Hi, I'm new to the site (love it) and see such beatiful cakes people post. I wonder, how often do you non-professional bakers bake a cake? I've dabbled in cake decorating here and there for a few years now and don't feel like I'm getting much better. I'm probably just impatient. I make a cake about once every other month. Thanks!

I made three cakes in a week about two weeks ago but I hadn't baked anything since August. Let me say I was really nervous after not baking for awhile and my icing consistency on my first cake was totally off but I got back into it pretty easy. I'm making another cake in about two weeks for my parent's anniversary.

I try to bake and decorate a cake once a month. If nobody wants to eat it, I freeze it. Somehow they always seem to disappear from there.
Lately I've been doing cookies, because I can bake a bunch of different shapes all at once and do my practicing whenever I get an idea or some time.
It does seem to be working, I can see improvement as I look from oldest to newest in my photos. Not as fast as I would like, but if I was only doing cakes, it would definately go slower...

I'm a non-professional baker, but I have upwards of 10-12 orders per month. My stroke of luck is because I work in a large law firm and the people here are my customers. I've actually been booked for a few months in advance, and now have few openings for January and February. I offered a portfolio-building discount for a few months when I first got started, and that got people hooked. Now, I sell for "full price" and I've got all the business I need and more.

So, find a good network of potential customers and you'll have all the business you can handle. Good luck!

We have about 12 people in our bible study so that's 12 birthday cakes a year (with total artistic liberty for moi!!) And I try to bake and decorate a cake every month to keep my skills in tune. Just bring it to the study, they eat it up! I also try to "practice" about three days a week anyway -- take one gumpaste flower and work on that until it's perfected, then make several to keep the skills up, or flip the cake pan over and pipe, pipe, pipe!! I also make hubby a 6 inch cake just for him every week (I don't like cake so he's not in any danger of sharing ) and that gives me opportunity to practice piping and design too. What do they say, genious is 10 % inspiration and 90% persperation (or in my case practice!) But hey, if you don't use it, you will lose it (exception -- exercise!)

I would love to do at least one cake a month just for the practice but it doesn't work out that way (maybe one a quarter). With a full time job, and bowling in two leagues a week their isn't much time left over. On the weekends it is the usual duties to get ready for the next week and if the grandchildren come over then I am definately going to spend time with them.

Wow, I'm glad I'm not the only one out there who tries to find reasons to bake a cake. I love baking anything that will require me to decorate it. Thanks for all the feedback. This gives me hope that my decorating skills will get a little better soon.

My baking/decorating is just for family BD and special occasions (have a college graduation this month and a BD this week) so usually one a month with a few exceptions.

I have to agree, it is difficult to feel that you are improving when you don't get to "perform" very often. Janice

I started off that way...looking for opportunities, and then it just took off. Now, I'm looking for my post-holiday cake "sabbatical." I cut off my order deliveries for Christmas on December 15th and then don't have another order until January 4th.

As you build up your clientele, you will find yourself searching for those pockets of time w/ no orders.

I also have a full-time job w/ 50+ hours per week, and probably put in at least 25 or so hours per week on the cake-decorating. It does get overwhelming, but next June, my husband finishes his doctorate, and when he is done w/ school and gets a job, I'm allowed to quit my "real" job and pursue baking full-time. I can't wait!!!

I've just started decorating cakes in Sept, but have been baking for about 10 years. I'm doing about 1 cake for decorating a month, but in 07 I will be doing at least 1 cake per month for the churche members birthdays. My goal is to do at least 2 cakes per month for the 1st 6 months and move on after that. I may even take on doing the birthday cakes for my job just for more practice.

I'm fairly new to cake decorating (April this year). I tend to bake/decorate a cake a week and either give to friends or let my mom give it to someone. This is slowly paying off - emphasis on slowly
I've made a couple of "paying customer" cakes in the past month and I think once you get a couple of orders it gives you that feeling of "hey, I can do this", and I enjoy seeing their faces when they like the finished cake

I ususally bake 2 to 5 cakes a week. (not including the ones I do for the first class of course 1 every month) There are times when I don't have any to do, and I enjoy those "breaks" too!

I make one a week, because my church has potluck dinner every week. So I don't have to worry about them getting eaten. lol

I was doing anywhere from one to three per week but now i'm going through withdrawl because I don't have a kitchen! My last order was baked a couple weeks ago and frozen and will be decorated Thursday evening for Friday evening delivery. My first topsy turvey cake!

Debbie

Because we don't really like cake, I just make one whenever I can make an excuse to do so- for my bible study group that is.

If I can't (which is often), I just get a plastic chopping board, makes some decorator's icing and pipe away.