By Sarah Hunt, AZFB Communications Intern
(Picture credits: Courtney Rich)
If you are looking for a new hobby, need to bake a cake for a birthday, holiday, or special event, or want to save some money on your wedding cake, this is the article for you! Just be prepared to set aside a few hours or more for this process. I made a layered cake for my grandparent’s 60th wedding anniversary and it was so much fun. Since then my sister has picked up cake making as a hobby and has been making them for birthdays or just for fun. Her favorite resource is Cake By Courtney.
Courtney Rich has been on local television and shared her tips at food conferences across the country. She has a degree in broadcast journalism, not culinary arts. She started making cakes in her mid-20’s; since then she has perfected the cake baking process. And she’s all about helping beginners make a great cake from scratch!
Here is her beginner’s guide, Cake Decorating 101, with all the steps you’ll need to start.
What you will need:
- 3 Round Cake Pans, 8” x 2”
- Piping bags
- Cake knife
- Cast Iron Turn Table
- Icing spatulas
- Cardboard cake board
Next, pick a flavor. These are the five flavors she recommends for first timers:
- Yellow Cake with Chocolate Buttercream
- Classic White Cake with Vanilla Buttercream
- Biscoff Cake
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
- Churro Cake
Find the recipes in her blog post attached above. Print out the recipe, go grocery shopping for your ingredients, and get ready to bake!
Looking for inspiration? Follow Cake By Courtney on Instagram! She is always posting, and it’s fun to follow along and see what new kind of cakes she has ready for you to make!