Note: This is an article written by Terra Rodgers of Cakes By Terra. Before I was a cake maker, I was pretty much a gloried babysitter, also known as an Executive Assistant. I moved around and managed the lives of Presidents, CEO’s and various other heads of major companies. While I was well paid to do this, it always felt as if something was missing; at the time I didn’t really know what that was. Then one day my sister told me she had taken a cake decorating class at a local craft store and that she had really enjoyed it, so I decided to give it a try. After that I was hooked; I began to see certain objects and think of the possibility of that being done in cake. I began to Click Here To Read More

I am about to tell you a secret that most people do not know. I have a strong work ethic but when it comes to wrapping boards, I absolutely HATE it. I think my dislike for it came about when my mother used to make my sisters and I wrap all of the Christmas presents. At first it was exciting, but after a while it became too humdrum for a person like me who has a short attention span for such tasks. That brings me to one of my best discoveries in our local paper supply store. To avoid wrapping cake boards, I started buying gold mylar cake boards. What could be sweeter than a pre-wrapped cake board? Yeah Baby!!! Even if it is a few cents more than the plain board, I am willing to pay Click Here To Read More

You never really think about why some restaurants only serve dishes during certain seasons of the year. Because of ingredient availability or weather the dish is only served during particular seasons of the year. It dawned on me last summer at my cousin’s baby shower in Atlanta, GA why some of my desserts should be seasonal. My cousin ordered two caramel layer cakes. For some reason, the caramel icing would not set on the cakes and the layers would not sit upright. I thought that I missed an ingredient in the icing so I made another batch. On the entire ride to Atlanta, I was really embarassed by the look of my cakes, but my cousin insisted that I bring them anyway. I felt Click Here To Read More

This morning while I was out and about, I stopped by Ross. And guess what I stumbled on while browsing? I found some Madagascar Vanilla Bean Paste and Madagascar Vanilla Extract. When I saw those two items, my tongue starting doing a dance of it’s own. If you have never tried either of these, they are phenomenal. The paste takes your cakes from tasting ordinary to extraordinary. The vanilla bean specks will give your baked goods a visual appeal as well as superior taste. Although it says paste on the bottle, the consistency is more like a “syrup”. I have used it in ice cream, cheesecakes, whipped cream toppings, etc. I only use it in the baked goods for my Click Here To Read More

Twice a week, Tracy Blocher opens the doors of her boutique bakery, Not Just Baby Cakes, at 7 a.m. and sells cupcakes to go. Each Wednesday and Friday she offers a different flavor and sells the single-serving desserts to walk-in customers for 75 cents each until they’re gone. Sometimes she sells out around 10 a.m. and sometimes the sale lasts all day. “That’s really catching on,” Blocher said of her cupcake-to-go days. Three weeks after opening her doors at 716 9th St. S., Blocher is already becoming known around Great Falls for her cupcakes. It probably helps that the black Ford delivery van she drives has a giant pink cupcake on the hood. Sometime Blocher even Click Here To Read More

Everything is deliciously sweet these days at The Cake Box, in Riverview, N.B., but there was a time when owner Karen Silliker wasn’t sure her business venture would work out. It all began as a hobby for Silliker. She’d make maybe 10 or 15 wedding cakes a year – whenever she could fit it into her schedule. A former administrator with the Riverview Fire Department, a job she loved, life was pretty full. Still, making cakes was a passion and when a local cake maker retired, Silliker got “busier and busier” and a decision had to be made: hobby or full-time business? So in 2005, with “a big push” from her husband, John, she made her decision. John wrote her business plan and Click Here To Read More

Becca Sanders has had baking in her blood since growing up as a child in Waco, Texas, where she and her sister started preparing meals for their family in junior high school. This passion for baking has turned into Baby Cakes, a baking company that specializes in delicious cake balls. It’s her little niche in the cake business! According to Sanders, “The best thing about cake balls, besides the great taste, is that they are bite-sized, and require no napkins, plates, or utensils.” These sweet treats have been around for decades, but recently became very popular after Neiman Marcus started selling them in their gourmet gift list. This was very evident after selling nearly 2,000 cake Click Here To Read More

