My Thoughts on the Wilton Cake Decorating Class
Hey everyone! When I posted on Facebook that I had signed up for the Wilton cake decorating class, I got ton of comments from people who wanted me to let them know what I thought of it. I just finished the 4 week class (taken at my local JoAnn Fabric store), and so I thought I would write a blog post giving you my thoughts. Hopefully this is helpful for anyone who is thinking about signing up for the class in the future.
In short, I loved it. I had a ton of fun, made some friends, and even decorated a pretty good cake, if I do say so myself. 🙂 Will this class immediately turn you into a master cake decorator? No. Especially if you start out as bad as I was! But you will definitely learn a lot, and probably have a lot of fun doing it. I thought I’d break my experience down week by week, including pictures of my decorating experiments. Please don’t laugh. *All pictures are from my ipad, so not the best quality!
Week 1: This was basically an introductory week. We learned things like how to bake a great cake, how to fill a piping bag, how to use couplers, and we practiced some basic stars. Our instructor put icing on a cake so quickly and smoothly that I will forever be impressed with her. I managed to come to class completely unprepared (seriously – I showed up without all of the things I was supposed to bring. Except cookies, I remembered the cookies), but thankfully I already knew my way around a piping bag, so I didn’t feel too behind. I didn’t take any pictures this week, sorry! But here is a picture of a cute little duck that I learned how to make in week 2 🙂
Week 2: This is where things got fun. We had to bring an undecorated cake, plus a ton of icing with us to class. We learned a few new techniques, and then set to decorating our cakes. I have to say, I am really bad about getting my icing on smooth. It always looks distinctly homemade. Regardless, at the end, I didn’t think my cake was that bad. It was a little lopsided, and very simple, but not too terrible. I wish I had taken a picture of my practice flowers before I started decorating the cake! I was cracking up at myself – they looked like little people with huge bellies! And before you think I’m being too hard on myself, I have to tell you that my classmates agreed. 🙂 Oh well, at least we got a good laugh out of it.
My Week 2 Cake
Week 3: Things got a little more complicated this week. We started learning flowers. The drop flower and rosette are my favorites because they are the easiest. The pompom flower is my second favorite because it’s pretty. The shaggy mum is my least favorite because mine looked awful. 🙂 What can I say, I like what I’m good at. All in all, it was a ton of fun to learn these new flowers, and not nearly as difficult as I expected. We also learned how to do swirls on top of a cupcake – finally something where I felt like I knew what I was doing! I’m in love with the idea of making flowers in advance, letting them dry, and transferring them on top of cupcakes. Seriously, how cute is that picture with the blue flower on top of the pink cupcake?? New cupcake idea for my cupcake business right there! 🙂
Week 4: Easily the most intimidating week. We learned roses! Roses are hard, guys. My first one didn’t look so bad and then they progressively got worse. I think I’m going to practice these, because if you do them right, they look awesome. We also had to bring a cake to class that was already iced. We spent half the class decorating our cakes. I did a little better this week, but once again kept things really simple. I know my limits. 🙂 No fancy flowers, just a few drop flowers and rosettes. Oh, and writing! It wasn’t anyone’s birthday, but writing is something I’m actually not bad at, so I wrote a nice little happy birthday message to nobody.
All in all, I loved this class. It was so nice having a small class (4 people!) because we got plenty of individual help, and we all got to talk and laugh at ourselves and become friends. And actually, we all signed up for the next Wilton class, so that tells you that everyone enjoyed it. I’ll leave you with some pictures of the cakes my classmates decorated – they are so good! There are only 2 cakes because the other girl wasn’t quite done with her cake yet. Let me know if you have any questions about the class in the comments, and I’ll do my best to answer them. 🙂
By the way, I’ve also posted a brief tutorial on icing cupcakes the easy way. I hope it enhances your kitchen adventures!
P.S. Click here if you’d like to see a lot of great homemade cake & cupcake recipes to use as part of your decorating (and eating!) efforts. Sneak preview: these vanilla chai cupcakes might be our all time favorite 🙂
Cakes from my classmates – much better than mine!
Welcome! I'm Megan and it's my hope that here you'll find food that has been made with love and recipes that are shared with joy. Thanks for stopping by! 
