# How does one go about becoming a cake sculptor? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 28, 2018, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-go-about-becoming-a-cake-sculptor/823639 "2018-10-28T18:37:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2018, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-go-about-becoming-a-cake-sculptor/823639/1 "2018-10-28T18:37:34Z")
Sorry, not sure of the proper term; I am talking about the ones who are both bakers and artists, using fondant, sculpting chocolate, etc to create unique bakery items? I am an illustrator, designer, and sculptor and I also love cooking. I thought it would be an imteresting career change to investigate. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2018, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-go-about-becoming-a-cake-sculptor/823639/2 "2018-10-28T19:59:20Z")
Chefs school? Maybe. I would just start experimenting. If you fail there will still be cake to eat. You cant lose. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2018, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-go-about-becoming-a-cake-sculptor/823639/3 "2018-10-28T21:06:33Z")
My nephews wife is an amazing baker. She did take a course for it at a community college IIRC. She made cakes for many family functions and they were all works of art, both visually and taste wise. If she wanted, I don’t doubt that she could have made a career out of making custom cakes but she only does it as a hobby. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2018, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-go-about-becoming-a-cake-sculptor/823639/4 "2018-10-28T22:37:38Z")
I suspect that it will be hard to make a business out of making those fancy cakes. I doubt that what most people will be willing to pay for them will barely cover your materials cost, let alone letting you earn a decent hourly wage out of the effort. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2018, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-go-about-becoming-a-cake-sculptor/823639/5 "2018-10-28T23:00:06Z")
[How Much Money Does a Professional Wedding Cake Decorator Make?](https://work.chron.com/much-money-professional-wedding-cake-decorator-make-11371.html) > [@](#): > > […] Most cake decorators fall into the category of “bakers.” The Bureau of Labor Statistics classified the median pay scale, in 2010, for general bakers at $23,450 per year. […] > > Many professional cake decorators work as independent contractors, baking and decorating wedding cakes out of their homes. Instead of charging their clients an hourly fee, independent cake decorators set a per-slice fee for wedding cakes and charge extra for special artistry services. Out of the fees collected, the decorator pays her overhead, which includes decorating equipment; cake pedestals, fountains and columns; and cake ingredients. What’s left over, after expense, constitutes her salary. > > Hotels and restaurants that offer wedding reception services often sell wedding cakes as well. These are typically high-end cakes baked and decorated by the kitchen staff. Basic cake construction and icing might be applied by a baking/decorator at a wage similar to that of a baker, but a head decorator can draw a salary closer to that of a professional chef – up to $40,630 per year, or approximately $19.53 per hour, according to the Bureau. [Sugar high: I am a professional cake designer. Have any questions for me?](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/12/my-life-as-a-cake-designer) > [@](#): > > […] Alisa Suzuki […] moved to the United States from Tokyo five years ago in order to pursue her dream of becoming a cake designer. […] After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, she joined a cake studio in New York City. […] > > “We don’t have a fixed annual salary. Generally cake designers work by hours because making specialty cakes is labor intensive. Which means we work overtime if needed. Usually we work about 40 hours on weekdays. The pay varies greatly. A designer cake studio is different than a production bakery. Specialty cake designers often make between $21,000 and $42,000. We do not get healthcare benefits.” […] > > “Although I think it was part of my learning process, I originally undercharged for my cakes after leaving culinary school. I started cake decorating as a hobby when I was 13, and my purpose was simply to make my family and friends happy. When I started this as a profession, it was very hard for me to determine a price for my cakes. Since I am an artist by nature, I can spend hours and hours going into detail. I was terrible at knowing when to finish. As I mentioned before, having a sketch of the cake ahead of time really helps to solve this problem. It therefore becomes easier for me to estimate the required hours and labor cost.” ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2018, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-go-about-becoming-a-cake-sculptor/823639/6 "2018-10-29T02:58:51Z")
I suggest finding a real live person who is already in the business. There’s a lot of background, a lot of knowledge, that is kept exclusively in people’s heads. (And hands, in this case, if you know what I mean.) ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2018, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-go-about-becoming-a-cake-sculptor/823639/7 "2018-10-29T13:35:25Z")
