When you took a cake decortaing class, what was the thing you most wanted to learn how to do? I am going to teach a class in a couple of weeks and your answers would be most appreciated.
also, did you wish more time was spent on any one thing?
any other hints or suggestions?
Thanks so much for your help.

Well, I really wanted to learn to make roses. Also, how to frost a cake without getting crumbs and how to get it really smooth.

Stephanie

You know, I think a student taking a course like cake decorating would like first and foremost to be taught that no matter what they think of their abilities, they are never as bad as they think. Everyone has to start somewhere and no matter what, they can only get better.

I haven't taken any classes yet and have basicly winged every cake I've done, but if I had the chance to learn thing on the subject in a class I'd love to learn how to pipe flawless dots, borders, scroll and espectially flowers. I don't know if fondant would be very benefitial to anyone considering it's rarely requested. Oh, and how to prperly ice a cake (learning to start at the top and then the sides, holding the spatula sraight on the side and top to et the crisp edges, etc.) and tiered cake construction... everything else is pretty easy to figure out on your own.

I wanted to learn:

1. How to ice a smooth cake (still working on that!)
2. How to basketweave (got that)
3. How do to stringwork and ruffles (still working on that)

I wanted to learn how to make the rope border...

I wanted to learn how to ice a cake smooth, roses and flowers. I teach Wilton classes and I always ask the first night of class what each student is there to learn. Then I try to make sure and hit all of the points of interest during the class sessions. I always try to find answer all questions to the best of my ablity and if I don't know then I try to find out before the class is over. Good luck.

What I most wanted to learn when I first started was how to ice a cake smooth with buttercream and then how to make a rose. I learned how to make the rose in class, but thanks to the threads on this website, I can finally ice a buttercream cake very smoothly.

After I got hooked on cake decorating, I wanted to learn how to make more buttercream/ royal icing flowers, and then came the obsession with fondant and fondant/gumpaste flowers...then fondant pearls...I list all of this simply to give you an idea of wants/needs at different levels of experience.

Oh, and after I took Wilton's course 1, I wanted to make a teapot cake very badly. Of course, I didn't learn how to do that in class (I learned it here), but I think a lot of people see those "fancy" cakes like teapots and suitcases and topsy turvy cakes and want to learn how to do them.

I wished I would have learned the tricks I have found on CC but I guess Wilton doesn't allow it. The instructor follows what they are supposed to teach, but I liked how my instructor told us on what techniques we would probably not spend very much time doing on cakes due to them being very old fashioned. I wished we would have spend more time on roses but I guess you're supposed to do that at home.

How to...
1.smooth the icing to a perfection
2.have nice squared corners on a square cake
3.construct a tilted/whimsey cake

I wanted to learn how to do borders and string work. We didn't work much on that. I really have a hard time even with the shell borders. But, I keep practiicing and hopefully will get better. I would recommend Wilton Cake classes to anyone who asked. I really felt like in 12 weeks really learned a lot.

roses, smooth icing & swags..........good luck to you!

I wanted to learn how to 'think out of the cake box.' I had some home expierence on the basics, as my sister had been a decorator for 26 yrs. On a personal level I needed the structure of classes and the tutelage of my instructor in order to gain confidence. I presented my instructor with a challenge in that I have Carpal Tunnel & Arthritis. She was astute enough to catch on that she needed short cuts for me. From the second class of Course I on through the end of Course III she knew which tips, what icing consistency, and how I could achieve the same 'Wilton 'effect's as the other's in class. Armed with her special instructions I completed every Course without missing one step. Now when I decorate, (for home cakes only, since my hands still wobble and shake) I have confidence. That confidence is my foundation for "thinking out of the cake box'.

Gloria I

1. To learn how to properly ice a cake
2. Flowers, flowers, and flowers
3. To learn the difference in the consistency of icings
4. That it really is not as hard as it looks, it just takes pratice

I didn't have anything specific that I wanted to learn, but I wanted to add that I was very proud of myself when the instructor would spend a little time right by my side and compliment me.

Thanks so much guys! I really appreciate it.
I am not a wilton instructer nor did I take any wilton classes myself. We don't have anything like that around here. I had a class much like the one that I will be teaching.
most of what I know I learned on my own and trial and error. I have now learned even more from this website since I found it.
I just don't want people to feel like I didn't teach them anything. I have 10 classes to line up and it is a lot when I try to make out the lesson plans.
I probably need to slow down my thinking and realize that everyone will need practice and so many people won't have time at home to even do that.

I do think it is funny that everyone wants to make a rose. I'm not that good at it, but I hardly ever have a request for roses on a cake. I think that would be an interesting poll to do.

What about character cake pans? I don't do them myself, but figured that that may be what some want to do for their kids and friends.

sorry, but another question.

I think it would be fun for the students and get them more one on one attention if they got to choose a cake that they want to make and decorate it in class while I am there to help them figure it out.
I got to do that in our last class and it was really fun for me. I got help on what I wanted to do instead of just making the same cake as everyone else.
I was thinking of doing that for the last couple of classes---especially because we will end the week before Thanksgiving.

what do you think about that?
Is that helpful?

I think that's a great idea. They will definitely be very excited to choose their own cakes and I am sure they will work extra hard to make theirs the best looking.

I have not been for a cake course but if I had the chance I would want to learn:

1.Perfect ways to ice cakes of different shapes e.g. round, square etc. as well as tips on smoothing
2.To make flowers not just roses but the rest of them too eg daisies, lilies, carnations etc.
3.Various borders, shells etc
4.How to mix and play with colours for an attractive cake and for occasions the cake is for
5.How to ice a cake with fondant, again here with different shapes of cakes

I hope these help too.

I am enrolled in a class that starts in a couple of weeks at my local community college. I want to learn how to get my icing as smooth as possible and it would be great if I had a chance to work with fondant. I always wanted to know the mystery of the architecture of a wedding cake. Well, I did that research at the library and here at CC, so one mystery solved. I am hoping for tips on decorating the sides of cakes. I practice on a flat surface, then I tell myself, ok, you got it down, move to the cake now. BUT, working upright is different than working flat. I don't know if the temperature of the buttercream affects this or not. I hope I am able to learn little things like that. Really excited about my first class. I hope there will be enough students to make it a go.

I'm always interested in a better or quicker way to achieve a result.

I think it depends on the students. In one of my classes the instructor told us to bring in a a crumb coated character cake or regular cake with a simple design we wanted to do on it.

I had a character cake, the rest of the class brought in circles. She went over some techniques the first 1/2 hour and then said we had the other 1 1/2 hours to decorate our cakes while she circled around helping us. 5 people immediately packed up and said they would do it at home or something.. that left me working on my cake and someone else who had no interest in actually making her cake look nice and spent the entire time gabbing and pestering me as I tried to work on mine.