I took all four Wilton courses almost five years ago. Loved them!! My teacher gave me the best advice, keep pushing yourself & constantly challenge yourself. I constantly tried new things every cake I made. I don’t do a lot of cakes now but loved the experience I gained.
Your cakes look awesome!! And ummm, I never mastered the buttercream rose but I could do a royal icing Victorian rose!
That looks like so much fun! The monkey cake is too cute. I’ll have to find a class in my area.
As a former Wilton teacher, the best advice I would give you is to practice, practice, practice! Lots of students expect to spend a couple of weeks going to these classes and come out able to recreate what they see on websites and in professional bakeries, that’s just not reasonable. Have fun and learn as you go.
Thanks for the advice – I definitely could use some practice! I did some flowers the other day and they are just sitting on my counter looking pretty 🙂
This is a great post! I always thought about taking a class…thank you 🙂
I took all of the Wilton Classes and LOVED them! At that time, I lived in Illinois not too far from the Wilton Headquarters and I was planning on taking the Masters Class that they offer. I have a side business of making/selling cakes for children’s birthdays. I’m not good enough for a wedding, but kids cakes…ABSOLUTELY!
My husband took these classes 7 years ago. I am not enough of a perfectionist to make the decorations look good – so I baked the cake, and made the frosting he went to the classes. He enjoyed them too!
I’m so glad you did a review on this! I’ve been eyeing these classes at my Michael’s and I haven’t taken the plunge. I just hope my classes are as small as yours are because i definitely don’t like being intimidated by others! What beautiful creations you made!!
I’ve always been curious about this class (& have always wanted to enroll in it too!). Thanks so much for sharing your experience! & by the way, your cakes and flowers all look fantastic!
Looks like you had fun! I have always been envious of cake decorators — when Target used to have a cake department, I spent lots of time watching them decorate cakes — roses especially! So, kudos to you for giving it a go!
So fun! I’ve known a few people who have taken these classes and they all loved them. I love your roses – SO pretty and that final cake on the right is so cool.
What beautiful creations you made!!
I am on my second round of classes. I took them over 2 years ago and didn’t keep up my skills. I am now going into our 3rd class which is cupcakes. We didn’t do cookies or cupcakes the first time I took classes and also, we didn’t a wedding type cake with the fondant, which turned out very nice. I like the classes as well and am looking forward to learning more techniques. The bottom line is to practice, practice, practice, which I didn’t do the first time around. Have fun!
Thanks so much for the comment – you’re so right on the practicing! I actually just started course 4 – gum paste and fondant flowers. So far it’s pretty fun!
Hi Megan,
My 14 year old daughter just began this course. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I notice in the course one book, that you are supposed to buy a whole lot of Wilton supplies. Most of this was undisclosed when we signed up. The syllabus had just a few things. What do we truly need besides what is in the course 1 student kit? We don’t plan to be professional bakers. Is the leveler, turntable, and other stuff absolutely necessary or can she learn the basic tip using techniques without them? Thank you!
Hi Catherine, thanks for the comment. My teacher was really great and talked us through what we actually needed for the class. She let us borrow things like the leveler, etc if we wanted to use them. I did not buy any extra Wilton products for course 1, but I did already have a cake carrier, which was helpful for transporting cakes to and from class. You can use a knife instead of a leveler, and just turn your cake on a cake board instead of a turntable, so none of that stuff is necessary. To be honest, the Wilton products make it a lot easier, but you can do without. I’d check with your teacher too – mine was so nice and always let us use her stuff to level our cakes, extra tips, etc. Good luck! 🙂
I also did Course Two in Ghana for FOUR DAYS, but didn’t enjoyed it bcos l’m a slow learner n everything was in a a rush for me, before l’ll start understanding it we were about to complete, so l just enjoy the basket piping alone.
hi ,
iam priyanka n would like to join in wilton course.1 will they tell about how to make cakes? or we have to learn on our own way?did u learn how to make buttercream ?
They talk a little about cakes, but it’s mostly about icing and decorating. Hope that helps!
Hi, I am too planning to do Wilton Course 1 coming month, heard that there are some Cake supplies they would ask us to buy can you tell me what are the other cake supplies we will need to buy for each course?
