Cake decorator
Cake decorators design, make and decorate cakes, often for special occasions like birthdays and weddings.
Also known as: Confectioner, pastry chef
- Starter salary£19,000 a year
- Experienced£28,000 a year
- Typical hours37 to 43 a week
What you'll do
As a cake decorator, you could:
- talk to customers about their requirements
- give estimates for costs and timescales
- sketch cake designs and decorations to show customers
- 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 and keep accounts up to date
Working environment
You could work from home, at a store or at a restaurant.
Your working environment may be dusty and cool.
You may need to wear protective clothing.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to work well with your hands
- 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
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 college course to learn the skills needed to do this job. Courses include:
- sugarcraft
- bakery and cake decoration
- professional patisserie and confectionary
Some colleges and adult learning centres run hobby and leisure courses in cake decorating, where you can learn useful tips and techniques.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
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 skill.
For example, you might have gained skills by decorating cakes for family or friends on special occasions.
Restrictions and requirements
You may need a food hygiene certificate, depending on where you work.
Career path and progression
With experience, you could:
- move into quality control in a bakery
- train new starters
- teach cake design in adult education centres and colleges
- start your own cake decorating business
With a good reputation, you might be able to design and make custom cakes for high profile weddings and special events, where salaries can be higher.
Career tips
If you're displaying your work online, make sure you:
- put a watermark on your images to stop others from copying them
- check copyright terms if you're using popular characters or logos in your decoration designs
Guides for this industry
Related roles
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0