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Cake decorator

Alternative titles for this job include

Cake decorators design, make and decorate cakes for birthdays, weddings and other special occasions.

Average salary (a year)

£12,000 Starter

to

£25,000 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

41 to 43 a week

You could work

evenings / weekends on shifts

How to become

Explore the different ways to get into this role.

How to become a cake decorator

You can get into this job through:

  • a college course
  • working towards this role
  • applying directly

College

You can take a course at a college. For example:

  • Level 2 Certificate in Sugarcraft
  • Level 2 Certificate in Professional Cake Decoration
  • Level 3 Diploma in General Patisserie and Confectionary

Some colleges and adult learning centres run hobby courses in cake decorating, where you can pick up useful skills and techniques.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

More Information

Work

You could start as an assistant in a bakery or patisserie and do training on the job.

Direct Application

You could apply for jobs if you've got the right level of skills, for instance from decorating cakes for special occasions for family and friends.

More Information

Career tips

If you're displaying your work online, make sure you:

  • put a watermark on your images to deter others from copying them
  • check copyright terms if you're using popular characters or logos in your designs

Further information

You can get more details about working in the food and drinks industry from Tasty Careers.

What it takes

Find out what skills you’ll use in this role.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • the ability to work well with your hands
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • customer service skills
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • knowledge of food production methods
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • maths knowledge
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Restrictions and Requirements

You may need a food hygiene certificate, depending on where you work.

What you’ll do

Discover the day to day tasks you’ll do in this role.

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

In this job, you'll:

  • talk with customers about their requirements
  • produce sketches for designs and decorations to show customers
  • give estimates for costs and time
  • bake cakes to order
  • add icing, chocolate, decorations and messages
  • wrap finished cakes ready for delivery
  • clean work areas and equipment
  • check stock levels and buy ingredients
  • promote the business
  • keep accounts up to date

Working environment

You could work from home or at a store.

Your working environment may be dusty and cool.

You may need to wear protective clothing.

Career path and progression

Look at progression in this role and similar opportunities.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could start your own business. You could also work in quality control in a bakery, or teach cake design in adult education centres or at college.

With a good reputation, you may be able to move into designing and making cakes for high profile weddings and special events, where salaries can be much higher.

Current opportunities

Find apprenticeships, courses and jobs available near you.

Current opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

We can't find any apprenticeship vacancies in England for a cake decorator right now.

The Find an apprenticeship service can help you with your search, send alerts when new apprenticeships become available and has advice on how to apply.

Courses In England

Level 1 Award in Cake Decoration

  • Provider: BOLTON COLLEGE
  • Start date: 21 November 2023
  • Location: Bolton

FDQ L1 Award in Cake Decoration

  • Provider: BROOKLANDS COLLEGE
  • Start date: 10 January 2024
  • Location: Weybridge
Find courses near you

Jobs In the United Kingdom

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