Your cake looks lovely specially monkey 🙂
I signed up for the second course in cake decorating. Do I need to bring a cake to the first class?
I have a 9 year old daughter who is dying to take this class. They said 14 or above only. Do you think she could handle this or not?
You did a good job! I became a Wilton Instructor a couple of years ago, after taking the three classes (the 4th wasn’t out yet) and I love it! The classes are fun, you do make friends, and it’s so possible for people who say they aren’t creative, or artistic to learn to make beautiful things!! I advise everyone interested to look up their local Michael’s Crafts (I teach at two Michael’s in northeast CT), JoAnn Fabrics, and Hobby Lobby for classes. They start new ones every month, and there are four great classes, plus a number of interesting workshops like Tall Cakes, Cupcakes, Gingerbread houses. Wilton had done a great job creating classes that are so easy to learn, and teach!
I am so glad that you posted this blog:) A friend and I want to take classes at a local art store and weren’t sure what we were in for. I love your cupcake flowers~looks professional!
Thank You for your post! I am starting class 1 on Monday with a friend and am excited! I was googling the supply list needed and stumbled upon your blog. very cute! Keep it up 🙂
Hi,
My name is Elissa and I just signed up for Wilton cake decorating classes that will take place in august. I got some of my supplies the other day (icing and coloring) but I don’t know much about the class at all. I was just wondering if you could blog about the supplies, the items in the kit, and even pictures of the supplies! Thank you for reading this, if you do!! 🙂
I just signed up for this class at our neighborhood Michaels store. I was a little nervous not knowing what to expect but after reading your post I feel good about it and glad I signed up.
my daughter and granddaughter and I just finished all 4 wilton decorating classes and I must say, we had a great time learning how to make flowers . WE made some new friends and really bonded with each other, As for all the extra supplies, we went to Walmart, They are cheaper then where we took the classes, Their supply of product is really good, Also watch for the in store sales at either Joann’s or Michael’s. I truly would recommend these classes even if they are for fun!
I enjoyed reading your post. When I was a young boy back in the 1970s I would watch my grandmother bake and decorate cakes for family gatherings. I remember her teaching me to make borders and some of the simpler flowers. She even tried to teach me to make roses, but I remembered lacking the necessary coordination. 🙂 I am inspired by your post – I think I’m going to sign up for a course in my area.
I do love your information about cake decorating classes, because you showed your real results and I like it! I took only basic level. I enjoyed to learn ans to have fun with another women;).
I can’t show my first decorating cake, I don’t know-how,it was so funny:)))
Thanks for the comments and the encouragement. I was planning on taking the class and you helped me decide to do it. Your cakes are actually beautiful. Hope I so as well.
You are so kind, thank you! I hope you enjoy the class 🙂
I have been an instructor for 6 years with Wilton, and many more with private classes.
There is a trick to the tip with the mum’s… may people want to squeeze to the length and then release which stretches the frosting longer than they want. Try making your squeeze time just a touch shorter and when you pull away do a slight upward pull. I was notorious in my training for this course prior to it’s release for making super long monster hair instead of short mum petals.
Sincerely,
Carolyn
Good tips, thanks!! I’m always so impressed by you Wilton instructors. Your tips and tricks are invaluable. 🙂
Did you use ALL the materials on the list? What was optional? Maybe some of the Wilton teachers can help answer this. I’m thinking of taking a course so I’m able to help out the cake decorators at my ice cream store. They all do really simple borders and designs but I don’t want to break the bank to take the class.
We didn’t need everything, but we did need most of it. We also had a great teacher who let us borrow some of her stuff to save a little money. I’d get all the stuff for the first week, then talk to your instructor at the first class.
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Hi – I know it’s been a while since you took the class but… did you decorate cookies in the first class? I’m about to take the Wilton 1 class at Michael’s and we’re supposed to bring “flat cookies” to the first class. Am I supposed to bake those? Or can I buy something? In either case, am I to assume they are talking about a sugar cookie? Thanks for any help you can provide.
Yes, I think we practiced the decorating stuff we learned on the cookies. It’s been awhile so I can’t completely remember. It doesn’t matter if you bake them yourself or buy them, but any type of flat sugar cookie should be fine.
