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How to Start a Cake Design Business

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Erica OBrien in Featured | 17 Comments

Since I’ve set out to open my own shop, I’ve gotten a lot of emails from people curious about how to go about starting a cake design business. I am referring, of course, to the real-deal-legit-business-in-a-commercial-space cake design business, not the one run out of your kitchen like I did for many years. (What? You thought you were the only one baking in your home? Don’t worry…everyone starts out of their home kitchen.) Since many of the rules, laws, standards, and codes that apply to commercial kitchens differ from state to state, I can’t give specific advice. I can, however, share my own personal experience opening up shop (well, it’s almost open) in Hamden, CT.

First, you should know that I do not come from entrepreneurs. My mother was a teacher and my father a social worker. Both earned a predictable and steady salary and retired with sizable pensions. My mom ingrained in me from a young age the importance of having health insurance and saving for retirement, so the thought of opening my own business–with unpredictable income, no retirement plan, and no company-supplied health insurance–essentially scares the shit out of me. I probably would not be doing this were it not for two people. Brian Smith of Ample Hills Creamery has been hugely inspiring to me. He is married to one of my best friends, Jackie, and for years we both talked about opening up our own respective shops. I didn’t realize he was serious, since no one I had ever known actually started their own business. I just thought it was something we both dreamed about. Then he actually went out and did it, and he’s wildly successful. That was the first indication that maybe it was something I too could actually do. I also would not be here without my sister, Jessica. We are sharing the kitchen at my new space (the front will be divided between my consultation space and her soup and salad retail area). She is just as scared as me, but we encourage and support each other, and it all seems okay.

We signed our lease on December 15th and expect to be open February 15th. Here is a brief (and in no way comprehensive) outline of the process, which is still very much in progress.

1. Write a business plan. I know this is something you don’t want to hear and don’t want to do. I didn’t want to do it either, but I’m so glad I did. Writing a business plan helps you focus on your goals and form a business philosophy, anticipate potential pitfalls, analyze the competition, and take inventory of your finances. It’s not fun, but in the end it is vitally important. I needed some ass-kicking to get started, so I took an online business plan course that was structured and gave assignments with deadlines (I need deadlines) so that I got the bulk of my plan written. I still needed help with the financial section (See Step 2).

2. Meet with advisors. Your local SBA and SBDC have advisors who can help you write your business plan, obtain financing, create a marketing plan, etc. Most of their services are free of charge. The SBDCs also offer inexpensive and worthwhile classes in everything from promoting your business using social media to Quickbooks.

3. Obtain licensing. A few of the local agencies in your city or town you’ll need to get to know could include the buildings department, health department, water department, water pollution authority, zoning department, and fire marshall, to name a few. You might also need a city-issued business license (in Long Beach I did; in CT I don’t).

4. Contact your state. The state might require additional licensing (in Connecticut the Department of Consumer Protection oversees bakeries. This is in addition to the local health department). Also contact your state taxation or franchise board. If you want to incorporate, it is done at the state level. You might also need a food handler’s license.

5. Obtain a federal Tax ID. Easily done online.

6. Obtain financing. Do this before you sign a lease. The SBA provides low-interest rate loans to small businesses. Many startups have recently opted to fundraise instead of taking business loans using websites like kickstarter.com

7. Find the right location. A pre-existing space that needs only some renovation is the most cost effective. My sister and I, because of our unique needs, could not find a space that worked for us, so we are doing a complete buildout.

8. Get contractors who are reliable, punctual, licensed, and insured. Get at least three bids for each job. Your contractors (plumber, electrician) will pull the appropriate permits and schedule inspections of their work. Other inspections, such as the health department inspection, you might need to schedule on your own.

9. Signage. Most cities regulate the maximum size of your sign and other design elements. Work with a sign company familiar with the regulations that can guide you through it.

10. Prepare to work your ass off. If you’re not willing to put the blood, sweat, and tears in to get your space off the ground,  you’re either super rich or you might want to reconsider. This is your baby. Treat it as such. Be there every step of the way so you know what is going on and know that it’s done right and to your specifications.

Here are some photos of our progress.

