Decorating picture-perfect cakes is top of many of our lists but where to start? We’ve selected a baker’s dozen cake decorating courses, both online and in person (UK) to help you get started or hone your growing skills learned watching 10 series of The Great British Bake Off. Whether it’s buttercream ruffles or fondant flowers that gets you excited, these courses will get your creative juices flowing.
Also available now is a brand-new collection of cake decorating tutorials and recipes to have to hand next time you get your bake on. The Complete Guide to Cake Decorating brings together some of the best talents of the baking and cake decorating world to share their inspiration and expertise. Whether you want to get to grips with crumb coating, drip cakes, fondant flowers, modelled toppers or buttercream ruffles, this super-helpful guide will take you through the basics and beyond! We also chat with our guest experts, including Peggy Porschen, Mich Turner and Mr Baker (Mr Baker’s Cakes) about their experiences and future plans and share recipes from Great British Bake Off finalists Kim Joy, Edd Kimber and Nancy Birtwhistle.
Order your print edition now for £9.99 from www.buysubscriptions.com/craftspecial (free UK P&P) or download the zingy digital edition via special editions in the Mollie Makes app or from www.zinio.com.
Best cake decorating courses
1 Joshua John Russell – Baking, Buttercreams & Beyond
Online, $29.99 (£22 approx)
Ready to take your cake game to the next level? Joshua John Russell, award-winning cake designer and star of the YouTube show ‘Man About Cake’ shares his secrets to achieving tasty fillings and sturdy tiered cakes, decorated to perfection. Learn how to create a watercolour effect in buttercream, get tips for working with mirror glaze, ganache and more.
Book the cake decorating course
2 Sugar Figure Modelling at The London Cake Academy
Online and in person, £49.99
As well as being lots of fun, this is a great way to improve your sugar modelling skills or learn a new craft from scratch! Lasting around 4.5 to 6 hours in total, the tutorials will be pre-recorded, but run in a live-stream fashion, teaching you how to create stunning figures. They also offer a number of in-person courses at their studio in Queens Park, close to the heart of central London.
Book the cake decorating course
3 The Wilton Method on Creative Bug
Online only, subscription-based $7.95 per month
This four-part cake decorating course from the experts at Wilton is a thorough video introduction to cake decorating basics, including buttercream piping, fondant designs and royal icing flowers. If you continue the subscription there are many more cookie and cake courses, as well as a whole host of other crafts.
Book the cake decorating course
4 Gourmet Cupcakes – Geode Crystal Cake Course
In person, 27th February, £95
Fun yet informative baking and decorating classes in Essex for beginners and beyond. From piping masterclasses and drip cakes to an airbrushing cactus pot cake class, you can choose a course to suit you. The Geode cake class shows you how to make rock formation shapes from ready provided sponge cakes, creating a stunning crystal geode effect. Bespoke private tuition is also available.
Book the cake decorating course
5 Art By Purnima
Online, £75
Purnima is a creative craft enthusiast with a strong background in art and design. As well as a skilled artist, she is also a sugarcraft expert, offering four-week courses online via Zoom. Suitable for complete beginners and improvers who would like to create decorations for their cakes using edible sugarpaste, you will be taught live by Purnima, with step-by-step demonstrations.
Book the cake decorating course
6 The Cake College – Beginner’s Masterclass
In person, 8th-11th June 2023, £475
The Cake College holds baking and cake decorating classes suitable for all levels, in the relaxed setting of their beautiful oak framed building in Berkshire. Their Beginner’s Masterclass course covers all skills needed to create a stunning dessert table and is aimed at complete beginners or those who perhaps have some knowledge of cake decoration, but would like to expand their skills.
Book the cake decorating course
7 All About Cakes on Udemy
Online, from £15.99
Online learning website Udemy features a range of cake decorating courses for a one-off fee, including All About Cakes by Meytal Limony, which features over five hours of video tuition and downloadable resources. This course covers the basics from baking to filling to decorating using three practical and delicious examples – a watercolor cake, naked cake and fault-line cake. At the end of the course, you’ll receive a certificate of completion and options to explore more of the courses on offer.
Book the cake decorating course
8 Avalon Cakes – Octopus Cake Tutorial
Online, $59.99 (£44 approx)
Avalon Yarnes’ goal is to provide new and fresh designs, techniques and information to bring your cake experience to the next level. Make an incredible multi-coloured Octopus cake in this step-by-step video tutorial. Learn how to stack, carve and ice this amazing creation, including creating an internal structure and armature, followed by stunning unique textures and rainbow colouring.
Book the cake decorating course
9 Cakes by Lynz
Online, free
Set up by avid baker Lynsey Jackson in 2011, CakesbyLynz is a fabulous YouTube channel with over 150 brilliant video tutorials, sharing all the insider decorating tips and tricks that Lynsey learnt and adapted along her cake making journey. From all the basics, to ruffle cupcake piping techniques and more advanced marble effect fondant and sugarpaste decorations, there’s a tutorial for everyone – plus, they’re all totally free!
Find the cake decorating course
10 Painting on Cake by Winny, Skillshare
Online, subscription-based
Learn how to paint onto fondant icing in this course by Winny, who shows learners the basics of painting with the beautiful example of a cherry blossom design. Learn about food colourings and get plenty of practice before creating a finished piece. Winny and other cake experts offer more courses on Skillshare to browse.
Find the cake decorating course
11 Marianne Bakes - Vegan Baking & Buttercream
Online and in person, enquire for prices
Marianne Stewart is a Cordon Bleu-trained pastry chef, with 13 years of experience in pastry and wedding cake kitchens. Based in Bristol, she teaches private courses to both budding and experienced bakers. Launching in March, Marianne’s online Vegan Baking & Buttercream Course includes techniques to take your vegan cake craft skills to the next level.
Book the cake decorating course
12 Rosie Cake Diva - Castle Cake Techniques
Online, $29.99 (£22 approx)
Multi award-winning cake artist, Rosie Dummer, AKA Rosie Cake Diva, shows you her insider decorating techniques that will make wow-factor fantasy cakes, big and small. Rosie throws in so many tips and tricks, and attacks everything from the basic techniques and textures to easy cake structures. Make your very own princess castle cake!
Find the cake decorating course
13 Fair Cake – Buttercream Flowers Cake
In person, 14th April 2023, £275
Fair Cake is a cake school in the UK, hosting cake baking and decorating classes for amateur and professional bakers from their beautiful workshop in Maritime Greenwich, London. There are a range of courses available; the buttercream flowers class teaches not only how to pipe beautifully delicate edible buds, but also how to cover a cake in Swiss meringue buttercream.
Find the cake decorating course
More cake decorating ideas
We hope you lie this selection of the best cake decorating courses. Take a look at our Christmas cake decoration ideas, too.
