Cake decorating is a fun and rewarding hobby that can also be a lucrative career. With a passion for baking and a creative flair, becoming a cake decorator could be the perfect job for you. Whether its making cakes from home, opening a shop, or a tearoom, or even travelling the world teaching your skills, it is all achievable.
Paul Bradford & David Brice at CakeFlix have over 20 years of experience each in the cake industry and have successfully run all of the aforementioned activities within the cake world. When asked for some quick pointers as to the basic requirements to getting started here were their key points:
1. Get the Basics Down
Moist Chocolate cake tutorial
The first step to becoming a cake decorator is to master the basics of baking and cake decorating. This includes learning how to bake different types of cakes, frost or cover them smoothly using buttercream or ganache, and use basic decorating techniques. There are many resources available to help to learn these skills, such as books, online tutorials, and classes.
2. Practice, Practice, Practice!
The best way to improve your cake decorating skills is to practice regularly. Try experimenting with different techniques and designs, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. The more you practice, the better your skills will become and practice will help to build confidence.
3. Get Creative
Cake decorating is all about creativity. Once you have mastered the basics, you can start experimenting with different designs and techniques to create your unique style. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and come up with new and innovative ideas. Feel free to use other designs as inspiration, but avoid copying or copyright designs.
4. Build Your Brand and Portfolio
Cake Photography tutorial
As you gain experience, the focus might be on building a brand. A key component of that is to build a portfolio of your work. This will showcase your skills and help you get noticed by potential clients. The portfolio can include photos of your cakes, as well as descriptions of the techniques you used to create them. Just remember that photography will be a reflection of the brand and will hugely influence the price that potential customers are willing to pay. There is an excellent lesson the CakeFlix Boot Camp on cake photography.
5. Get Certified
While certification is not required to become a cake decorator, it can be helpful to have one. There are several different cake decorating certifications available, but the CakeFlix Master Programme tests both skill and knowledge with comprehensive feedback on each assignment.
6. Start a Cake Business
CakeFlix Family Facebook group
If you want to turn your passion for cake decorating into a career, you can start your own business. This could involve selling cakes to friends, family, and colleagues or starting a custom cake business. If you are serious about a cake business then the CakeFlix Business Boot Camp is a must! So many members have started or grown successful cake businesses off the back of what they learned. Boot Camp is part of the Pro membership and you can follow on catch up, at your own pace, anytime. It may also be worth checking out the stems of small business growth article.
7. Get Involved in the Cake Decorating Community
There are many ways to get involved in the cake decorating community, such as attending cake decorating classes, competitions, and events. This is a great way to meet other cake decorators, learn new skills, and get inspiration for your own work. CakeFlix have private members Facebook Groups where members share stories and experiences in a very friendly and positive way.
8. Never Stop Learning
Cake decorating is a constantly evolving field, so it’s important to never stop learning. Keep up with the latest trends and techniques, and be open to new ideas. The more you learn, the better your cake decorating skills will become and the more successful the business will be.
