she didn't like the wilton leveler? the leveler she liked was a piece of crap? Or that she thought the one she liked would be out of the price range of a 13 year old?

I should probably have edited the quote; it wasn't too clear.

The Wilton large leveler!!!! That thing is he**!

lol...well put. Thanks for the tip...almost bought a wilston leveler once, then that logic went thru me and madre's heads...so we decided we'd wait on that.

Keep persuing. Practice practice practice!!! You are on the right track. Just work on your smoothing technique. The type of icing you use will help with the smoothing process. Just ask away here on the forums and by the end of this year you will be a perfectionist. Don't set your expectations too high at first. Make small accomplishments and focus on them as your strong points. You've got creativity and you'll do very well!

After looking at the cake you made for the teachers I thought maybe you could try your hand at cupcake cakes! I think you'd be great at making them.


Amy

why thank you!...i came close to a cupcake cake to go on the end of that wiht grey frosting for smoke...but i didnt have a) the time or b) a pan to fit it on.

You are doing a terrific job! Keep it up! Practice is the best thing. Also, there are all kinds of recipes & tutorials & stuff on this site.

To find pans & stuff, check out Goodwill, thrift stores, garage sales, & if your parents don't mind, Shopgoodwill.com & Ebay. You can find all kinds of treasures for next to nothing.

Ebay has already begun my good person. although i had not even thought about goodwill. thx.!