Ok, I should start by saying I'm very new here and I check the gallery daily and just stand in awe of all of you. What wonderful jobs you all do!!! Truly amazing cakes.

I just started to get into cake decorating a few weeks ago. When I get into a new hobby, I kinda go gangbusters so I bought an awful lot of Wilton tools and have the 101 piece caddy and anything else I could fit into two shopping carts from Michaels. LOL! I registered for the Wilton 1 decorating class and was supposed to start last week. It was perfect timing as I had to make a cake for my daughter's bday. I figured at the very least, I would learn how to frost a cake. Just simple frosting. No frills neccessary, right?

Well, the "KIDS" at Michael's signed me up for the wrong class. They signed me up over the phone which is also a no no so I had no idea it was the wrong class. This was week 4 of a 4 week class so of course I couldn't join at that point. THe good news is that I start next Wednesday and I'm so excited so they are redeemed in my eyes...ALMOST! They have really really thin bags and before I got to the car the last time, I noticed a hole in two of my 3 bags. I looked behind me and didn't see anything so I continued home where I discovered I lost 4 new Wilton tips and covers and the flower tools I needed to make DD's bday cake.

When I say these are my first cakes, I mean EVER! Even as a kid, I didn't bake so I was just following directions and checking the boards, ordering pans from Ebay and going for it. I didn't even know how to fill the bags and put the tips on but I managed.

I made a cake a few weeks back for my son's bday. He's 2 and wanted Spiderman. Actually, he just wanted Spiderman anything, he couldn't care less about the cake. I bought a Spidey pan and attempted the little stars. I left a LOT of holes in the cake with missing stars but I was able to color all the buttercream myself so that's one for the kid. Well, my son was so excited when he got out of the bath to see the cake coming together that he dipped his fingers whereever he could and smudged the decent shells to pieces. LOL! It was a practice cake and I was planning to recreate it for his actual party but ended up just buying store bought cupcakes because I was too afraid to attempt it again before a class.

Fast forward to last week. I made two cakes, same size square--not sure measurement but a small one that came in a set of 3. One was chocolate and the other white. I used my cake leveler to cut those cakes in half to make layers and then I was really wishing I had a clue what I was doing. One layer came out fine and I broke the other in half. It ended up not being a major issue because I just cut it even and used it as a smaller top layer to the other square. I frosted in between the layers and moved on.

Again, my son got into the cake and smudged and licked and I had to try to move the cake by myself. I lifted it by the wax paper underneath and that smashed the already decorated sides upwards so they ruined the frosting. I rolled out fondant--thinking how hard can it be, LOL!--and cut out little flowers. Because I didn't have a 3rd layer, I just made a frosting bed and put already made candy letters on top and at least that part worked out.

Please ignore one of the little dots on the smaller flowers. I ended up taking them all off and just leaving the corner ones intact. Needless to say, my daughter and my mother were really complimentary and hey, those are my two most important critics. I used store bought mixes for the cake but I added a little of this and a little of that for variety. I STILL don't know how to make the frosting smooth but again, hopefully I will learn all that in class. I love doing this and can't wait to learn more and get better. Maybe one day I will have a cake I can actually add to the gallery. I would love to be able to make something for Thanksgiving for the extended family. The countdown starts...

Here goes--**SCARED!**

Happy to be here, but maybe next time I will be able to post in a more successful area. *giggle*

Cute!! great job for a newbie
ps http://cakecentral.com/article6-Upside-Down-Icing-Technique-for-Perfectly-Smooth-Icing.html
Michelle

Excellent. Just read the smooth frosting tip and I will try that this week. Thank you!!!

I'm not only impressed with your first cake attempts, there very nice, but your passion. Keep your desire to learn and practice often and before you know it, you'll be doing things you never thought possible.

Your cakes are great. I can't believe you have never decorated before...You are going to do very well in classes...

WOW! Thank you both ( all) for the support. I'm really excited about all of this. I know it's not easy and it takes time to learn, but I'm ready for it. My plan is to make at least a cake a week and use them as acts of "random kindness" for friends and DH's co-workers and neighbors. LOL! That way, I can still continue my diet ( ha ha ha) and keep decorating cakes.

I'm thinking I need larger bags of products though. Do you all shop at Costco or places like that for sugars and flours, etc? Buying them all at the grocery store is really costly and you end up using a bag of powdered sugar, at least, for one cake. This week I bought 3 bags, anticipating my class next week.

I want to try the Roasted Turkey cake for Thanksgiving so I'm going to be practicing different things from now until then.

Thank you all for the welcome!! I really appreciate it and can't wait to get to know you all.

