I have been decorating cakes for my family for years and I love it! I have taken all the Wilton classes and learned great things. All my friends and family think my cakes are great but let's face it that is what they are suppose to say. I want to work in a bakery decorating cakes but am afraid to apply and show my pictures. I'm hoping to get some good feedback from third party. I know I still have allot to learn but I'm hoping that someone will be willing give me a chance. I recently posted pictures on this website.

I think your cakes look good. I'm not really familiar with what bakeries are looking for, but it can't hurt to ask. You could just show them your work, and if they like it, great, if not, ask them what more they are looking for and work on that.

It looks like you've got a good handle on the things you've learned from the Wilton courses, good stuff. But the Wilton style is very recognizable and specific, so (depending on what types of bakery you want to work at) it may be of benefit for you to learn a broader range of techniques and styles. In such a competitive industry, versatility will come in handy!

I say try to apply to every place you can think of!! Your cakes look good to me. I have been decorating for a long time also and wish that I could sum up the courage to apply somewhere. I guess that if you are not confident in your work it may hold you back but your fondant work looks nice and smooth! I wish you the best of luck, I think if you try you may succeed!

Go for it!!!! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. When I was taking the Wilton classes there were 2 women there who worked in a supermarket bakery and they said the classes standards were much higher than what their employers required. Your work is already good and will only improve with experience. Good luck!!!

Thank you guys for your suggestions and encouragement. I really feel like I can do it if someone will give me the opportunity.

Your cakes look great! If you're looking to work in a specialty bakery, you've got great potential in becoming hired.

I didn't see any writing, buttercream roses or buttercream decorations and that would be a requirement (read as highly desired skills to possess) if looking to be hired on at a grocery store or large chain type bakery.

(Lemme go look again...maybe I missed those...)

ETA: My bad! I see those things now...go for it!

Agree with All4Cake. I didn't see much buttercream techniques. If you walk into our bakery, we are going to have you ice a cake to see how good and how long it takes, then we want to see your writing, scrollwork, roses and your butter work. If you are a new decorator, you will not be touching fondant for a lonnnnnng time. That's just our place. Others may have different procedures. I would build up your (buttercream) portfolio and technique then go for it! We like to see pictures of potential new decorators. Good luck!

My company was recently looking to hire a second cake decorator as our current full time decorator is going to be out of office for a few months. The submissions we received were not nearly as well executed as the photos you posted here. You should be proud of your skills.

I would agree with continuing to study various styles to broaden your personal range, but I wouldn't hesitate to apply for positions based on the skills you have now. You have a great foundation and the position you get may allow you to try new techniques as you go. You should be confident, you do very good work.

I think the best thing you can do for yourself would be to build a professional looking (clean, organized) portfolio that you're confident about and a resume that highlights past experience that lends itself well to a bakery environment, even down to customer service, leadership skills, organizational skills, detail oriented execution, food safety training, etc. Approach potential employers prepared to tell them how you can help enrich their business, rather than pleading for a chance based on your lack of professional experience. Also, apply to the places you'd like to be working, not just the places that have openly said they're hiring. You never know where it will benefit you to have a foot in the door.

I would say go for it..... sadly i live in a town that does not even have a bakery and the one in our grocery store is no good. Alot of their cakes fall apart and sometimes when cakes are ordered they ummm forget to make them. I wish i had the oppertunity to work in a bakery........ I would really love to open a bakery in my town I think it would get alot of business.

Go for it!

But I just want to say, having just gone through hiring for my bake shop, that not every position in a cake shop is a decorating position. I am having a terrible time getting people because every body wants to decorate and no one wants to do the other things. I need all positions, so I have had to be a little tough and tell people you are not going to get to decorate right away. That you are hired to do a variety of jobs and decorating may or may not be one of them, but most likely will not be that job right now. I have myself and two other people who decorate right now. However as business grows or people leave positions do get filled. Just don't position yourself as only a decorator unless the job specifically says that position only.