Betty – March 3, 2014 @1:29 pm
Wilton cake decorating classes are indeed fun and informative. I noticed in the comments above that only large chain stores are mentioned for classes. There are many independent stores that have Wilton Cake Decorating Class Programs. they can be found in many areas and are worth checking into as many of their employees are very familiar with the Wilton program. Compare their discounts to the larger chains and you might be surprised how close they are. When you purchase your supplies where you take your class, you support the instructor who teaches you, the store that supplies the program and product for you and Wilton Enterprises, the company that strives to grow new ideas and product for you.
Can you tell us more about this? I’d like to find out some additional
information.
I’m not sure why but this site is loading very slow for me.
Is anyone else having this problem or is it a issue on my end?
I’ll check back later on and see if the problem still exists.
Hi, i am 14 and really like to bake, i know most of my basics and wonder if you would recommend these classes for me or am i to young ?
Hi, Thanks for that detailed review. I would like to know if they will teach us how to make the icing, because that is where I fail. Can you let us know what we need to be prepared with before enrolling. Thanks in advance.
There are recipes in the instruction booklets for various icings.
Going to attend my first Wilton class tonight and super worried that I’m going to be clueless. I got my bag of cookies and my box of course 1 supply kit with the other items listed. Not sure if I need anything else. Wish my luck!
I’ll be starting mine in May 2014, where should I carry all this stuff? Lol
Excellent review! I am starting a class May 2014, and this made me even more excited! Can’t wait!
If there is anyone that is looking for a full 177 piece Wilton set please let me know by email, it also includes Wilton icing coloring a box of extra pastry bags, and much more.. Email me for more Information howeverby4@gmail.com
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Hi,
Do you think the classes would be appropriate for a 11 year old?
Looking for a Christmas gift for my daughter who LOVES to bake…wanted to give her some classes and supplies…
do you receive a certificate after completing the course?
Yes, I think I remember that you do receive a certificate
nope, no certificate. We did have a 10 year old in our class, but the class is so fast paced that I don’t think she really enjoyed it. I took the 2 session class this weekend where they put all four weeks into two sessions. I have prior cake decorating experience from years ago, and while I am signed up and taking the second set of classes, I was disappointed in the first set. I have waited years to take the Wilton classes. Basically, you are using some practice sheets and learning how to do different things. We do have cupcakes required for the first class, and a cake if we wanted to for the second one. She talked and explained everything in the book, but would have been nice to actually learn by doing more.
Hi! I’m also taking the class! Read about it here:
https://yamimakescakes.wordpress.com/2015/09/11/the-wilton-method-course-1-building-buttercream-skills/
Thank you for sharing your Wilton experience class. I was about to buy a class but after reading your blog I hold up; I don’t think I’m ready for the class since I do not have time to practice. I bought all equipment 6 years ago and now still could not find time to practice or taking Wilton class. I will when I have time to practice. Thanks again.
What do you have to bring to all the classes? Do they provide the materials?
I just finished course one at my local Michael’s craft store. My instructor said the classes are now condense so mine was only 2 classes @3 hours each. We learned everything really quickly and didn’t spend a lot of time on just one thing but when I got home I was able to bust out an old sheet pan put some wax paper down and just practice myself while the kids were sleeping and I was watching Netflix 🙂 all together with materials I think I spent about $ 40 And that was buying cupcakes and a cake because I totally forgot to make my own. My instructor brought all of her tools and all of her colorings in case some of us didn’t have a good variety. Will this make me a master cake decorator and get a job at a fancy cupcake store or cake shop no but I can make and decorate really cool cakes and cupcakes for my friends and kids. Also the kit you get for each course is totally worth it because it gives you all the tips all the couplers all the bags a practice stand and the practice cards as well as the offset spatula also the kit you get for each course is totally worth it because it gives you all the tips all the couplers all the bags a practice stand and the practice cards as well as the offset spatula The tools alone are worth the course ( just use the Michaels coupons when you’re buying your stuff)
hi is baking classes hard im worring a little if it’s hard for me im not that smart and im hard of hearing
Did you all attend the classes online or at a store? I would love to start taking classes, but have no information on it. Would appreciate it for some!