First of all, I am just a beginner at cake decorating, but I totally DISLIKE the situation that some of the cake decorators, even (special) the famous ones use WAY too many cutters/moulds / tins...

Yesterday I read the newest issue of Cake craft and Decoration magazine, I totally shocked when I read the part of the cover cake - Cinderellas Slipper made by Ruth Wyld. I can't believe how many moulds she used! The cushions were baked by cushion tins, and the laces were made by lace cutter, the cushions texture (fabric material looks) rolled by some fancy mats, and even the shoes are made by shoe moulds!!! The only things she did were choosing colours, cover the fondant and put them together??? Don't tell me she is expert!

I personally dislike it very very much. I feel like the whole instructions seems show me how to use those tools. There are no skills or creativities what so ever. I am not sure whether the Cake craft and Decoration magazine becomes the products catalogues (the whole magazine I mean, not only the few pages inside they already had)? I think they should pay us to read their magazines if they continue doing that.

I think cake decoration should be full of creative and personalization. I feel if you use too many cake cutters/moulds/tins, there is no difference compared with the athletics use drags, or the miss universities rely on plastic surgeries.
I sincerely hope there will be some kind of association will stand up to stop this situation is getting worse and worse.

As a new comer to the cake world don't limit yourself to what you can do. Yes we have a lot of new tools to use to create our cakes, but that is what innovation is all about. Not everyone wants to cover a cake in buttercream, add a border and a few frosting roses. I use technology in my business every day and I am able to create amazing cakes in very little time. My clients are happy and I make more money for my time. Embrace what is available to you and use your own creativity to come up with new ways to use the tools that are available to us. Keep and open mind and who knows, you may be the one to come up with the next great idea for a new product that will set the cake world on fire.

I looked at your photos and expected to see "Out of this world, one of a kind, creativity" like I've never seen before but that wasn't the case. IMO using cutters and molds is no different then using a mixer and rolling pin. I'd love to know how to get lace and other textures without molds or mats if you'd care to share.

I believe the creative process is reflected in the tools used. Give two decorators the same set of tools and you will get two completely different cakes. The outcome is a result of each person's creativity. Use whatever you want to get your idea or your design across. I, for one like to see the different techniques on a cake and see the full potential of tools I probably have lying around anyways. I may not have the patience to produce such intricate details but I may want to use one or two elements from a complicated design.

The cake decorating world is no different than architecture or manufacturing or medicine, where innovation results in amazing advances in the industry. As the previous poster said, embrace what is available to you and use your own creativity.

Here's my thoughts on the subject..... I see this topic getting a LOT of 'not so nice' replies.... CC can be invaluable for information, it can also bring out some very strong opinions, and even downright hatefulness!
So, be prepared for some very strong feedback!!

The key to every successful business/craft, from engineering to cake decorating to gardening, is to 'use the right tool for the job'. Big cake shops that produce a large volumn of gorgeous cakes each week don't have the time or the inclination to spend HOURs or DAYs working on parts and pieces for a cake, when it could be accomplished in mere minutes, by using the right tool!

"To each, his own", is really what it comes down to! If someone wants to spend the $ on a specific tool or piece of equipment, (or magazine) then they have to right to do so and express their talents in a way that they want, and for those who prefer to use their own hands to create their cakes, then respect to them as well.

As for your magazine that uses most of it's pages to "advertise" instead of teaching the basics of using your own hands to create things instead of using the tools of the trade, perhaps a different magazine would be a better choice.

Not quite sure about the association or comparison between cake decorators who use different tools for different techniques, and athletes who use drugs????

Personally, I use every tool at my disposal in every business I run. I'd be dumb no to.

I probably would've phrased it a little differently but I understand where she's coming from. I buy magazines and books wanting to learn and get new ideas only to discover that I can't create anything in the book unless I go out and spend a fortune on tools. While the tools are very useful and they do make life so much easier that shouldn't be the only focus of these magazines there should be more balance. We're losing the fundamentals. Almost everything is fondant covered cakes with cutouts or pieces from molds. I had to go to library and check out books from the 70's 80's to learn how to do all the different piping techniques and flowers. I would never say someone wasn't creative because they used molds. Anyone can have the tools but you have to be creative and be able to think outside the box to use them to create some of the works of art I've seen. I would just love if they would offer us both options

Don't want to use, or buy, the tools.............then figure out how to do it another way--BUT don't even disparage people who choose to do it THEIR way. You have no right to do that.

No one has appointed you the arbiter of "the right" way to do anything.

The saying goes that there's a thousand ways to skin a cat.............same way with decorating a cake.
Pick the ways you like and dismiss the ones you don't like. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with it.

It takes time and experimentation to develop your own decorating style. I've taken dozens of classes & own lots of "stuff". After several years of "collecting", I now go to a class to get information and I rarely come home with new "toys". I've found ways to adapt what I have to create my version of what I learned. I've grown.

Rae

I think your logic on this subject is a tad flawed...just because I have a hammer and nails does not mean I could build a sturdy chair, just because I have electrical wires and fuses does not mean I am an electrician.

Having tools at your disposal does NOT mean you are an expert, How you pice together your work is what makes you an expert. Just because I have wonderful stencils doesn't mean I can stencil very cleanly...exhibit A my most recent purple cake! it was a mess!!! I had the right tools, not the skill.

Try looking at the tools, cutters, mats, dyes, templates, and cricuts as tools and not the entirety of the craft!!!! Its still the masters piecing together the final product!!!

Look at Masters such as Ron Ben-Israel, Margaret Braun, Kerry Vincent, Collette Peters....their cakes command thousands of dollars and are beautiful works of art....each is a one of a kind masterpiece....can you do that?....I certainly can't....they use molds, mats, rollers, stencils, specialized cutters and even self created tools to create these works of art. As previous posters have stated, the talent lies in your ability to take those tools, make the pieces, and then assemble them into a work of art. I do wish you luck and much success in your quest for purity in the art of cake decorating...I will be looking forward to any tutorials you would be willing to share with us to help us attain that level of skill and artistry.

I have been making 1D characters and logos by hand. Very long and painful process. Worse still, the result is not exact. My edible images printer is arriving tomoro. This will save me time and help me produce better products. Customers prefer that too.

I think if you do not like the way a certain magazine is done then don't buy it. You may have to find the information u are looking for elsewhere. With or without tools, the most important thing is to please the customer. If u spend less time, good for u! Your family will benefit too!

I would like to have a basket weave embossing tool. I cannot afford it now. I will make do with what I have but I wont be angry with those who already have one.

BTW making one's own mould is quite a process.