Pendant lights in the front window are up:

Dry wall is up, taped, and mudded on Jessica’s side:

All the brick is exposed on my side. Walls and pendants are up. We still need to install the floor:

I painted the hutch I bought at a thrift store. I’ll be using it display my cakes and stands:

We have almost all of our kitchen equipment, but it’s not all installed:

My consultation space still needs floors and paint, but I just had to see how some of the furniture would look:

The tin ceiling is completely exposed, primed, and painted. I love it:

 View from my studio to the front door:

I wish you the best of luck.


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Pinspiration

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Erica OBrien in Featured | 1 Comment

If you already use Pinterest, you probably love it. If not, try it, and you’re sure to become addicted. Pinterest is a curated collection of searchable images, meaning that the images are selected by users. Pinterest users are just like you and me, and their searches are our searches, so when you search “wedding flowers” on Pinterest, your results will return only photos of wedding flowers Pinterest users deemed worthy of pinning (rather than the photos of, say, random Equadorian rose wholesalers you get with a Google images search). Users create “boards” (think of them as pin boards used to hold photos with a push pin) to organize their pins. Although some people use Pinterest as another social media outlet, recommending other users to follow, tallying up the number of followers they have, etc., I use it as my own personal inspiration board. I used to have my “Images for Inspiration” folder on my desktop–you know the drill: right click, save image as, etc.–but now I just use Pinterest. And I get inspiration not just for cakes: I have boards  for my living room, my studio, even my mudroom.

Below are two images I found on Pinterest that I just had to turn into cake. The first cake is a loose interpretation of the image. (I plan to revisit the sunset rose in the near future.) The second is pretty much a reproduction in sugar. All the decor on each cake is made of gumpaste and is edible–right down to the pine cones. And, just for fun, I’ve included a little Pin It button above each image. Enjoy.

Pinspiration # 1: Sunset Rose. (Original Source: Xanga.com)

 Pin It Pin It Pin It

 Pinspiration # 2: Winter Bouquet. (Original Source: Cava Weddings)

Pin It

 Pin It

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Lessons Learned

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Erica OBrien in Featured, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Some of my worst cake disasters have resulted in my most poignant cake design lessons. I won’t be posting any photos here–they’re too embarrassing– just sharing what I’ve learned in the hopes of saving you the same pain. Sorry in advance if this causes you to cringe.

1. Little Marissa was about to turn one, and her mom, a neighbor in the apartment building I lived in, asked me to make her birthday cake. This was about 15 years ago, long before my move to California, way before owning my own shop even hinted at reality, and pre-fondant. I made the cake, carefully iced it with my made-from-scratch French buttercream, and put it in the fridge for the party the next day. Marissa loved her cake (Sesame Street-themed), as much as a one-year old could love a cake, and her mom carefully sliced and plated it. I took my first bite, and noticed after I’d swallowed that there was a garlic-y after taste. I didn’t remember eating anything with onions or garlic that day that would explain the taste in my mouth, but it was there, and it lingered. Another bite, same aftertaste. A third bite, same thing. I didn’t really get it, until I returned home, opened up my fridge, and was greeting with a waft of onion-filled air from the onion I had left unwrapped in the fridge. The butter had absorbed the onion odor, leaving a palpable taste on the tongue.

Lesson learned: Don’t store onions (or garlic, scallion, salami, etc.) in the same fridge with your buttercream.

2. I admit it: I’m thrifty. (You can read more about it here.) One time I decided that the trouble I’d had in the past with the less expensive fondant was due to my inexperience. I convinced myself that now, as a more seasoned cake artist, I had mastered fondant and could easily save money by avoiding the more expensive brand and returning to the less expensive one. Wrong. What should have been an easy fondant job turned into an eight-hour fiasco.

Lesson learned: Quality ingredients, although often more expensive, are priceless.

