Cake Decorator

Say that you love to bake and have some fantastic recipes to show for it. Maybe you?ve been complimented on your sense of style when it comes to food presentation. Perhaps you have a creative eye and a passion for getting things just right. If this sounds like you, a cake decorating business might be right up your alley.

In our hectic world, people usually don?t have the time to bake; as a result, home baking is becoming something of a lost art. Yet nothing can duplicate the quality and taste of a cake baked from scratch. If you?re already an experienced baker, a cake decorating business won?t require much by way of start-up costs; you probably already have the basic supplies on hand -baking pans, ingredients, utensils, and a trustworthy oven.

Cake decorating supplies are inexpensive and easy to find, and if you don?t already know how to use them, there are books or short courses available on cake decoration at your local library or community college. If you plan to deliver your finished cakes directly to customers, you?ll also need a reliable form of transportation.

Your business will need plenty of advertising to make sure people know you?re there. Word of mouth is the best advertising, but it will take a little while for your reputation to grow. In the meantime, make good use of community bulletin boards, local newspaper ads, and other public displays where you can present your goods to the public. Don?t forget to tempt future customers with a color reproduction (the more pictures the better) of one of your finished cakes.

Since you?ll be working with food, you may need to comply with local licensing laws for a home baking business. Your state, county, or municipal licensing office will have more complete information about food licensing laws and what is required to comply with them. You should prepare your kitchen for a visit from the health inspector. In some cases, you may need to alter your kitchen to comply with health laws. All this may seem like a lot of bother, but if you have an eye toward your business growing some day, it?s an essential step.

Generally, cake decorating is a year-round business. Homemade cakes are popular for anniversaries, birthdays, graduations, Valentine?s Day, baby showers, wedding showers, and numerous other occasions. Your creations might range from a simply frosted chocolate cake for a child?s birthday party, to a photo cake, which reproduces a special photograph in edible ink on the cake top, to a themed cake with elegant edible decorations sculpted from marzipan.

Of course, there is always the ultimate in cake baking and decoration - the multi-tiered wedding cake. If you want to specialize in these types of cakes, be prepared to work closely with your clients and create the perfect cake for their special day.

Online Resources:

The Business of Cake Decorating - http://www.earlenescakes.com/business.htm - Earlene Moore has been a cake decorator for over 40 years. Here, she offers her expertise in a series of useful articles about the cake decorating business.

Wilton Industries - http://www.wilton.com - One of the world?s largest suppliers of specialty cake pans, supplies and decorating classes.