There is one place that has a position like that that I heard about, but it was only very part time decorating the cakes, given that some bakeries it is not the only thing they sell, such as the one I heard of. They do it all from breads to canolis. So each place will vary in how much decorating you will do.

I got hired at a place as a cake decorator and did everything but decorating after about two weeks in the job. It was a bait and switch, but she knew that was the only way she was going to get good people apply, so beware of that also.

Omg! You guys are awesome! I can't believe the valuable suggestions offered here! I have one buttercream cake posted. It was the white cake. Buttercream is actually what I can do best. I love making roses! I will definitely make some of those to add to portfolio ! I assumed that employers would prefer to see the other stuff. I can do borders well and other flowers. I have not tried scroll work.

I was unsure of my skill level for employment as a decorator. I have been a stay at home mom for 19 years. This something that I really love doing.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!For all the encouragement!

I am currently hiring and yes, I will expect the decorator to bake and do whatever it takes to keep the business going. I expect everyone to be part of a team and a "not my job" attitude is not the path to success.

We are also looking for speed. If it takes you several hours to complete a buttercream cake, you are costing me money. A 1/4 sheet cake should not take longer than 1/2 hr. and that would still be considered slow. Not including baking, of course.

Owners are also looking for character and personality. I don't care how good you are. If you are a pita, I don't need you. You should be in good physical shape because you will be on your feet for a long, long time. Making roses is a rudimentary skill of course, but demonstrate that you can knock out a Winbeckler b/c orchid in 30 seconds and you will stand out from your competition.

Go for it! And good luck!

Well I finally got the opportunity to interview for my first cake decorator job! I will also mention at the place where I want to work and I can see myself there! They are so nice! But it was a disaster! I had to cut to layers and frost ! Not hard right done it a hundred times! However I guess they didn't like how I was doing it because they kept interrupting to give me suggestions. That was it and when I was done they said thank you will talk and give you a call. I'm so confessed on what they felt I was doing wrong. Is that even normal? Cried the rest of the day! I was only there for 30 minutes. Not icing cake for 30 minutes!
So all you bakery owners out there, was this a bad sign?

Well the answer is NO I'm not ready! They said I need more experience

......hired at a place as a cake decorator and did everything but decorating after about two weeks in the job. It was a bait and switch....
.......not every position in a cake shop is a decorating position. ......
.......will expect the decorator to bake and do whatever it takes to keep the business going......


This happened to me years ago also. It was a grocery store and I ended up having to start work at 4 a.m frying donuts! When one is hired to be a decorator they expect *some* other work to be done (at least I did) but when it turns into a donut fryer and putting fzn purchased dough on baking pans all day until 1 hour before your shift is up * then* you are expected to produce something like a dozen decorated cakes which are put into a fzr for a week - *that's* not decorator work in my book
I agree w/the poster it's baite and switch.

............They said I need more experience...........

*To do things *their* way* maybe so.
Not sure exactly what they had you doing but maybe you can now practice what they suggested and for the next interview yoiu will be that much fartheer ahead

ok...i've seen your pictures and to tell you the truth...you are a lot better than some of the decorators i've seen in some of the grocery stores. i wish i had a picture of my son's cake that i bought at a grocery store years ago. it looked like a two year old did it. have confidence in yourself...and go for it!

I'm sorry that your bench test was so upsetting. I have done them before for prospective employees and I really think they should stay out of your hair and let you show what you can do in your own way UNLESS you are doing something really wrong (like crooked, torn up layers) and not just a difference of how you hold the knife or something. You might need more experience (I don't know), but don't give up. See if you can take anything away from the corrections they were giving you, practice (I do like the previous suggestion of building a buttercream portfolio), and keep applying at different places.

30 minutes included the verbal interview and 5 minutes of cake going in fridge for set up before final layer. Its time to move on to the next one:/