I am just trying to find out if I am just really slow at cakes or if my timing is just about normal.

This cake ----->http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=599003

took me a total of 6 hours to make. Scratch chocolate chip cake with cookies and cream filling. Chocolate buttercream with ganache spooned over it. Covered the strawberries in chocolate, had to let them cool in fridge before striping.

Everything was from scratch. Is that too long to have spent on this cake? How long would it have taken you? TIA

Oh and feel free to post pictures of your cakes and the time spent so maybe we can all get a better idea of timing.

I think that sounds like an adequate amount of time on that cake! Don't seem slow at all..With mixing and baking, then frosting, then dipping the strawberries!

The tree stump cake in my photos took me and my mom, together!, 10 hours total! i am a bit picky on my cakes! LOL

I'm sure doing it from scratch takes a little longer, but if you ever have to trim the time, you can make the icing while the cake is baking. You could also dip the berries while the cake is baking .... the chocolate on the berries should harden in the 'frig in only about 5 minutes, so you can get the striping done.

That's the only thing I can of for ya!

That seems pretty fast to me. My last cake, the 4th of July one, took me 6 hours to just fill and decorate. Okay, I do have 3 young kids that kept interrupting me, but I already had the mmf made, cakes bakes, and bc made.

I have decided i am the slowest cake decorator ever. It seems to take 4-5 hours on fri to bake a wedding cake, and then 7-8 hours on sat to decorate the cake. I don't know how these people that book more than one wedding cake for the weekend do it!! And that doesn't include any premade flowers!! I spent 6 hours making the royal icing lillies for the 7/7/07 cake I did!

I think it would have taken me that long in my first year. My cakes that took 6 hours then can now be done in 3-4 and I am about 3 years in from taking my very first class. I realized that I had to pick up the pace so I could spend more time with my kids. I eventually learned shortcuts and came up with a system so I could do multiple cakes at a time. I am sure you will get there soon. Good luck!

i too am slow, i hope and cant wait to get faster, so thanks for the encouragment...
the blue rose cake took 10 hours total, which included 2 hours clean up.