What is a professional cake decorator?
A professional cake decorator is a baking and pastry arts professional who designs and decorates baked goods. They use different frostings and other toppings to decorate cakes, cookies, pies and pastries, often with unique designs or customizations for customers. These professionals can often find work in retail bakeries, cafes, restaurants, hotels and resorts as well as catering businesses, while some start their own businesses from home.
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
- Cleaning and organizing all decorating tools
- Keeping track of inventory and order supplies
- Training newly hired and less-experienced cake artists
- Helping bake pastries, cakes, cookies and other baked goods
Skills required to be a professional cake decorator
Here are some of the most important skills and qualities you can develop to be an effective professional cake decorator:
- Attention to detail: These professionals must have keen attention to detail to make sure that their designs are clean and exactly the same. Also, an attention to detail helps them come up with stunning designs that complement the piece.
- Time management: Cake decorators should have excellent time management skills because they must be able to complete numerous designs during every shift besides balancing other responsibilities. They also have to complete special orders and custom orders by the deadline in addition to completing regularly scheduled designs.
- Creativity: These professionals use their creativity to create stunning designs that complement the baked goods they decorate. They also use their understanding of color, shape and other aesthetic principles to make the goods as appealing as possible.
- Ability to work independently: Cake decorators should be able to work by themselves to complete decorations, take custom orders, manage inventory and operate tools and machinery. Since they are part of a larger baking team, they may need to complete their role on their own so that the products are finished on time.
- Collaboration: As part of a baking team, cake decorators should also be comfortable collaborating with other decorators, bakers, customers and managers. They may collaborate with fellow bakery staff to determine the best recipes and designs, and they may collaborate with customers to create the patrons’ ideal baked goods.
- Communication: These professionals should be effective communicators so that they can collaborate with fellow baking professionals and better understand the needs of their customers.
- Organization: Cake decorators must be well-organized so they can keep their workspace clean, manage inventory, track supplies and determine deadlines for custom and regular orders.
How to become a professional cake decorator
There are a few different paths you can take to become a professional cake decorator, but here are some of the most common steps to pursue:
1. Complete a high school diploma or GED
Many employers and education programs require candidates to have completed high school or earned a GED. Having this qualification demonstrates your skills in basic math, science and interpersonal communication. While in high school, be sure to take courses in home economics, cooking and chemistry because the skills you earn in these courses directly relate to being a professional cake decorator.
However, some employers may value experience over formal education, so you may find apprenticeships and entry-level positions willing to hire candidates who have relevant experience but no high school diploma or GED.
2. 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.
3. Earn a diploma or certificate in baking or pastry arts
Attend a baking and pastry arts program at a community college, trade school or arts college. These programs involve taking theoretical and hand-on courses to learn:
- International cuisines and baking arts
- Cooking and baking techniques
- Decoration techniques
- How to use kitchen equipment, tools and commercial baking machinery
- Kitchen and bakery management
Depending on the program, you may earn an associate degree, bachelor’s degree or professional certification in your field. Having this qualification demonstrates to employers that you have mastered the basic skills of baking and decorating as well as practiced many advanced techniques, too. Some employers may prefer this formal education, so be sure to confirm the role’s education and training requirements.
4. Pursue an apprenticeship
An apprenticeship at a bakery, restaurant, cafe or other commercial baking setting can provide you with hands-on training in best practices, professional techniques and unique recipes. You typically work as part of a baking team, perform decorating tasks under supervision and help maintain equipment and inventory. Some employers that offer apprenticeships may not require any previous formal education or training, while those at premier bakeries or restaurants may only take apprentices who have completed formal training and education in pastry arts. Some names you may see for this role include apprentice baker, apprentice decorator or trainee.
You can also pursue an apprenticeship through a culinary industry organization, such as the American Culinary Federation (ACF). This organization hosts an apprenticeship and training program that adheres to strict guidelines regarding education, training and work experience earned during the program. While completing any one of the ACF’s apprentice programs can make you a stronger culinary professional, consider completing the 4,000-hour pastry cook program to get on-the-job experience and instruction in best practices, techniques, cuisines and recipes for pastry arts.
