Yes it possible, as an absolute beginner, to become a competent cake decorator in a short amount of time. Just one class to be exact! Below is an account from guest blogger and cake decorating novice Donna Ashcroft.
Becoming a Competent cake decorator
“Before going to Lindy’s Introduction to Celebration Cakes Workshop I bought my cakes from shops. Then I decorated them with pre-coloured sugarpaste (I’d also bought) before covering up the lumps, bumps and oodles of inadequacies with plenty of butter icing. The result wasn’t pretty. Now, after just one day with Lindy, I can confidently tackle any celebration cake!
Friday’s workshop was filled with cake decorators of varying experience, from complete novices (like me) to those already running their own businesses. This worked really well because we got to watch and learn from each other as well as from Lindy.
Introductions and then we begin
Our day began with tea, coffee and introductions. Then Lindy demonstrated the basics of colouring sugarpaste to use on cakes and boards. She had plenty of invaluable tips on everything from where to find inspiration, and which brands and equipment to buy, to how to make sure our hands didn’t end up matching our icing (try white fat and real soap)!
When it was our turn Lindy provided us with pictures for inspiration (if we needed it) or we could come up with our own colour schemes. I borrowed a mood-board with various shades of green and spent an hour exploring the process of adding different colours to create an exact match.
Next, we learned how to roll icing and cover a base and cake with a professional finish before the class turned to decorating using stencils, cutters and moulds. Lindy demonstrated on her own cake giving us tips on things like creating a perfect icing consistency, and getting rid of bubbles in our paste, to how to craft a smooth, non-jagged finish. (She made it look so easy!)
Having the right teacher is vital
I had no idea that with the right teacher (and a healthy dollop of patience), absolutely anyone can learn to turn a simple cake into something their friends and family will “wow” over – no experience necessary. My cake turned out to be so beautiful my family almost couldn’t bring themselves to cut it – almost!
We learned loads and were well looked after too. Throughout the day, Lindy and her team – Jane and Sally – were on hand to help when we got stuck, to check our progress, offer advice and to answer questions. I got into a mess rolling my sugarpaste into a circle (I kept creating triangles) and Lindy helped me understand exactly where I was going wrong.
We were also plied with plenty of tea and coffee, mouth-watering lemon drizzle and chocolate fudge cakes and a delicious lunch – which helped to keep our energy levels high and brains sharp.
I learnt so much from Lindy
What an amazing day. I learned so much from Lindy and created something gorgeous. My daughter is already nagging me to go on another course – and to take her along too – and my son has requested a tiered football cake for his next birthday. I will definitely be seeing wonderful Lindy and her team again soon!”
If you TOO would like to become a competent cake decorator. You know what to do…book yourself on a course with Lindy! For more information visit our Learn with Lindy page to discover the different types of classes we offer. To view our current class schedule, visit the class bookings page. Come and join us… there has never been a better time than now!