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Topic Title: How to get into the cake decorating business? Created On Mon Jan 23, 2006 10:46 AM Topic View: Branch View Threaded (All Messages) Threaded (Single Messages) Linear

denaann Posts: 26	Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2004 1:35 PM I have only made one cake, but it was my own wedding cake & I am very proud of the way it turned out. It was a very unstressful & wonderful experience. I enjoyed it so much that I would love to get into the business. Anyone got any pointers for a novice???? Please help. Thanks!!! denaann Here's a picture of my wedding cake. wedding0021.jpg  (16 KB)
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peg Posts: 1353	Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2004 2:10 PM Very nice!! First you have to decide how into the business you really want to get. Wedding cakes can take over your life, and if you are newly married you may not want to attack it full time. If you just want to do the occasional cake then you should volunteer for any you wish to make, soon people will be calling you for your work.
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jbowker Posts: 314

Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2004 2:40 PM Very nice cake. Before you jump into the business, you need to find out how to legally bake and sell from your home. In some areas the fines are very steep, if you are not licensed for home baking. You can start with your local health department. There are several discussions about starting new business here in the forums. Go to search and enter new business or starting out and you will get lots of additional information.

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Moydear77 Posts: 1629

Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2004 2:40 PM Depending on what your doing some cakes need to be licensed. This means you need to have a commercial kitchen that meets with the city and county heath regulations. Now if your friend ask you to do a cake for a party at home this is not necessary. Most of the wedding cakes that I have done need to be licensed. I work with someone in the business so I can work under his license. I do want to eventually start my own Cakery with a commercial grade kitchen built onto my new home so cross your fingers! MaryAnn moydear77@yahoo.com P.S. Great Cake!

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kktings Posts: 6

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2004 3:54 PM Hey Denaann, I took a look at your picture and you did a wonderful job! It certainly looks like you have the talent to get into the business. I used to have a home based cake decorating business, and found it to be both fun and challenging. I have lots of new and used equipment (pans, pillars etc.) that are collecting dust now that I'm not doing wedding cakes anymore. Drop me a line if you would be interested in some equipment that will get you started. Thanks and good luck, Karen kktings@yahoo.com

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denaann Posts: 26	Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2004 10:49 AM kktings, Thanks for the offer, I may be interested and I'll let you know. How did you get started in the business?
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kktings Posts: 6

Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2004 7:52 PM Hi Denaann....I got started in the business because I wanted to be a stay at home mom...I always liked to bake and cook, so I figured it was a good way to do both...I took the Wilton cake decorating courses (all 3 of them) at my local Michaels store and started off making cakes for family and friends. My first big wedding cake was for my best friend. It turned out great and I got alot of compliments. It just kind of took off from there.

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dberkele Posts: 3

Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 6:12 AM Hi: I'm currently a Wilton Method Instructor and I am also new to the forum. Denaann, you did excellent work on that wedding cake. Like yourself, I am also interested in becoming a licenced cake decorator. I say to you, Go For It! That wedding cake shows that you have what it takes. I have done several cakes for friends. Some cakes for birthdays and christenings. I've also done several weddings. Just completed one 2 weeks ago. I am currently doing some research on how to become licensed. I saw kktings' response to you, which inspired me because I started out the same way. I also want my next home to have a second commercialized kitchen. I am glad to see that I'm not alone in that thought because I've mentioned this to a few friends and they all think I'm nuts. That's ok though because they can't see my vision the way I do. :-)

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LHorton Posts: 10

Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 10:24 AM Denaann- All I can say is WOW! I've been a professional cake decorator for over 15 years and have been in business for myself for over 5 now. I can tell you this, most likely it will be very expensive to get started, as most states have very specific laws about how your kitchen will be set up. Also, it will consume your entire life for a couple of years until things even out. There will be no weekend trips because our business is the weekends. Every Friday night preparing and every Saturday shuttling cakes around town! Don't get me wrong, I love and I would encourage anyone to give it a try, just think long and hard about what you're getting into before you get into it "whole-hog". You may want to start by working at a supermarket or bakery in town to get the feel for commercial baking and decorating, then you would really know if it's something you want to do 24-7. You definitely have the talent, that's a no-brainer! Congrats on the wedding! Lori

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Lura Posts: 73

Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 10:25 AM denaann, My suggestion is to just do weddings, anniversary and graduation cakes. I have been decorating cakes for 18 years and early on I did them all. What I found was that birthday cakes are very time consuming and not worth the time and money you get for them. Just my opinion! I try to stick to bigger events, I find it more worth my time. Once you have done a few cakes word of mouth will take care of the rest for you. You can be as busy as you want!! The nice thing is you can decide when and what you want to do. I try to make sure I put everything on my calendar for my own family as I have missed a few events (my brother's wedding) as I already had a commitment to do a wedding cake and he planned his wedding on short notice!! Anyway it is up to you how much and what you do. By the looks of your cake (I must say it is just stunning!) you will have no problem in the cake business!!! Lura @ toothfixer@opencominc.com

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dessertfirst Posts: 101	Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 4:11 PM denaann, You did a beautiful job on your wedding cake. I say, if after doing a cake as lovely as that, you feel as you do, then doing it regularly would be a good idea. Best of everything to ya! jeanne
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denaann Posts: 26

Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 4:12 PM Thank you so much for all of your encouragement and advice!!! Thank you for the compliments on my wedding cake...I was very pleased with it. In fact, it turned out even better than I figured it would. I've already got plans to do a wedding shower cake and a wedding cake in May. So, here goes! Thanks again! Oh, and does anyone know anyone who does business out of their home, but doesn't have an "official" business? I know I could not have a commercial kitchen right now, but I still want to pursue this "cake dream". Is this a major no-no?

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jbowker Posts: 314	Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2005 9:53 AM In most states, if you sell home baked goods from your home, you must have an inspected & licensed kitchen. If you get caught selling without a license, you can be fined. In some places the fine is as much as $2500.
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lakesusie Posts: 402	Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2005 5:23 PM Your cake is beautiful. Where did you get that spiral pattern? I have a customer interested in a spiral pattern.
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denaann Posts: 26	Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2005 8:05 PM I piped buttercream on fondant in a spiral pattern. I wondered how that effect was done too. I saw in the book Whimsical Bakehouse that you can do the spirals with confectioners chocolate (chocolate relief method). I'm going to try to this next time. I hope this helps!
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romobabies Posts: 1	Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2006 10:46 AM Hi,kktings, I'm also a stay at home mom and I'm looking into starting my own business. Do you think you could give me a few pointers because I have no clue where to start. Also, if you know where I could buy startup equipment I'd very much appreciative.
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