Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

6
asked November 20th 2012

New Years Resolution – would you like to join me?

Hope Paul doesn’t mind me hijacking the Q&A for this!

I have been thinking about the tutorials on the website and realised that I’m only dipping in here and there to remind myself of how to do bits and pieces. I’ve always planned to make more of the cakes but I’ve been waylaid with cakes for customers (not complaining though!). With all these fantastic tutorials, I feel like I’m really not making full use of my membership.

So, I have decided that my New Years resolution will be to make ALL of the cakes in the tutorials next year, starting in January – some dummy, for wedding fairs etc. and some real, which I can auction off or share with friends and family – and some which I will encourage customers to order, to let me try them out.

I thought this would be a great way to take advantage of these excellent tutorials and to build my portfolio.

What do you all think? This might be one resolution I can finally stick to!

JC x

6

Hope Paul doesn’t mind me hijacking the Q&A for this!

I have been thinking about the tutorials on the website and realised that I’m only dipping in here and there to remind myself of how to do bits and pieces. I’ve always planned to make more of the cakes but I’ve been waylaid with cakes for customers (not complaining though!). With all these fantastic tutorials, I feel like I’m really not making full use of my membership.

So, I have decided that my New Years resolution will be to make ALL of the cakes in the tutorials next year, starting in January – some dummy, for wedding fairs etc. and some real, which I can auction off or share with friends and family – and some which I will encourage customers to order, to let me try them out.

I thought this would be a great way to take advantage of these excellent tutorials and to build my portfolio.

What do you all think? This might be one resolution I can finally stick to!

JC x

2

Hi Jimmychoux

I think your idea is fantastic.

I joined the site earlier this year, after attending the cake show at excel and meeting Paul and seeing his wonderful cakes on display. I have made cakes for about ten years (just for family and friends), attending every course at my local adult college, and then achieved my City & Guilds in Sugarcarft. I decided about a month ago that I too wasnt taking advantage of the tutorials and decided to start making some of the cakes. I have made the teddy bear cake, angel wedding cake and used the tutorial to make a shoe (for my niece’s 21st birthday cake). I am, at present, in the process of making the handbag cake, and then will try the chocolate wrap cake. I have always dreamed of starting my own cake business and am also working through the pro membership lessons (which are so helpful). I set up my own facebook page to show people the cakes I have made, please feel free to have a look, ‘Carpel’s Creative Cakes’.

1

Hi Jimmychoux

I think this is a great idea and I would also love to do this but as you say life gets in the way sometimes. However, I think along the same lines I will do one a month as i really think i will be able to stick to this. I’m not a professional and don’t have my own business like you but I do make cakes for family and friends alongside having an extremely active 18 month old and my part time job so my one a month is more realistic for me. But you never know I might be bitten with the bug once i start and do more if I can.
It would be nice if you let us know how you get on x

1

Hi Jimmychoux

I feel exactly the same but like Scarlet time just runs away from me sometimes.I work fulltime and baking is my hobby.I like to design my own cakes but Paul’s tutorials have helped me greatly to perfect some of my idea’s but I too will try and do as many of Paul’s cakes as I can.

Happy cakeing everyone!!
x

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Hi jimmychoux

I joined the site last October and I’ve made seven cakes from the main tutorials plus several of the smaller ones. I’d love to be able to do more but I’m sooooooo slow, a snail would beat me! I just can’t believe how many tutorials we have here to enjoy. I don’t believe there is another site which offers so much + access to the free section too. I have baked since the age of twelve and all of my adult life, but due to a very hectic life, I have never had the opportunity to decorate. I’ve learned such a lot since joining, just a shame my old body can’t work a bit faster. I’ll join you in your New Year’s Resolution, each time I make a cake from the tutorials I’ll post here to let you know. So here’s to it, chink,chink, cheers. x

1

I think this is a great idea. Up to know I tend to use elements of Paul’s tutorials to help me with areas of my cake making. I am about to make up the new Santa cake for Christmas orders and I’m going to use the Christmas cupcake designs for some raffle prizes. Here’s to cake success for all of us in 2013.