5. Get professional experience
Instead of an apprenticeship, or after you complete one, apply for roles as a cake decorator at a bakery, cafe, restaurant, hotel or catering company. You can also apply for roles as an entry-level baker and then work your way up to being a cake decorator.
No matter which setting you work in, you can gain experience in:
- Executing recipes consistently
- Developing recipes
- Operating commercial baking equipment and decorating tools
- Managing large orders
- Improving design and decorating consistency
6. Gain specialized certification
There are many professional certifications you can earn from industry organizations to refine and demonstrate your skills, gain knowledge of workplace sanitation requirements and improve your customer service skills. Earning a certification can allow you to advance your career, qualify for roles in prestigious baking settings, become a kitchen leader or executive pastry chef and increase your earning potential.
Here are some of the best professional certifications you can consider earning at different points in your career:
Certified Pastry Culinarian (CPC)
The ACF offers this entry-level certification to those focusing on pastry arts for the first time or those who are early in their pastry arts career. This certification allows you to show your knowledge and skills in nutrition, food safety, sanitation and food preparation. In order to qualify for the assessment and certification, you must have one of a few combinations of culinary education and years of professional culinary experience.
Certified Working Pastry Chef (CWPC)
This certification is for those with previous pastry and baking experience looking to test their base-level supervisory skills and refined culinary expertise. You can earn this after completing the ACF’s Pastry Cook Apprenticeship Program. Alternatively, you can also earn this certification if you have:
- Four or five years of experience as a pastry chef
- Completed an apprenticeship through ACF
- Completed continuing education hours in pastry arts
- A specific combination of the three
Certified Executive Pastry Chef (CEPC)
You can earn this certification after you’ve gained at least five years of experience as an executive pastry chef or other culinary leader in charge of baked good, pastry or confection production. To qualify for this certification, you need:
- At least an associate degree in culinary arts
- A completed ACF apprenticeship
- 100 to 200 continuing education credits in courses on nutrition, supervisory management and cost control management
- Some combination of these qualifications
Certified Master Pastry Chef (CMPC)
This certification is the highest qualification you can earn from the ACF, and it’s reserved for those who:
- Can demonstrate mastery of culinary knowledge and skills as well as baking techniques
- Have earned other ACF qualifications, like the CEPC
- Have years of professional experience or professional competition honors
To earn the CMPC certification, you must complete an intensive eight-day examination process that involves high-pressure baking assessments in a variety of challenging techniques and cuisines.
Certified Journey Decorator (CJD)
This entry-level certification from the Retail Bakers of America (RBA) assesses your abilities to prepare cookies, cakes, breads, desserts, rolls, pies and other baked goods at a commercial bakery. While there are no education requirements for this certification, you must earn at least one year of professional baking experience in a retail or commercial setting or a combination of education and 1,000 hours of commercial baking experience. To earn this certification, you must pass the written test and video submission with a 75% or better.
Certified Decorator (CD)
This certification from the RBA is for decorators who have some experience decorating and finishing pastries with icing, frosting and fondant, creating seasonal decorations and displays, decorating using specific techniques and using effective customer service. Education requirements for this certification include a ServSafe or equivalent sanitation certification or training. You must also have a minimum of four years of decorating experience in a commercial bakery setting or a CJD certification and three years of professional decorating experience in a commercial bakery setting.
This certification requires that you complete a written exam and a one-day, RBA-administrated practical test. You must pass both exams with a 75% or better.
7. Consider taking business courses to open your own business
If you have little-to-no formal education in culinary and pastry arts, kitchen management or culinary business administration, consider enrolling in business administration courses online, at a community college or a university. You may pursue a business administration certification or diploma to earn skills in accounting, human resources, operational management and other important facets of running a business.