3. One of my best clients asked me to make a cake with pink gumpaste hydrangeas for the shower she was throwing for her sister. I had just switched to a new, less expensive brand of Tylose (see Lesson #2, above) and didn’t know that my new brand would yield different results. I made my gumpaste and carefully calculated the number of hydrangea petals I would need.  I allowed the petals, perfectly pink and beautiful, to dry for several days, and on the day of the shower I set about arranging them on the cake. Unfortunately, the new gumpaste was extremely hard and brittle, and all but a few of the hydrangea petals broke. I didn’t have time to make new ones, and luckily was able to compensate for the broken ones, but it reminded me of something every sugar artist knows: always, always make more than you need to allow for breakage. And just when you think you’ve made enough, make some more.

Lesson learned: Always make extra.

4. There were several lessons to be learned from this cake, but they deserve a post unto themselves. For now I’ll just say that I decided to try a new technique on the eve of a wedding. I pulled an all-nighter trying to correct it.

Lesson learned: Always do a dry run when testing new techniques, and never test them on someone’s wedding cake.

5. It was getting late, but I wanted to finish the pleats for a cake I was working on. I’d convinced myself that they needed to be perfect, but with each pass through the pasta roller the fondant became drier and harder to work with, the pleats increasingly flawed, and I more frustrated. It was 3am before I knew it, and I was getting delirious and near tears. Finally, almost at my breaking point, I decided to call it a night. The next day, after a good night’s sleep, I approached the pleats again. This time, I was able to finish them in a single pass through the pasta roller. And they were pretty darn near perfect.

Lesson learned: A clear head and a good night’s sleep are sometimes all that’s needed to execute a challenging design.

6. I’ve been designing cakes for about 15 years, but only started professionally about six years ago. By that time, I had a husband, a daughter, and one one the way. I’ve always felt hampered professionally by the demands of family, and always lamented that I’d be so much more successful if I were single. Last spring, my husband took the girls camping for the weekend. I was excited for some time alone to recapture my single days. I spent a good part of the weekend doing exactly what I planned to do–working on new techniques I’d been wanting to try–with great success. But there was something that felt lonely and empty. The house was too quiet, I missed my kids and husband, and there was no one to share my new creations with. Success suddenly seemed much less important.

Lesson learned: The greatest measure of success is happiness.

May you learn from all your mistakes.

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Billy Balls & Butterflies

Posted on December 17, 2011 by Erica OBrien in Featured | 2 Comments

What kind of cake do you create when Jill La Fleur sends you these inspiration boards for the Jose Villa Mexico workshop?

You create a cake with fondant billy balls, gumpaste butterflies, and hand-crafted sugar succulents.

Pin It

And if you’re really lucky, the team from Branco Prata takes the photos. Dying to see more of their work? You can see the complete Branco Prata gallery here. Special thanks to Sofia and Andre for their beautiful images.

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Things to Spend On (or: Don’t Be a Cheap-Ass Like Me)

Posted on December 10, 2011 by Erica OBrien in Featured, tips + tools | Leave a comment

I am infamous amongst family and friends for my thriftiness, but when it comes to cake design there are several things I won’t skimp on. I am sharing a few of them here. For the most part, this list evolved out of my cheapness in that I went for the cheap brand, found it didn’t work, and ended up spending more than I would have because I had to purchase the item twice. Benefit from my experience, save yourself time and money, and don’t cheap out on the following.

1. Fondant. Buy quality fondant. I like Satin Ice. Although Wilton is readily available and relatively inexpensive (for 40% off at Michael’s), it dries out quickly and is difficult to work with. By the time all is said and done, you’ll spend more re-buying than you would if you purchased a 20-pound bucket of Satin Ice. A good resource is bakerskitchen.net

2. Cream Cheese. When it comes to cream cheese, there’s only one option: Philadelphia. It’s the tangiest, cream cheesiest cream cheese there is. Don’t waste your money on anything else: I haven’t found another cream cheese that comes close. Costco sells Philly in large quantities. For baking and icing, always bring it to room temperature first.

3. New X-Acto blades. I find it ironic that something practically invented for cutting paper is so immediately dulled by it. X-Acto blades are cheap. Replace them after cutting paper and as soon as they seem dull. If your blades are not making smooth cuts but are instead shreadding or tearing your fondant, it’s time for a new blade.

