CAKE DECORATING CHAT FEBRUARY 27, 1997

Check 'Cake Decorating Online' for schedules for our chats . A special topic has been added for this. If there is something you would like as a subject line for a chat, let us know here. Also, you may offer your comments and suggestions here. (If you haven't yet found 'Cake Decorating Online' Here is the way (add to 'Favorites heart): From the AOL opening menu, use Keyword Cooking Club, at Cooking Club, find Cooks School, then Cake Decorating Online...Look for the topic Discuss Cake Decorating. This is our message, question and answer board just for cake decorators. The February Chat subjects are now listed in this area. Do give us your input - This is your place to add comments, ask questions, give suggestions, list items needed or for sale, otherwise it is OUR cake decorating information area. --- Don't forget to turn on your LOG to record our chat tonight: TO DO: At the AOL opening menu, Click on FILE, then on LOG MANAGER, click on OPEN LOG...save it as any name anywhere you want. After you exit AOL you can use any word processor to read it. (I use a folder called chat logs)

"THE BUSINESS OF CAKE DECORATING HINTS AND HELPS" PART 1...we hope that the info we share with you is of help. We've already covered 'pricing, delivery' and how we go about arriving at a fair price....Jan. 30th. Pwd sugar did a fantastic job of lining this all up for you. This will soon (if not already) be posted in our chat libraries for you. We don't want to repeat what we've just covered, but since this topic seems to be needed so much, we will repeat it again sometime.

Dolores' Part:

What I would like to talk about now is how we have gone about to learn all we have about the wonderful techniques we use. The first place to start has been right here on aol. What I would have given to have all this info at hand when I me, I taught myself cake decorating from Wilton books ...30+ years ago. There were no classes then.

If I were learning today, the first thing I would do is to join ices. $27.00 per year (International Cake Decorating Society') is an organization for any decorator. Each month you receive a newsletter full of pictures in color and other news. There is a convention each year around august always in different cities. (this year in Orlando Florida). It is a little of an expensive sacrifice to attend these conventions I know. But you learn so much that the benefits are well worth the efforts. Here there will be about 1,000 of the most fantastic cakes you'll ever see. Then you can also attend workshops, retail & wholesale vendors where you can buy hard-to-find items, authors with their books for sale. And much more. Not to mention all the fun you'll have meeting other decorators. No more sharing group exists! The convention lasts about 5 days and its best if you sign up by June 1st. All information to join is in 'discuss cake decorating.' there is even a <state> meeting held according to each state's desires. Mostly 1-2 times a year. Demos & sharing, fun. Probably one of the most important reasons for being a member of ices is to keep in touch. Most people who have regional classes post notice in the newsletter. Special classes were important to me. It was a sacrifice but well worth my efforts. Ices is on the web at: http://www.ices.org.

Ideas --- we all need ideas for cake designs. There are lots of books, but for me 'ideas' have formed easiest when I need to create a cake for my own children. My new ideas - easiest when for my kids - form around techniques that I like or have just learned, etc. I made a <baby shower> babycake.zip cake for my grandson containing techniques I had recently learned. When my daughter was married I used gum paste flowers along with her desires for creating her wedding cake. Her cake how-to and photo

Do you 'really' want to open a bakery? I have a bakery <and retail supply shop> (called Sugarcraft). We (2 daughters & I) opened in 1980. We run it similar to how you do your cakes at home. We use Duncan Hines cake mix for our all-occasion cakes and 50 lb bags for wedding cakes. Our cakes taste good like yours and are decorated with details the way home decorators do. With 50+ cakes for a Saturday real fancy decorating won't fit into our schedule. Our cakes are much more detailed than super market cakes. But I am the only one here who can do gum paste or rolled fondant, lace points, etc. It took many years for us to build <just> cakes into a profitable business. This is why most bakeries also sell donuts probably. But since I don't need the money to <exist> I could afford to wait. Now we have a unique type of shop. I hope this explains a little bit more into why it may be best to just do cakes at home rather than to open a bakery. With a shop outside the home you will always have rent, utilities and many more expenses that you don't have when doing cakes at home. I wouldn't have opened the shop either, except that my girls wanted to do it together and they make a nice income. Otherwise, I would prefer to do cakes at home. Then I would be more free to do other fun things. Like attending ices, cake shows and the like. I would certainly have much more time to play with gum paste which I'd dearly love doing.

