Professional Cake Decorate?!

In June, I decided to take a risk and try something new. I skipped the summer evening MOPS Bible study in order to take a cake decorating class through Michaels. It was a Wilton's Cake Decorating Class. I was VERY excited until.... the first night..... then I got the list of supplies I needed to have. It was overwhelming. The amount of stuff. I really thought ..... well.... obviously I didn't know what to expect because maybe if I had known I wouldn't have taken the class. You can read about it here.


So, the first night was a total let down. I came home with my list of things I needed after already paying almost $30 for the class. I asked Hubbie what he'd want me to do- drop the class and waste $30, buy all the stuff, borrow the stuff from a MOPS friend- I mean, what did I need to do?! Thankfully he was very willing for me to put some money into this and I found coupons. I bought only what was ABSOLUTELY necessary- nothing that was NICE to have (such as disposable decorating bags). I did realize that buying this stuff would pay off. It may not pay off today or this month, but when I have 3 little boys cakes to make from September thru December, then I think I'll appreciate my box of 12 icing colors and my decorating turn-table. It might take 20 yrs to make the class "worth" it, but if I realize in a year that I don't use this stuff, I'll just put it on Ebay!


The second week we had home work. I was suppose to show up with an iced cake with about 6 tubs of different icing consistencies and in different colors- order to decorate the cake. Preparing for that class was insane. I did it the day of the class in the morning. I started when Peanut went down for his 1 hr morning nap and I still was making icing around lunch time. I quickly fed the boys and plopped them down in front of Veggie Tales so I could finish. I had finally finished up the tubs of icing that I needed to take that night and I had icing made in order to finish the cake. I sat down and got started..... and I ran out of icing. I had to make ANOTHER batch of icing. If you're at all familiar with cake decorating, you know the "class buttercream" is disgusting. Its... ha! I know the recipe by heart!.... shortening and confectioners sugar! GROSS! Each batch only makes a little less than 4 cups of icing and each batch takes a WHOLE BAG of confectioners sugar! I had only bought two and I had hoped that would have been enough to last at least one week's lesson. So, I scrounged in the cabinets and found some more confectioner sugar. I made ANOTHER batch of icing. It was quite frustrating when I didn't even need HALF of what I had made. I showed up to class with my nicely iced cake and learn how to do stars and make letters and dots. All in all, it was a good class. I was thrilled to find out that we didn't have to bring a cake into the next class AND that we could re-use icing (if it was the same consistency/color that was needed).

Its kinda ironic, but I am VERY detailed and structured and orderly and ANAL..... about everything in my life BUT in the kitchen. When it comes to the kitchen, if I add a little extra of this or change another thing up, who cares!? HA! I mean, I do follow directions, but I am not precise. I remember watching my oldest brother, Bubba, bake years ago and he was precise down to the tiny bit of flour left on the side of the measuring spoons. I mean, PRECISE! I have never been like that. I enjoy baking. I will cook... don't enjoy it as much as baking.... but I want the process to be quick which is why I probably only look for recipes with a few ingredients. I guess I have Adult ADD. I have a short attention span since having kids and I do not want to spend extra time in the kitchen doing silly and useless time wasting things!


Third class was all about flowers! I really dreaded this class. When in my life will I make FLOWERS for my little boy's birthday cakes?! Maybe one day when they get married and I throw an engagement party or something?! But that is a LONG way off! Oh gosh! I did not like that class. The flowers and being so particular and each rose "row" had to have so many sides. I mean, all they looked like was little baby cabbages.... which got me some strange looks in the class! A girl had green icing and it was so cute! I could see a Beatrix Potter cake in my head with the cabbages and rows of carrots and Farmer McGregor in the corner! I had my vision!!! But no one else liked it! :) (OOops!) Anyway..... I tried hard. I was focused and after doing roses and flowers for a hour, I was DONE! with flowers! We left with the assignment for the LAST and final class... make another cake, have it iced and if you WISH, make a bunch of roses to bring into class in order to put them on the cake.

Sunday night, after dinner, I told Hubbie I needed to work on my class assignment. He was so kind- he took the boys outside and on a walk so that I could have peace and quiet while making all my stuff. I had already made the cake earlier in the day. Icing was next. I, again, only had one bag of icing, but it was a big bag, so I thought I would have enough. I made my icings for class, in order to decorate the cake in class. Then I made icing to ice the cake. I pulled the cake out of the fridge, set it on the tray, filled my bags with icing and started..... I had a spiffy tool- the decorator's icing tip and a huge bag FILLED with icing... I shouldn't have ANY issues. The cake started to crumble and the icing, when I went to smear it, wouldn't stick.... it was peeling off and bring cake with it. Why?! I hadn't EVER had this issue. I tried, over and over again. By this time, Hubbie was back with the boys. I asked him to try. It did the same thing to him. We were told in class that we could use any cake recipe we wanted- scratch, box, whatever- I had never had an issue with my cake actually crumbling. I've had it crumble into the icing, like having flakes of cake, but never HUNKS! I was so devastated! My ever smart Hubbie realized... I had made the WRONG consistency of icing. NO WAY! Yes way! I had made stiff for the cake and I was suppose to put on THIN for the cake. It was too late. The icing had already ALL been used- on the cake. There was no saving the icing. It was after 9 by this point. I didn't have another cake mix. I didn't have any more confectioner's sugar. I was stuck! Either I had to go to the store, buy more stuff and start all over or just not go. I hated the idea of NOT going to the class, but all we were gonna do was decorate the cake. We had learned everything else. And the cake was just to be decorated using the things we had learned- so kinda a final "review". Ugh! I really didn't want to quit, but I also didn't want to go to the store and spend ANY more money on this class.... so I did what any pregnant woman would do with a HUGE chocolaty fudge cake in front of her.... EAT! No, I'm kidding! I looked at the cake, decided to scrape all the bad icing off and throw it away. I took a can of Duncan Hines icing out of the cabinet and iced the cake with that. Then I proceeded to decorate the cake with my roses and vines and dots and stars. I finished the cake and had YUMMY icing on it. It wouldn't have been approved by the Wilton people, but it looked pretty. There is what I did on my own at home.....



So, I skipped the last class, because of my cake incident. I, again, feel a little bad, because I don't want to do anything half way. I wanted to finish the class strong, but looking at my last cake "for class" made me realize that I did learn a lot. I did get some tools that will be useful. I'm glad I did the class. I wish it hadn't been quite as pricey. I don't think I'll be decorating cakes for a living any time soon, but I think I can now do the boy's birthday cakes with a little more confidence.