Approximate Minimum Startup Cost:
The average startup cost will vary from a few hundred dollars if you already have a lot of the equipment to thousands of dollars if you want top-of-the-line equipment such as ovens and other kitchen tools and decorating gadgets. You can start off small and expand your crew and equipment as you grow.
Think About Standing Out
Theres a large number of baking and cake making businesses out there, so you need to think about how youre going to differentiate yourself. You could specialise in vegan or gluten-free bakes, for instance, or concentrate on childrens party cupcakes or wedding cakes.
Since cakes are difficult to transport, you need to have a good sense of your local market, as most of your customers need to be close enough for in-person delivery or collection.
Stuck for inspiration? Our guide to the best small business ideas highlights the latest trends in the baking world, including vegan options and nostalgic flavours.
Struggling To Get The Chocolate Shavings Right
This technique does require some practice to get just right!
Maybe youve been trying and trying to create chocolate curls like these, but theyre just NOT cooperating
And now youre literally covered in chocolate and giving up hope
But just wait a minute!
As you know, it often helps to SEE someone doing the things we want to learn, right?
Thats why Ive created a Chocolate Shavings Video Tutorial to SHOW you how to create them And its only $15!
And theres another video tutorial for White Chocolate Curls which is also $15.
I hope you give this simple & delicious cake decorating technique a go and WOW your friends and family with your super snazzy chocolate curls.
And then you can be all like Oh yes, I spent my whole day doing this incredible chocolate work because you all are just so worth it! and then take an elaborate bow!
Thanks for reading! Chat soon!
Aurelia
What info are you looking for?
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Cons Of Running A Cake Decorating Business
Now for the cons. However, you might not find these as cons as everyone is different!
- You may have to do some major adaptation in your home in order to meet the specific requirements, i.e. may need a separate kitchen and/or entrance lobby
- You may also need extra storage space and this could be an ongoing concern
- Weekend work. Most parties, weddings and special celebrations are held on a weekend. You may be tied up to meet these demands, however you can certainly plan ahead to avoid weekend work
- You will probably get spot health & safety checks from your local authority
- You need to keep up with the latest techniques and equipment, therefore more money needs to be spent on additional courses and purchasing equipment.
I think the above just goes with the nature of the business. Its food-related, so it has to have the utmost highest standards of hygiene and you have to keep up with best practices and stay in front of your target audience.
What Does A Professional Cake Decorator Do
Professional cake decorator duties may vary depending on where they work, but some of the most common responsibilities include:
- Using best practices to apply frosting, fondant and other bases
- Applying flowers, characters, symbols, words and other designs using piping bags and tips
- Performing quality assurance to make sure all pastries look identical and cleanly decorated
- Collaborating with the baker and manager to determine seasonal recipes and designs
- Creating custom orders for patrons, such as decorations with certain patterns, types of frosting, messages and colors
- Completing special orders, such as large batches or special event orders for weddings
- Maintaining a clean workspace
Related:How To Become a Pastry Chef
Recommended Reading: Gluten Free Cake Recipes From Scratch
Register Your Premises With The Local Authority
When you’re setting up a food-related business, you’re legally obliged to register your premises with the local authority’s environmental health service at least 28 days before you start trading. There’s no registration fee and your request can’t be refused, but someone from the local council may come to your home and ensure your food preparation area is suitable. To get the contact details for your local authority, use the food business registration tool on the governments website. You can also view our video on how to register your baking business.
Take Courses On Baking And Decorating
Before pursuing formal education in baking and decorating, consider taking online courses or workshops at a local community center. You can learn the basic skills you need to get an apprenticeship or entry-level position at a bakery or start your own small cake decorating business. These courses can also help you determine if this career path is right for you.
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Attend Cake Decorating Classes
Check to see if your local community college offers courses in baking and cake decorating.
As well, a few years ago I met a gal that was attending cake decorating classes offered by Michaels .
They offer cake decorating classes in the evening that will teach you buttercream icing skills, how to create icing flowers, how to make and decorate with fondant, and more.
If attending cake decorating classes in person does not fit into your schedule, you can easily learn everything you need to learn through an online cake decorating course.
Meet The Bakery Pro: Melissa Ben
Before launching the popular Baked by Melissa, Melissa worked full-time in advertising. But getting fired in June 2008 from a New York City advertising firm turned out to be the start of a wonderfully creative and fulfilling career. Within days of being fired, I started baking cupcakes for events and one-off cupcake orders I received out of my apartment, says Melissa. Melissas older brother Brian, now the CEO of Baked by Melissa, suggested she consider turning her cupcakes into a company. Eight years later, Melissa is no longer frosting her fanciful mini-cupcakes in her apartment. Instead, she shares her treats with her loyal fan base through her 14 locations in New York City and via shipping nationwide.
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Follow Selling Cakes From Home Legal Requirements In The Uk
Complying with the rules can seem scary initially but theyre quite simple to get to grips with.
First, you should think about getting a food hygiene certificate, namely taking a level 2 course if youre new to working with food. This is a good way to understand the rules you need to follow.