Please pay special attention to my monthly newsletter and the section on 'from a business perspective.' Licenses --- never open a business before checking all this out!!! Then when you find a place, check with the health dept. Before you sign papers to be sure they will let you have the type of bus. You want in this location. Since I have a shop I am in position to know that most home decorators don't have a license of any kind. Please realize before we start talking about this, laws vary between states, counties and cities. More metropolitan areas have stricter laws. Ignorance is never an excuse. There are basically 4 areas you must comply with when setting up a business: Taxes --- I have my lawyer <a cpa> do my yearly federal taxes. Other than this, I do the rest myself. 

MESSAGE: From Carolyn Lawrence..... would you mention that Kansas City, Missouri is having a cake show April 5 and 6 and we would invite anyone interested to send for information forms. They can e-mail me if they want and I will see that they get them. Afterwards, we are having some classes with Maureen Stevenson - probably figures and flowers both. They are very reasonable - $65 for a 2 day class. She is also one of our judges. I have some extra room at my house if anyone needs a place to stay. Just don't bring the white gloves!! 

NEXT WEEK: "You want how much cake? Proportions. You want what on your cake? (Lace points, odd size pans, use of ribbon or pearls)" Synmkn28: You mean mix frosting & let sit overnight before using? Dolores777: yes mix & leave set awhile at least Pwd Sugar: We intentionally mix our icings the day before using.

Synmkn28: I use buttercream icing to glue grahem crackers together for individual Gingerbread houses - great

WSVKJ: Pwd sugar: I'd like to thank you for answering my questions on fondant.

Pwd sugar's PART:

What do you do with your cake scraps? You say what are cake scraps? Cake scraps are what we remove from the cakes when we level them to stack, ice and decorate. We put those in the 3 lb recycled sour cream containers and then in the freezer. When we have accumulated enough scraps we either take them to one of the caterers and he makes cookies out of them. Or use them to make a layered dessert. Cake Scraps, pudding, cool whip, fruit, cake scraps, pudding, etc. Our favorite cookie recipe can be used with all kinds of flavors. It is especially good with the Kaluaha chocolate scraps

Cake Crumb Cookies from ICES article 4-94 by Sharon Briggs

Drop 2" apart on greased cookie sheets. Bake 10 minutes at 350º 

A couple of weeks ago we talked about some info to include on a Brides and Grooms Cake order sheet. We ran out of time. This is a continuation that information. Dolores will the previous chat posted soon. Now you are ready for some specifics in what that bride and groom Want.

I have half of my page from here down for information and the other Half for sketches of the cakes. The next 15 lines are on the middle left Hand side of the page.

THE EXPLANATIONS ................... Any questions so far??? If they don't want to pay for out of town delivery - They can arrange for someone else to pick up the cake. Money is time - out of town is

TIME

Now for the grooms cakes. The next 11 lines are on the bottom left hand side of my order page.

Explanations again..............

The shape? Square, rd, carved flat horseshoe to serve 100, etc. Icing? Grooms cake icings I have been asked to do are choc. Buttercream, ganache, rolled choco-paste, and chocolate fondant so I just write in the info

FOIL__ ? If a bride requests the florist foil covered board this is where that info is noted.

FABRIC___? Most of my cakes are put onto fabric bases and I have several colors. I write the color here.

GP IVY____? When I do cakes with strawberries some of the brides want the gumpaste ivy to accent the strawberries. There is an extra charge for these and this just reminds me to make them.

CURLS____? These choc curls are requested to use by themselves or with the strawberries. I write dark or milk to remind me which flavor the bride and groom want. Again there is an extra charge for these. The price depends on how many curls they want. Piled on the top, scattered lightly in the strawberries, and etc.

STRAWBERRIES___? This reminds me i need to buy the strawberries and allot time to wash and possibly dip them in choc

CHOC___? I note here if the couple wants milk, drk, or white dipped strawberries

OTHER ___? Tuxedo strawberries, plaques, paintings, and etc. And the charge

DUE BY ___? The brides deadline to have her money to me paid in full.

CHECKS: That is the date I try to deposit the money in the bank. At least two weeks before the wedding to allow it time to clear the bank. If it doesn't clear you make a phone call and they must bring you cash to cover this amount before you deliver the cake. I like this taken care of before I make the flowers and bake the cake. If the cake is very detailed and lots of gp flowers that date is one month before the wedding. If it is basic with fresh flowers it is two weeks before the wedding.

Responsible person for cake order ____? Bride's, bride's mother or a friend of the family - if you have a signature you have a valid contract that is binding. I hope this information will be of some help to you.

We had talked about the business of cakes for several weeks and I thought you might want a few detailed ideas of things to include on your order sheets in the future 

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