I have a friend who had a very successful business making special-occasion cakes. She ended up selling it to someone else when it got to the point that she would have had to hire people to grow the business. She just wanted to make cakes, not be an employer. She took the [Wilton Master Series](https://www.wilton.com/learn-wilton-school-master-series/) of classes in Darien, IL. ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2018, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-go-about-becoming-a-cake-sculptor/823639/8 "2018-10-29T13:48:40Z")
I was watching “This Old House” this weekend. They talked with a new construction apprentice that was working on the house they were building. She had been a cake decorator, but gave it up in order to become a building contractor. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2018, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-go-about-becoming-a-cake-sculptor/823639/9 "2018-10-29T15:25:28Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Chefs school? Maybe. > I would just start experimenting. If you fail there will still be cake to eat. You cant lose. Are you sure? I might be mistaken, but I understood that those high-end, ultra-complicated, pastry-art cakes take so much time to sculpt that they are stale by the time they’re complete. And that modelling chocolate and fondant sugar don’t taste all that good. Or am I misinformed? ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2018, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-go-about-becoming-a-cake-sculptor/823639/10 "2018-10-29T15:48:11Z")
> [@Cuckoorex](#): > > Sorry, not sure of the proper term; I am talking about the ones who are both bakers and artists, using fondant, sculpting chocolate, etc to create unique bakery items? I am an illustrator, designer, and sculptor and I also love cooking. I thought it would be an imteresting career change to investigate. I suspect the role you are looking for is ‘pastry chef’. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2018, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-go-about-becoming-a-cake-sculptor/823639/11 "2018-10-29T17:03:53Z")
I suspect that the folks who make the super-fancy sculpted cakes that win artistic awards do those as basically marketing, and make their real money from simpler (though still decorated) cakes. Someone sees pictures of one of those fancy cakes, says “I want to have a cake made by that person”, and buys something much easier to make (and cheaper) than the one that got the attention. It’s sort of like clothing designers making custom garments for fashion shows. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2018, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-go-about-becoming-a-cake-sculptor/823639/12 "2018-10-29T17:45:38Z")
I think you’re right about that. Few are willing to pay for those really custom cakes or wait for them to be created. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2018, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-go-about-becoming-a-cake-sculptor/823639/13 "2018-10-30T00:50:59Z")
“Don’t bother to box it — I’ll eat it here.” ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2018, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-go-about-becoming-a-cake-sculptor/823639/14 "2018-10-30T01:50:57Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Chefs school? Maybe. > I would just start experimenting. If you fail there will still be cake to eat. You cant lose. > [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Are you sure? I might be mistaken, but I understood that those high-end, ultra-complicated, pastry-art cakes take so much time to sculpt that they are stale by the time they’re complete. And that modelling chocolate and fondant sugar don’t taste all that good. Or am I misinformed? Oh, come on, since when did having zero knowledge of the topic stop **Beckdawrek** from jumping in with the first reply with the first guess off the top of her head which had nothing factual whatsoever? **Slow Moving Vehicle** is correct in that the molding chocolate is basically the recipe for Tootsie Rolls, and rolled fondant isn’t much better. **Chronos** is also correct in that most of those cakes are marketing, and that decorators earn their bread and butter with the more routine cakes that they do. Otherwise it’s just a labor of love. The goal is to have a lot of rich customers for whom price is no object. **Cuckoorex** , look up American Cake Decorating Magazine online. Find out where to buy an issue. You’ll find lots of leads in there. While most of the paid ads are obviously people who want your money, you’ll find plenty of people who’ll give you tips on how they got their start. They interview folks every issue who tell where they started. Wilton didn’t used to be very highly regarded in the eyes of professional decorators, but maybe things have changed lately (but I doubt it). They used to be geared toward selling endless classes to homemakers. Not aimed at time-constrained professionals. Out here, there are community colleges that teach this sort of thing to students looking to have a vocation, but they’re definitely full-time, career programs. DO NOT enroll in a for-profit cooking college unless you have too much money and want to get rid of it. needscoffee, ex-pastry chef ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2018, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-go-about-becoming-a-cake-sculptor/823639/15 "2018-10-30T11:33:16Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I think you’re right about that. Few are willing to pay for those really custom cakes or wait for them to be created. You clearly haven’t commissioned a wedding cake recently