Hi! I hope you are doing well! I’m starting this page specifically for my in person Cake Decorating for Beginners students. It’s meant to be a resource for things we’ve covered in class and reminders of products we’ve used.
I know sometimes when I’m teaching there is just too much information to be absorbed fully in 3 hours and I truly want you to get the most for your time spent with me as your instructor.
AND…
Cake decorating is a very deep rabbit hole and there are a babillion techniques, products, and people claiming that their way is THE BEST. So many that it can get overwhelming! These are the things that we used or talked about in class and a few things that I have found most useful. Hopefully, it will be a helpful page! Remember if you get really stuck- EMAIL or TEXT ME!
Tools we use in class
This section contains affiliate links, I earn from purchases made through the links here.
Cake Decorating Kit purchased given in class – AMAZON LINK – This kit is a good start with all of the piping tips and decorating items you will need to start on your new journey. After ordering several different kits, I think this one has the best quality.
1M Piping Tip – AMAZON LINK – For Some reason this is one extremely useful open star tip that is not in our kit. We do have a very similar closed star tip that resembles the
12″ piping bags I have on hand during class – AMAZON LINK – Don’t get piping bags that are too large for you to control. 12″ is a good size for most people’s hands.
Professional grade gel colors – Ann Clark – AMAZON LINK – Ann Clark is my personal favorite, but there are a lot of great brands. Americolor, Chefmaster, or Wilton are a few that I can also recommend. A lot of other decorators I respect use Colour Mill, but I have no experience with that brand.
Tall Cake Scraper Set – AMAZON LINK – This set is nice for tall cakes, but may be a bit overkill for a 2 -3 layer cake.
Local Resources for Cake Decorating Supplies
These are the places I know in the metro where you can walk into the store and buy things:
Midwest Bakers Supply – located at 2716 NW 10th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73107, USA has everything you could ever need for baking and cake decorating. The only thing they don’t have is evening or weekend hours.
Taylor Foam – located at 370 N Rockwell Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73127, USA, Taylor Foam is our very own local treasure for making a staggering variety of things from creative use foam to high tech architectural productions- TRULY amazing stuff happening there! BUT for our use- CAKE DUMMIES and CAKE DRUMS! Cake dummies are good for practice, like we have available in class, but also for making tiers appear taller, making fake tiers for presentation purposes, etc. If you need to order, you can drop by and pick it up in person to avoid shipping costs!
Michael’s – Has an extensive cake/ baking supply department. What I really like is that they have brands that are respected in the cake industry like Satin Ice, Fat Daddio’s, PME, and Wilton. They also have online shopping, several locations, extended hours, AND weekend hours. Don’t forget to get the app and take advantage of all the coupons.
Hobby Lobby – Has an extensive cake decorating and baking section, I haven’t used any of their store exclusive brands, but they also have some name brands supplies.
Walmart and Target both have decent cake decorating supplies and are good if you get into a cake decorating emergency- been there, bought the fondant at 2 AM- it happens.
Other Local Resources
Metropolitan Library System – When I started learning to bake and decorate, the library was my best friend! The internet is great for seeing a lot of different techniques, but you can’t beat a book for a deep dive at your own pace. You will be amazed at how many books are in the catalog!
Facebook Group – Oklahoma City Cake Club – a very helpful group that will welcome you. They have occasional meetups and the people in the group are very knowledgeable and willing to help each other.
Oklahoma Food Freedom Act– If you are considering selling cakes that you bake at home, please read the law and know it for yourself. So many people pass along misinformation and misunderstand the law, and it’s always better to find out for yourself.
Recipes from Class
The American Buttercream from day 1 and beyond is actually my Vanilla Buttercream Recipe <—here it’s a crusting buttercream and easy to make. It stores and freezes beautifully and takes color well.
Here’s a link to the Easy Meringue Buttercream from Liz Marek that I shared in class – I also HIGHLY recommend her recipes and instructions for cake.
Practice Buttercream
When you are learning to pipe buttercream, it helps to have a lot of practice! This buttercream is made with solid vegetable shortening and water so it doesn't require refrigeration and it will hold up to repeated use. This is the buttercream I use in class for learning to pipe flower on the nail.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Solid vegetable shortening
- 4 cups Powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Clear vanilla extract optional for flavor
- 2 Tablespoons Water to make STIFF consistency- add more water to change consistency
Instructions
-
Cream shortening with mixer on high for about 1 minute
-
Add powdered sugar, mix on low until sugar is incorporated
-
Add vanilla, if using, and water for desired consistency. Mix on high for 20 – 30 seconds, scrape bowl, mix another 20 – 30 seconds.
Recipe Notes
This is based on Wilton’s Original Buttercream recipe.
Incase You Need to See It Again
Sometimes seeing something done one time in class just isn’t enough for it to stick and it’s helpful to see it again.
Leveling and Torting a Cake: This is a Wilton video where the lady does an excellent job of explaining 3 different techniques for achieving level cake layers
Techniques to Add to Your Cake Decorating Arsenal
How to Put a Picture on a Cake <– this is a pretty comprehensive article about how to do it.
Locally, Crest Foods will do edible prints for you, call the bakery ahead and make sure of the file requirements. Some of the stores are very strict about copyright -no brand logos, well know cartoon characters, etc. (Some aren’t so strict.)
If you are having a lot of trouble with sharp, smooth sides on your buttercream, the UPSIDE DOWN METHOD could be for you. This article with step by step images is helpful! or watch the video below!
Presentation and Delivery Ideas
The final cake board or platter can make all the difference in the presentation of your cake. You can buy them premade or learn to make your own. All I’m saying is that after you did ALL THAT WORK to decorate the cake, don’t stop at the finish line!
This next one is the same concept with more variation and she uses the contact paper a little differently!