4. Butter. European butters typically have higher fat than American butters. Higher fat means lower moisture, so your cakes rise higher, cookies crisp more evenly, and pastries bake flakier. (You can learn more than you’ve ever wanted to know about butter here.) Although most European butters have upwards of 13% butterfat, butters in the U.S. typically have 11%. The “European-style” Plugrá butter is a favorite of mine. Although it contains the standard 11% butterfat, it is made using ”a slow-churned process that creates less moisture content and a creamier texture”, but can be hard to find. If I’m limited to my local supermarket, I like Land-O-Lakes.

5. Acrylic (or polyethelene) rolling pins. The more expensive rolling pins tend to be heavier and denser yet narrower, making rolling fondant and gumpaste easier. Splurge here. Brands to try: PME. Brands to avoid: Ateco, Wilton.

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A Shower for Ashley

Posted on November 27, 2011 by Erica OBrien in Featured, vintage | 2 Comments

 

My sister-in-law, Ashley, got engaged last year and planned a November 2011 wedding. I first met Ashley when my now-husbandtreated her to a two-week adventure travel tour of Costa Rica for her 18th birthday. My friend Jackie had convinced me (coerced is more accurate) to go on the same trip, which is where I met and fell in love with Cory. That was seven years ago,and had it not been for Ashley, I would have never met my husband, so I wanted to do something special for her shower.

I decided to host the shower at my home in California (before we relocated to Connecticut) because I wanted it to feel cozy and informal. Let there be no doubt that I worked my ass off on this. I planned the menu, created the invitations, catered the whole thing, and even schlepped to the the L.A. flower market to buy the flowers. I designed every aspect, and executed it all by myself (with special help from cousin Molly and Megan from Honey and Poppies). It was a lot of work but well worth all the effort. One of the bridesmaids told me that the it was the best bridal shower food she’d ever had, and although she qualified “best food” with “bridal shower”, I choose to consider it the highest of praise. Most importantly, Ashley loved it.

As guests arrived, they were greeted by a small flower arrangement that Megan made of hydrangea, roses, dusty miller and licorice displayed in a vintage wine glass (below, left). I repurposed a small wooden ladder (perhaps you remember when it was yellow?) by spray painting it a satin-finish pink. I secured a damask pattern scrapbook paper print to foamcore board, and used decorative brads to attach cardstock with Welcome printed on it. I then fastened a ribbon to the back of the foamcore, and hung the small sign from the glass. I’m no graphic designer (although I fancy myself one), so for the invites, I bought some scrapbook paper that I scored into a tri-fold using my indispensable Martha Stewart scoring board (I like to think of myself as a younger, hipper, more socially conscious, urban Martha), and printed the invites in the fanciest font I could find.

For the centerpieces, Megan and I used hydrangeas in shades of pink and peach as well as stock, peonies, lisianthus, snap dragons and roses. She also incorporated dusty miller and licorice from my garden. (I like to think I helped a lot, and not in the way my kids “help” when I’m cooking.) The centerpieces were displayed in footed glass urns from Megan’s personal collection.

For the backdrop (above and below left), I hung a large white sheet from a photography backdrop stand and overlaid inexpensive gray broadcloth secured with ribbon to create a draped look. The tablecloth was just inexpensive broadcloth (about $2.99/yard). For the bunting on the front of the table, I made a template out of foamcore board. I used the template on 12″ x 12″ scrapbook paper and overlaid the cutouts on contrasting paper (actually, this is the part Molly did), securing them with double stick tape. To secure the squares to the pink ribbon, I spray painted binder clips in a glossy pink.

For the brunch, I made baked French toast casserole (excellent and easy, and extremely high-calorie), egg and sun-dried tomato souffle (delish and simple, but not for those on a diet), rosemary potatoes, berry salad, a yogurt bar, homemade biscotti, homemade banana crunch muffins, and a bellini bar (friggin’ fancy).

Look closely…See how I put the French toast label in front of the egg casserole and the egg casserole label in front of the French toast? Yeah, well, I didn’t notice until it was published in The Knot Magazine.

