cake list

tier birthday cake

Making a birthday cake doesn’t have to be hard. It is great to learn how to bake a cake for family and friends. is so much cheaper than buying a cake at a grocery store, and usually better tasting. I had never baked and decorated a cake before until my daughter’s 1st birthday. After I found out the cost to make a two tier cake, I decided that cake decorating is something I needed to learn. I was quoted over $200 for a cake with more than one layer with buttercream, not even fondant. Some places wouldn’t call me back when they found out I wanted just buttercream. Thanks to my experiences, I taught myself.

I watched tons of YouTube videos and found tutorials online how to do almost every step imaginable. I was totally ignorant to baking and decorating cakes. I think the most valuable thing I learned is how to crumbcoat. My lack of crumbcoating previous homemade cakes explains why my attempt at frosting was less than marvelous. After watching videos and reading tons of articles, I was able to make, bake, and decorate my daughter’s 1st birthday cake.

I encourage you to try and decorate your own cake if you haven’t. If you enjoy baking, I think it is definitely something you could try yourself at home. There is an investment when baking your own cakes. You will have to purchase a ton of supplies. However, after the initial investment, (which still isn’t as much as the 2 tier cake above), you won’t have to buy anymore supplies unless you want different utensils. Basic supplies are pans, a blender, cake bowls, spoons, maybe dowels if you plan to make a tier cake, and a bin to store the cake inside (you don’t want to leave it out uncovered!). Some people do buy cardboard boxes to store a cake or to deliver cakes if you make them professionally.

The other items that cost money are making the cake. I find that powdered/confectioners sugar adds up in cost, so buy that in bulk or somewhere cheap if you plan to make a lot of buttercream. You will probably want to stock up on some Crisco or other shortening brand as well. I have used generic shortening and it works just fine. Icing gel is something else you want to have on hand.

By Crystal Newman