Foolish Question about Cake Decorating.

[TheAutomaton]

I am wanting to buy some basic cake decorating tools without spending a ton of money, but I also don't want to buy some cheap "As Seen on TV" miracle gimmick that'll be a waste of money.
So does anyone have any recommendations of basic, beginner-level products to buy to decorate a cake?

[TheAutomaton]

No one! Really?

[kodiak]

That is such an open ended question. I work in a bakery and we put out 30 - 100 cakes a day. I am not a cake decorator, for good reason, I suck at it.... With that said, if you want to learn how to write on a cake, go to you local bakery (or grocery store if they have a bakery), and they can show you how to make a writer out of parchment paper (almost free!). We love to help people learning. If you are wanting to do borders, get yourself a piping bag with a few starter heads. Learn to use the bag! It will seem awkard at first, but learn to use it! Roses, floral arrangemts and scenes come with practice. The best advice I can give you is whip your butter cream. Whip it until it is silky and light, otherwise it all looks like play dough.

[Big Daddy's House]

I am wanting to buy some basic cake decorating tools without spending a ton of money, but I also don't want to buy some cheap "As Seen on TV" miracle gimmick that'll be a waste of money.
So does anyone have any recommendations of basic, beginner-level products to buy to decorate a cake?



Try your local supermarket.

Ususally, there are reasonably-priced cake decorating kits there in the same isle as the baking supplies.

Also, try one of those little specialty stores like Williams Sonoma and Bed Bath & Beyond.

I think that you'll have better luck at BB&B though.

[Whoopie Pie]

AC Moore, Michael's and similar stores carry a great variety of wilton products. Tips, couplers and bags are fairly inexpensive, and they are all interchangeable with other brands. Tips and couplers are usually under $1 each, I prefer disposable plastic pastry bags so that I don't have to wash them, but you can get the vinyl reusable ones for a few dollars.

There are lots of gimmicky items out there, but if you are looking for just basic cake decorating, you can do a lot with a rose tip, leaf tip, #3 writing tip, and a #24 or #32 border tip. I buy multiples of each so you can have different colors going at the same time like for roses.

[Big Daddy's House]

Also, LeGourmet, Kmart, Target and Kohl's are others to try.

[Whoopie Pie]

Also, LeGourmet, Kmart, Target and Kohl's are others to try.

Are you just randomly naming off stores now? Kmart, Target, and Kohls would have very limited supplies if any at all, mostly just some cheap kits ( a plastic bag with some tips) that aren't interchangeable with most cake decorating supplies.

[Big Daddy's House]

Any store that has kitchen gadgets and baking supplies for the kitchen - and these stores all do - then they should have cake decorating supplies as well.

Doesn't matter if they are reasonable.

Also food service equipment stores.

As TheAutomation said above, he or she is looking for these things, but dosen't want to spend a ton of money for them, but not some cheap "As Seen-on-TV" miracle gimmick either.

I've gotten cake decorating supplies from the places I mentioned, and they weren't those cheap and flimsy "As-Seen-on-TV" products either.

[Big Daddy's House]

Automation, you might be able to find what you're looking for here;

http://www.kitchenkrafts.com .

They seem to have a wide selection of Wilton cake decorating products. Just type what you're looking for in the search box and click on the Search button. Good luck!

[Zippy]

Sounds like you know alot about cake decorating! Do you have some pics of your creations you could post? Always like to see pics of other bakers/cooks creations!

[Big Daddy's House]

I'm not really into cake decorating, but it has always intrigued me to do it. Cakes look dazzling, but I just can't bring myself to eating all that luscious but thick and heavy frosting! Easpecially on birthday and wedding cakes.

Don't have any pics of them, but I've done simple small jobs like Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversery cakes. Most of my cakes are just ordinary pound, chiffon and layer cakes with a drip icing.

One of my favorites were the Pineapple Upside Down cake and the German Chocolate cake. Or I just use the comb with the ridges to make a somewhat fancy design in the frosting.

[miseenplace]

I love using a lazy-susan to help decorate my cakes. Place the plate on it and spin!
Even when just doing a basic frosting, having the cake spin around makes it so much easier to frost. :D

[Big Daddy's House]

I DO have one of those heavy meatal cake turntables with the very heavy cast iron stand. Makes decorating cakes much easier!

[miseenplace]

I DO have one of those heavy meatal cake turntables with the very heavy cast iron stand. Makes decorating cakes much easier!

You must seriously be into cake frosting and/or have loads of money to lay out the dough for a cast iron cake stand and turntable.

I just use an old wooden lazy-susan my mom found for me at a church rummage sale. She gave it to me and asked if that was what I wanted to use for frosting my cakes... I squealed! :p

[Big Daddy's House]

I've had the cake stand/turntable for at least about 25 years or so. Back then, it was $65. Probably close to $90 or $100 now!

Bought it during the mid '80s, sometime just before I bought the K-45SS Stand Mixer.

[nancyronne]

I don't know where you live, but in Los Angeles we have a great store.....
Gloria's Cake and Candy Decorating]

http://gloriascakecandysuplys.com/store/

They have an online catalog. Hope this is helpful.

[Big Daddy's House]

I live in Boston (Roxbury), and I got the cake stand/turntable from Williams Sonoma.

[jennlt]

When I was first starting out I found TONS of things on Ebay that were gently used, (and wonderfully affordable) and still worked as though I paid retail. In 1 auction I got cake plates, pillars, lots of bags and tips, pans and much more, which would have cost over $750 new. I paid less than $90, including shipping.

[JMcCoy]

Well how about this cake decorating set? It is inexpensive and really basic. I would think this would be a good starter kit.

You can purchase it here (http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E30B20E-475A-BAC0-5B7097668FF344EB&fid=3E32BAAF-475A-BAC0-56D011F830AD0257)

[ReneDescartes]

Not sure about the tools needed, but when I was starting out on this sort of thing I really found the following product helpful, and learned loads from it.

http://d5b2alq044kmz93-gaubs2yl2k.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=COOKFORUM3JUNE

Hope this helps :)

[Drama Queen]

I agree that Michael's has a good selection of baking supplies and so does JoAnn's Fabrics surprisingly enough. I buy a lot of my supplies there. You can also Google "baking supplies" and get a ton of sites; just keep scrolling through the category selections on the left panes on the sites for more equipment information than you can handle. Wilton is probably one of the largest suppliers but I like Kitchen Krafts also.

If you're serious about baking there is a lot of information for you out there. You just have to know what type of baking and what kind of equipment you need. Once you get started it's hard to stop. LOL

[Cuisinette]

There is no Foolish Question about Cake Decorating :D if the bug bite then is a problem.

I should know, I spent thousands of $$ in decorating tools and I am still buying.
My advice is to start small... buy only a small kit and see if you like it.

To be honest with you, the first cake I decorated was awful, I don't even want to remember that one :mad:

But then I asked myself if that's the best I can do... and I said NO.

Practice does everything.

One major advice I give you... a good and beautiful cake cannot, by all means cannot be done in one day.
So do your planing and your practice, make some of your decorations in advance, before you start baking.