Ashley’s husband-to-be is a yoga instructor, so we thought it would be fun if we handed out flash cards with various yoga positions and had all the guests what position Ashley was in. It was equal parts goofy and fun.

For the ribbon backdrop (below), I stapled ribbons of varying widths to a horizontal piece of ribbon and printed out L-O-V-E on 5″ x 7″ cardstock.  Ashely knew exactly what she wanted for her cake, and although I’m a little out of practice with my piping, I think it was up to her standards.

Special thanks to Chatti for taking the photos. Event and cake design: Erica OBrien of Erica OBrien Cake Design ( www.ericaobrien.com ) / Flowers: Megan Gray of Honey and Poppies ( www.honeyandpoppies.com ) / Photos: Chatti Phal of Savady Photography ( www.savadyphotography.com)

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Damn You, Reality TV. Thank You, Reality TV.

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Erica OBrien in Featured, for the baker | 5 Comments

This post is an editorial, so no fancy pictures, just my thoughts. However, unlike most editorials that take a definite position, this one is filled with ambivalence.

When I tell people what I do for a living, their first question is always, “Oh, so do you watch the cake shows?” I know just what they’re referencing, of course: The Cake Boss, Ace of Cakes, the Food Network Challenge, Amazing Wedding Cakes, etc. The list seems to constantly grow with no end in sight.

Many cake artists, particularly those who began before the birth of the “cake shows”, hold them in a certain disdain, feeling that they trivialize the art, have caused a saturation in the market, and distort the amount of work involved in creating a cake.

And they’re right: Reality shows like The Cake Boss, Ace of Cakes, and even the Food Network Challenges edit many hours of work into 60 teeny tiny minutes (48 if you don’t count the commercials). In reality (or perhaps I should say real life), the cakes you see on television take many, many hours of work. Even for the Food Network Challenges, in which competitors are limited to eight hours of work time, the designers spend countless hours beforehand preparing for the competition. And anyone who’s ever even attempted to decorate a cake knows that 60 minutes flies by at light speed.

Since the birth of the cake shows, custom cakes have become commonplace if not mandatory. I have seen a definite increase in the number of custom cakes, not to mention sculpted cakes, ordered for events that used to require a sheetcake. What fans of the shows don’t often realize, however, is how much work a cake entails, so when they request a Prada shoe on top of a basketball held by an iguana, they are usually shocked by the cost.

As for the saturation of the market, many new cake design businesses have popped up since the preponderance of the shows, but this need not be seen as a negative. While some cake designers argue that competition is bad for business, I maintain that it actually forces us to raise the bar. Like any business, without competitors, we risk becoming complacent. Rather than being stagnant, competition forces us to better our skills and become better artists. Competition offers an incentive to innovate, too, so that new products are constantly introduced and are made more widely available, making us more efficient.

Although some cake artists resent that reality television has elevated a handful of cake designers to  celebrity status, I’m glad our work is finally being recognized for the fine art that it is. The difference is that unlike a painting or a sculpture intended to endure for time immemorial, our work is designed to be temporary. For a lucky few, reality television has captured their art on film and will preserve their work, if only in the public’s consciousness, indefinitely.

Oh, and by the way, I’m way too busy to watch the cake shows.

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New Classes Just Listed!

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Erica OBrien in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

We’re excited to announce our first classes at our new location! As of Wednesday, we’ll be the official lessees of 1242 Whitney Avenue in Hamden, CT 06517. We expect it to take at least two months for our official opening, so we’ve listed our classes beginning in late January, 2012.

Our first course will be our Tier I, Introduction to Cake Design Class.

We’re also excited to offer a Fondant Intensive for the first time. In this class, I’ll share all the tips and tools that give fondant-covered cakes a flawless finish. Students will learn various fondant techniques (ruffling, simple flowers, bows, etc.), practice covering real and faux cakes, and engage in a troubleshooting session. students are encouraged to come with lots of questions. This six-hour intensive is perfect for students who live in New York (1.5 hours away) and Boston (2 hours away).

Our classes make fabulous gifts (plus, chances are you’ll get lots of cake out of the deal), so please contact us if you’d like to give a class as a gift.

