I started learning cake decorating from a neighbor when I was still in elementary school. She made those big frilly 80s wedding cakes with multiple tiers, bows, and ruffles, and I thought they were absolutely beautiful. I still use some of the tools and techniques she taught me, as she was an excellent baker & decorator.

Growing up, I made cakes for my siblings' birthdays and almost made all of us hate eating cake. They were all boxed cake mixes, but they couldn’t be too moist, or the cake would be too crumby and I couldn’t get the frosting smooth. The buttercream frosting recipe required 6 cups of powdered sugar to be sifted by hand. I can still feel those hand cramps! The red food coloring had an awful bitter taste, which I can still remember. It was so bad that we would eat around the red frosting! 🤢

Many years later, when my kids were getting older (& I had more time), I started making cakes for them. It wasn’t until my last child and becoming an aunt that I really got back into cake decorating 15 years ago. I learned most by trial & error and pushed the kids to give me new challenges. As a note, asking kids for ideas should explain some of the themes (like “unicorn dragon cake” or “lego ninja minion batman cake”). Since then, I’ve learned from many, many mistakes and even some “caketastrophies”.  😂

I love the challenge of doing something I’ve never done before. I welcome new ideas because it allows me to learn a new skill. Unlike those dry bitter cakes from long ago, I make everything from scratch, which is why it’s easy to accommodate dietary needs…. except carrot cake because it’s disgusting and vegetables shouldn’t be in dessert. Just kidding, I’ll make it …..but I will not change my opinion!