Cari

Welcome!! I think your cakes are great.....don't you just love kids...I don't decorate till mine are in bed!! Then I just have to keep an eye on my hubby!!

Your cakes look great!! You should be very proud of them.

Have fun at your class next week! Hang out here a lot too and you will learn tons! : )

I remember my first cake, the first one stuck to the pan, then the dog ate the next one and then the third one I was able to finish after many tears, LOL. (it was a strawberry shortcake character pan for my daughter)

My kids are bad about licking all the frosting off the nearest side of the cake or poking finger holes in the fondant, LOL. So I have to watch them like a hawk although they are better about it now than last year.

Best wishes!

Ahhh bless your heart! Not disasters by a long shot.

I think they are great and if the kids loved them that's the important thing. You'll work out the kinks, just try not to go broke doing it.

I buy most of my stuff at the grocery store, I think you'll find a lot of people on here that prefer the 2# bags of powdered sugar because that's what a lot of recipes call for and you don't have to measure or sift. For the cake flour I go to a specialty grocery store (like Whole Foods if you have one) that sells it in bulk. It's $.59/lb instead of $2 for a 2# box at the regular store. They don't sell it at Sam's or Costco.

I got my shortening when it was being closed out (it's Bakerite brand, works as well as Crisco) for $.61 for 3# tubs, so I bought 11 of them. So far I've made it through 4 of them and can't wait to start using the high ratio shortening that I've used twice so far and loved. That I will buy from a cake supply shop when I'm ready, but it's in 50# boxes, so that's a lot.

Welcome to Cake Central, happy baking!

Congrat on your first cake/s..they look great. You will find many helpful and talented people on here that are willing and ready to answer any questions you may have!

I buy as much stuff as I can at BJ's...Crisco, flour, sugar, powdered sugar and the likes. It's a lot cheaper than the grocery store.

If you decide to do the roasted turkey...I'll be glad to help. I have one posted in my gallery and have posted the instructions in an earlier thread!

Enjoy your new found hobby!

Welcome, if you hadn't of told that this was your first cake I would have never known. You are off to a great start, just remember pratice a lot or at least every chance you can. You will absoulately love it here, so many NICE and helpful people

For the first or even second attempt without knowing anything...GREAT!

Nice cakes...keep up the good work.

Hi, I just started doing this in mid-September. Post the cakes....who cares? My cakes are not the best, but I'm proud of what I'm able to do. I'm envious of you taking the classes. I am not able to b/c I work in health care and my schedule does not permit it. Your cakes look good to me. Post away. Have fun. It's only cake! amy

Nop! Those are not your first cakes!!
They are superb!
Nice Job!!!

Thanks
Nitu

I was expecting something really bad. They both look terrific! Great job!
Can't wait to see your next cakes. Sounds like you definitely got bit by the bug.

kos

I think you did an awesome job on both cakes!

I really like your cakes. Now that you've been bitten by the cake decorating bug, I think you will be hooked.

for a first timer, the cakes are beautiful. I love the colour combination of the first cake.

You're off to a great start Thanks for sharing your cakes with us!

Thanks so much all for your encouragement. I've brought up the courage to make two more cakes and added them to my "photos" here. I do my Rainbow cake for class tomorrow night so I will take pics. Wish me luck!! Thanks again. I really appreciate it.

Amy,

If you can't get to the classes, consider getting the video and course book from an online auction and take them that way. I'm sure you can ask any of the experts here for help in between lessons but I'd be glad to share what I learn in class with you if you pick up a book for the course. In class one, it was mainly tips and watching the instructor ice a cake, PERFECTLY smooth which I wasn't able to replicate. My icing stuck to the parchment so I took it off. I gave it an hour to crust but it didn't work like hers. Also, the Wilton Buttercream and Class Buttercream are different recipes. Not sure why but that may have had an effect on the sticky factor. Live and learn I guess.

I'm just enjoying it all and enjoying learning. It's weird though because when people find out about this hobby, the first thing they say is "Can you make a cake for such and such?" I keep telling them that I can't yet but it's nice to have the encouragement.

I played with striping a decorator bag with icing color on one of my cake photos. I think other colors would have made it nicer but I was just trying different things on one cake. I can't do the dummy cake thing yet so I'm just trying a bunch of things on one cake and not worrying about looks. LOL!

Well, not sure what happened but I followed the directions for Wilton's CLASS icing. I don't like the flavor and the mixture worked the first two times and then I made the icing for the actual cake and the meringue powder seized up on me. I tried to do what I could to rectify it but since it was done right before class, I didn't have many options so one more cake disaster before the Cake Decorator in me emerges. LOL! Not sure if I can bring myself to post the pic or not.