Any cake decorators out there?

[DizBelle]

Need to buy a Christmas gift for a 17 year old niece and she is interested in and just starting cake decorating. Can you suggest what we might get her in the $40 range?

 

[kimblebee]

See if there are lessons available somewhere? If not, a beginner tips kit could be a good idea.

 

[Figaroo]

I recently got a Food Network silicone decorating bulb set from Kohls. I love it!! It comes with decorating tips and fits the standard Wilton tips. Soooo much better than the icing bags. It's currently 23.99.

 

[quandrea]

Offset spatulas in various sizes, disposable icing bags, a turntable

 

[Imzadi]

Do you have a Michael's Arts & Crafts near you? They have Wilton cake decorating classes each month with Wilton certified teachers. And you can get the Wilton cake decorating kit there with a 50% off coupon. Just Google Michaels coupon. There usually is one at RetailMeNot.com that can be printed and brought in. If a friend goes with you, you both can print and use a coupon for any extra supplies.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Do you have a Michael's Arts & Crafts near you? They have Wilton cake decorating classes each month with Wilton certified teachers. And you can get the Wilton cake decorating kit there with a 50% off coupon. Just Google Michaels coupon. There usually is one at RetailMeNot.com that can be printed and brought in. If a friend goes with you, you both can print and use a coupon for any extra supplies.

I was going to suggest Michael's as well, perhaps a gift card and definitely use a coupon to go with it.

 

[wenrob]

Offset spatulas in various sizes, disposable icing bags, a turntable

This and tips. My DD is a baker and I've found she much prefers basic, sturdy tools vs more gadget like things. Also, a tool box to put her stuff in. DD uses regular tool boxes, nothing fancy.

 

[CarolAnn856]

Do you have a Michael's Arts & Crafts near you? They have Wilton cake decorating classes each month with Wilton certified teachers. And you can get the Wilton cake decorating kit there with a 50% off coupon. Just Google Michaels coupon. There usually is one at RetailMeNot.com that can be printed and brought in. If a friend goes with you, you both can print and use a coupon for any extra supplies.

I was going to suggest Michael's as well, perhaps a gift card and definitely use a coupon to go with it.

I agree! I took the class with my daughter a couple of years ago. It was very helpful in learning basics techniques. There are some supplies you need when you take the class, maybe you could either purchase those along with paying for the class or give a GC to cover the cost. As Imzadi posted, if you look for the coupons you can easily get a good deal.

 

[LJC1861]

A scraper....Michael's sells several different kinds. I use it for making the buttercream smooth on my cakes. Offset spatulas, tips, bags, etc. Autumn Carpenter and Liz Marek also have beautiful books full of pictures on cake decorating and I use these as resources all the time. If she wants to try using fondant on her cakes, a silicone rolling pin and a mat to roll it on are great tools. Google " cake decorating, The Mat" to see what I mean.....it is two large sheets of heavy plastic that you can roll fondant in between and is a vital tool for me when rolling fondant. For fondant work, various cutters, molds, smoothers, etc are also vital tools. As others have said, go and look in the cake decorating aisle and just explore.

 

[DizBelle]

Question - are tips and couplers universal? Will the coupler from one brand work with a tip from another brand?

 

[spacemermaid]

Besides the very useful things others have suggested (classes, decorating tips/bags, spatulas), a nice set of gel colors (Americolor makes a huge variety of colors, including neons!) would also be useful and fun

 

[HannaBelle]

I would recommend a cake turntable. That is on my wish list!

 

[ChristmasElf]

Question - are tips and couplers universal? Will the coupler from one brand work with a tip from another brand?

Yes tips and couplers are interchangeable as long as they are the same size ( don't worry, you would clearly see the size difference)

If you have an IKEA nearby, you can purchase a wooden turntable for $7-considerably cheaper than Wilton brand and the IKEA one actually works better!

 

[Luv Bunnies]

When I expressed interest in learning, my sister got me a Wilton Beginner's kit. It had icing bags, tips, icing mix and a good instruction booklet. The best part was plastic boards to practice on. There was a clear cover so you could slip the page with the sample border, writing, decoration, etc. underneath and practice on top. When you want to try again you just scrape the icing off the board. It also came with a metal pin for making roses.

 

[jen0610]

http://www.countrykitchensa.com/

Lucky for us this store is right here in our town. LOVE this store! It is heaven for cake/cookie decorators and candy makers. When I was a kid, they use to be located in an older Victorian house over by our zoo that I loved to explore all the nooks and crannies of. We are in there a lot this time of year getting stuff for candy making.

 

[smiths02]

Stuff that gets used a lot:
Meringue powder
Plastic disposable icing bags (could get with a set of tips)
Cardboard cake rounds
Really good cooking spray/cake release spray

I really like my turntable
https://www.amazon.com/Wilton-ULTRA...d=1480712261&sr=8-1&keywords=wilton+turntable

These help the cakes bake evenly
https://www.amazon.com/Wilton-415-0796-6-Piece-Bake-Strip/dp/B00C1LU8SA


Michael's has the Wilton classes go on sale a lot...you might be able to buy her a class for that