If you want to decorate a beautiful cake, it starts with what you do as you take the cake out of the oven. Below, you’ll discover 4 tips to consider to insure you deliver a great product each time you prepare a sweet treat. Removing Your Cake from the Oven One of the toughest parts of baking the perfect cake comes at the very end when you are preparing to remove the cake from its pan. If you remove your lovely cake from its pan too early, you risk having the cake break up on you. But if you let it cool too long in its pan, you risk having the cake stick, which will then cause you to try to wrench it loose from the pan, which will then cause it too break. The trick is to wait just Click Here To Read More

One of the things that can make or break a cake is the type of icing you decide to use. There are 5 basic types of icing that can be used on cakes. Understanding each category of icing can give you ideas and help you plan your next sweet creation. Buttercream Icing This type of icing is made by creaming butter along with sugar and different types of fat such as margarine or Crisco. Flavor and food color is also added to contribute to its taste and design. This type of icing is thick, which makes it easy to use on cupcakes, sponge cakes and other desserts. Buttercream icing is also suitable for use in piping bags because of its smooth consistency. Also known as butter icing or mock icing, Click Here To Read More

Frosting a cake can seem like a fun job, until you get down to it and realize that it is not always as easy as it seems. Would you like to make your own homemade cakes look as professional and impressive as the cakes you buy at the store? You can achieve this professional look too simply by following the Wilton Method of cake decoration the Wilton Method of cake decoration is one of the most popular and standard of all the cake decoration methods. Here are some hints and tips for succeeding with the use of the Wilton Method. What Type of Cake Mix Should You Use? The easy answer is that you should use whatever type of cake mix works for you. The Wilton Method recommends specifically the Click Here To Read More

I just read an interview article about Jen Yates, the lady behind the very popular Cake Wrecks blog. The interview actually gave some great tips that I think you should consider. One question asked her to give tips for customers to avoid getting a messed up cake. Here responses are below. 1) Don’t pick the cake up 30 minutes before the party starts. Give yourself time for a Plan B if necessary. 2) Remember that the old adage “you get what you pay for” is often true – try to have appropriate expectations for a $15 cake. 3) Check out portfolios and references. If the baker doesn’t have any, keep looking. 4) Be realistic with your cake design – not every baker can Click Here To Read More

It can be hard to imagine another cake as important or significant as a wedding cake. When it comes to cake decorations, the wedding cake easily wins the prize as the Cadillac of all wedding cakes. Here are some ideas on finding the perfect wedding cake for your big day. The Wedding Cake Will Take Center Stage on Your Big Day There are so many beautiful wedding cakes all grasping for your attention. Which one will you choose for you special occasion? Besides the bride and groom and the bride’s dress, the wedding cake is one of the most important parts of any wedding reception. The wedding cake is often the first thing that guests will look at as they stroll into your wedding Click Here To Read More

The next trend in the cake word will be sugar free cakes. This type of desert will become increasingly popular because of the rise of diabetes in the United States. Currently, about 8% of the population suffers with diabetes. The sugar in cakes is not healthy for those with diabetes and they need an alternative. That’s where the sugar free cakes come in. Providing sugar free cakes is a great way to build up a strong customer base. These are the best type of clients because they order over and over again. You can become the specialist in your area and everyone will come to you for what are commonly called diabetic cakes. Diabetics are not the only market for sugar free cakes. Mothers all Click Here To Read More

If you want to bake a cake with great texture and taste, you should consider the following baking strategies. These tips may seem obvious, but many bakers overlook these steps. The last thing you want when baking a cake is for your final product to have a crumbly appearance. 1. Make sure your thermometer is working properly. If not, you should purchase a new one before baking another cake. In my opinion, everyone should have a thermometer in the oven independent of the one that comes with the stove. The stove thermometer could easily get damaged doing moving, age, and turning on and off. A good thermometer will keep you from under baking or baking your cake too long. 2. Measure each Click Here To Read More

According to a recent poll on Pollfire.com, 76.92 % of cake bakers have taken a decorating class. Only 23% of those that completed the poll learned the art of cake decorating on their own. This means that a growing number of people care enough about the art of cake baking to invest time and financial resources to learn more. If you ever decide to take a cake decorating class, the following tips below can help you. Participation Is The Key! The number one thing you can do to get the most out of your cake decorating class is to participate. If your instructor asks for a volunteer, raise your hand. Ask questions to insure you understand or to get clarification on a particular technique. Show Click Here To Read More