As an overview, your kitchen and premises need to be clean and kept in good condition. You need to be following good food hygiene practices in your kitchen, including protection against contamination and pest control. However, your home baking business wont be measured by the same standards as a big commercial premises like a restaurant.
The Food Standards Agency lists what regulations food preparation areas should follow:
- floors and walls should be in good condition, well-maintained, disinfected, and in a good state of repair
- ceilings should be in good condition, easy to clean, and free from mould, condensation and flaking paint and plaster
- windows and doors should be easy to clean and disinfect, and built so dirt cant build up. There should be insect-proof screens that can be easily removed for cleaning
- facilities for cleaning equipment you should have good facilities for cleaning, disinfecting and storing utensils, including equipment, with a supply of hot and cold water
- facilities for washing food you need a sink for washing food and cleaning equipment, and a separate sink for washing hands
How To Restore Thawed/defrosted Custard
> > Place the split custard in a heavy based saucepan .
> > Turn on the stove to the lowest possible setting. Stir the custard with a balloon whisk every 30 seconds so that it heats evenly and doesnt catch on the bottom.
> > When the custard is warm to the touch, turn up the heat a bit more. Stir occasionally for about 2 minutes while it keeps heating up.
> > Heat 1 Tbsp Milk in the microwave for 20 seconds. Use 1 Tbsp Milk for every 200 g of thawed custard.
> > Add the warm milk to the saucepan. Keep whisking the custard on the stove for another minute till it smooths out and comes together again. Take it off the heat before it starts to simmer/boil. Taste a tiny bit to make sure it is fully smooth.
Now you should have coffee AND a pastry covered in your amazing freshly made custard
Please let me know if you give this hack a go. Save yourself a mountain of effort and waste! Freeze custard and restore it because now you CAN!
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What I love about this technique is that you just use an ordinary bar of dark chocolate to make them.
No need to fuss about with baking sheets and vegetable shortening which is the case when making proper chocolate curls. No thanks, too much effort.
Only problem is that these regular chocolate shavings can often seem a bit skimpy.
Chocolate curls are too stiff and organized for me and regular chocolate shavings can look a bit skimpy, so chocolate shurls are absolutely ideal!
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What Is The Growth Potential For A Cake Business
The baking industry exceeded $50 billion in sales in 2016, with those numbers expected to grow exponentially in the coming years. Most cake business owners start out small, working out of their homes or a small public kitchen. Many choose to remain small and local, content with servicing the needs of their community. The opportunity is there, however, to expand your cake business based on your personal and professional goals. Once youve established a name in the industry, you could share your secrets with other aspiring bakers, opening additional locations in your area, or on a national scale.
Get The Necessary Legal Documents You Need To Operate
Before now, any food that was to be sold to the public had to be made in a commercial kitchen, with no exceptions. We believe that this led a lot of people to start and run this business illegally, which provided no legal protections to the baker or the consumer.
But now a lot of states in the United States now have what are called cottage food laws, which allow people to produce certain food items for sale in their home kitchens, often without licensing or inspections. Currently every state except for Hawaii and New Jersey has cottage food laws, though some states are more restrictive than others, with Wisconsin and Oklahoma having very tight restrictions on what is allowed.
But you need to understand that each states requirements and restrictions for cottage food sales differ. This is why you will need to do your research when planning starting a home cake decorating business to see what your local laws are. You might encounter some of these common laws:
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Decorate Your Own Cakes
I once had a bride ask me to decorate a cake her mother made. It was a hard, dry, overbaked fruitcake that had been spread unevenly in the tin, so one corner was lower than the other.
I had two options: even it out by trimming off half the cake, resulting in a very flat cake, or pack the low corner with great wedges of fondant, meaning several guests would get slices that were more frosting than cake. It wasnt exactly an appealing choice.
Since then, Ive only decorated my own cakes. Even a good home baker wont necessarily bake the tiers to the right heights or know how to avoid burned edges and a raw middle in a 12-inch cake.
Wanting To Start A Cake Decorating Business In Canada But Where Do I Begin
“Is my business name idea already taken?”
In order for you to register or incorporate your business, a corporate name search report is required by the Federal and the provincial governments. These reports are used to determine the availability of a corporate/business name by searching the relevant databases or registries listing any similar or possibly confusing existing corporation names, business names and trademarks. In other words, you need to make sure that no one else has already registered the corporate or business name, or trademark you would like to use for your business.
In Canada, there are 2 different kinds of reports: a NUANS biased report and a provincial name report. The NUANS database provides name search reports for the following jurisdictions: Canada Ontario Alberta New Brunswick Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. For all the other provinces , they each require a name search report from their respective provincial database and registry and NOT from the NUANS database.
If your area is not currently listed, or the links are incorrect, please let us know.
Just click on your provinces name below to be taken directly to the corporate registry.
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Here Are 3 Options For Hand Mixers To Accommodate Your Budget:
- 230 g All-purpose Flour
- 75 g Pure Icing Sugar
- 130 g Salted Butter, cold and cubed
- 50 g Free-range Egg Yolks
- ½ Tbsp Vanilla Extract