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Cake Trios (and a Couple of Quintets)

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Erica OBrien in cake trio, Featured, photo cake | 4 Comments

I’ve noticed lately that one wedding cake is no longer sufficient. Here are some cake trios we’ve worked on recently (although not thatrecently, because my roses have gotten considerably better).

And who could forget this classic?

Does five count as a trio?

I think I spot a trend.

Photo credit (from top): Lane Dittoe, Braedon Flynn, Henry Chen, T & H Photography, and Ja Tecson.

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On Chocolate Ganache

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Erica OBrien in dark chocolate ganache recipe, milk chocolate ganache recipe, white chocolate ganache recipe | 2 Comments

Chocolate ganache is, in its most pure form, absolutely heavenly. I use  it as both a filling and an icing on my cakes. Traditionally, chocolate ganache is a mixture of cream and chocolate in equal proportions. This one-to-one ratio is the proportion of cream to dark chocolate–chocolate with 50% or more dry cocoa solids. Semi-sweet and bittersweet chocolate both fall into this category. Other chocolates, such as milk chocolate and white chocolate, have higher fat contents, making them more viscous. Since adding equal proportions of cream to them would yield a ganache too soft to hold its form, the proportions of cream-to-chocolate for milk and white chocolate are different.

Ganache is very easy to make, but a kitchen scale is absolutely imperative. Back in the day I made a ganache recipe that called for 8 ounces of chocolate. I knew that 8 ounces was a cup, so I carefully measured my chocolate in my one cup measure, and added my 8 ounces of cream. What resulted was a soupy (albeit delicious when eaten with a spoon) mixture that never firmed up. The problem? A cup of chocolate weighs only about six ounces. (Think about your 12 ounce bag of Nestles chocolate chips. The Toll House recipe calls for two cups–or 12 ounces–of chips, making each cup about 6 ounces in weight). When measuring chocolate–even in ounces–do not use a measuring cup.

Chocolate must be measured by weight not by volume, hence the necessity of the kitchen scale. Below, the chocolate in the 8-ounce measuring cup above weighs in on a kitchen scale at only 6 ounces.

For any ganache recipe, you’ll need:

  • heavy cream (not half-and-half or milk), measured in a glass measuring cup (like a pyrex)
  • chocolate of your choice (important to note the kind and follow the recipe)
  • kitchen scale
  • The Rose Levey Beranbaum Method (below)

The Rose Levy Beranbaum Method for Making Chocolate Ganache (from The Cake Bible)
Break chocolate into pieces and process in food processor until very fine. Heat cream to the boiling point and, with the motor running, pour through the feed tube in a steady stream. Process a few seconds until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely. Allow to cool for several hours or until frosting consistency.

This method makes an incredibly smooth ganache. Also, this method cools down more quickly than the double boiler method. The only disadvantage I have found to the Rose method is that it involves cleaning the food processor when finished, and I hate cleaning the food processor.

Below, Ghiardeli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chips, Callebaut Milk Chocolate (32% cacao), and Callebaut White Chocolate.

Dark Chocolate Ganache
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (measured by weight, not a measuring cup!)
8 ounces heavy cream (use a glass measure)

Follow the Rose Levy Berenbaum Method (above)

Milk Chocolate Ganache
8 ounces milk chocolate
4 ounces heavy cream

Follow the Rose Levy Beranbaum Method (above)

White Chocolate Ganache
8 ounces white chocolate, chopped
3 ounces heavy cream

Follow the Rose Levy Beranbaum Method (above)

Chocolate Chai Ganache
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (measured by weight, not a measuring cup!)
8 ounces heavy cream (use a glass measure)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon  ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Combine cream and spices and bring to a simmer in a heavy saucepan. Turn off heat and allow to steep. Pour cream through a fine mesh strainer to remove any residual spices.

Follow the Rose Levy Berenbaum Method (above)

Note: All of the recipes above use Callebaut (my absolute favorite). Be sure to test the recipe first with whatever chocolate you’re using, as different chocolates will have different fat contents.

Bring to room temperature to use ganache as a cake filling or frosting. And good luck!

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