1

i like this idea, wnt on the 5 day course a long time ago and feel like i forgot how to do some things so maybe i will join in too and join the group. do u all have facebook pages and websites and stuff? thanks, nicci xx

1

Hi Nicci, I’ll set up the group on facebook shortly. Any suggestions for a name folks? 🙂

JC x

1

What a fantastic idea. I have been a member now for quite a few months and I spend many hours watching Paul’s videos. But I haven’t made a single cake from them and I want that to change. I’m going to pinch your New Year’s resolution and aim to make at least one a month but hopefully I will manage more.

0

I have a full time job too and I think that’s why I struggle so much to fit in the design and practice work I really want to do. But I have applied for redundancy so who knows, maybe I’ll soon have plenty of time on my hands! I think a cake a month from the tutorials is a fab way to get on board and make the best of the lessons 🙂

JC x

0

Hi
Just had a look at your cakes on facebook and WOW. You definately wont have any trouble starting a business x

I too work full time and have started making cakes for friends and family. Wish I had started about 30 years ago as i am loving decorating cakes.

I am determined next year to make as many cakes as i can from the tutorials as the few I have done I have been pleased with the results (for a newbie). I made the halloween cake and got quite a few Wows for it lol.

Have just baked Mrs Jones fruit cake for Xmas and will probably do the Santa Cake tutorial. Also going to make a chocolate cake and make the igloo cake and do the santa, snowman and xmas pud cupcakes.

Also thinking of making some 4″ cakes as pressies for family.
Not sure if I will fit it all in but finish work on 21st so have a few days off before Christmas (not that theres anything else to do lol x)

0

Wow, what a fantastic response! And thanks jb1958 for the compliment! Like many of you I spent a lot of my time wishing I was as good as ‘such and such’, the tutorials go a long way to helping you get there. I’m encouraged to see how many of us have only taken up cake decorating recently (for me it was last year).

Glad so many of us are on board! I might set up a private facebook group just for the purposes of us sharing what we have made from the tutorials on this little quest 🙂

One of the things I really am trying to do going forward is to make the cake at the same speed as the tutorial – it works to an extent if you have watched it once through and have everything prepared (not one of my strong points, haha!). Like madeitwithlove, I don’t feel like I’m particularly fast at making the cakes and this is something I will have to work on, to make this into a profitable business.

Very excited for 2013 now. As we get closer to Christmas, I’m going to make a list of which cakes I want to tackle first. Might actually start with the seasonal designs first as I’m always too late to take advantage of valentines day etc.

JC x

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Jcarpel, I just love your maltesers cake 🙂

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The maltesers cake took my eye as well x Looked so real made me want to go and buy a box lol x

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Hi Nicci, there was talk at one stage about giving us the ability to post pictures of our cakes but not sure when that’s going to happen. Those of us who run cake businesses tend to have Facebook pages and/or websites but if you don’t you can post a picture on Paul Bradford’s Facebook page and then tell us so we can go and look!

You can see my cakes at www.facebook.com/EleganzaDesignerCakes if you like. I started as a business in June of this year after going on the “how to make a profit from cake decorating course” which has now been replaced by the Pro Membership x

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Hi Jimmychoux
I was wondering how the facebook page you suggested is going. Looking forward to seeing everyone’s great pics x

0

Sorry for the late response, I have been a busy bee! Just finished the final cake of the year (at least, I think it’s the final cake – I had better check the paperwork.

Here’s the link to the group – http://www.facebook.com/groups/574718399212028/

If for any reason you can’t join, please drop me a message here (or via my facebook page) and I’ll add you. There’s only one jimmy choux cakes so I shouldn’t be hard to find!

Very excited to start this little challenge (or, should I say, big challenge) and I look forward to seeing you all in the group. Thanks for joining me, I can’t wait to see what we produce!

Seasons greetings,
JC x

0

I did the Reindeer cake for my daughter for Christmas,as they don’t like fruit cake, and really enjoyed doing it, and will certainly be doing more too.
Would like to post to the facebook page, but having difficulty finding it 🙁

Happy New year to you all .
Sx

0

Hi Sharon, if you find Jimmy Choux Cakes on facebook (www.facebook.com/jimmychouxcakes) and drop me a message, I’ll send you the link. The more the merrier! 🙂

JC x

0

Thanks Jc, will do

0

Hi Jimmychoux,
I have just registered to this site and I am very excited! I would love to join this group and I was wondering as a suggestion if we should all have a cake of the month that we should all try then post into the Facebook by a defined date (end of the month?). It can be like a book club but this time a cake club! What do you guys think?
All the best
Davina

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