My jewelry designer friend Lynn has been after me for some time now to do a blog on cake decorating and I have finally michelle_brooks_cake.jpgsuccumbed.  I have been decorating cakes for about 3 years now.  Lynn’s daughter’s wedding was my first official wedding cake. That’s the lovely couple to the right.  They now have two beautiful daughters and a puppy. 

Needless to say, I was petrified doing my first wedding cake.  It would have been great if I would have had someplace to go to get tips my first time out.  I was afraid the cake would tilt, that I wouldn’t get it done before the wedding party arrived, and that the guest would think it tasted terrible.  Three years later I still have the same fears.  But now the fears are generated because I care about what I’m doing and not because I don’t know what I’m doing. 

Here’s my latest creation inspired by a cake in the book Romantic Weddings by Kerry Vincent.  I remember asking my tiara-cake2.jpginstructors how to get a cake smooth, what cake clubs are available, where to get certain tools, and recommended books.  Surprisingly, they didn’t have answers for me, go figure. 

So, I went in search of knowledge and found my answers after lots of searches on the web.  Now, I’m going to try to impart my “infinite” wisdom to all who want to listen and even those who don’t.  I’ll try to give you tips, news on events, or direct you to books and websites that I’ve found helpful.  I’ll also ask those of you out there who’ve been at this longer than me for your tips and suggestions.  We can all become experts together.  So, let’s get started!

Tip #1: Join a cake club ASAP!  Run don’t walk!

The International Cake Exploration Societe (ICES) is the mother of all cake clubs.  Anybody who’s anybody attends and demonstrates at the ICES convention such as Nicholas Lodge, Kerry Vincent, and Earlene Moore among others.  Usually there are local cake clubs that are members of ICES.   This is how I finally found out about the cake club in my area.  I learned things in my first attendance of my local cake club meeting that I spent 2 years researching to find out.  Plus, you’ll meet people who are of various skill levels and all are there with the purpose of giving and receiving more knowledge about the art of cake decorating.  And yes, it is an art form.  Just watch the Food Network.