What you will learn

This class is all about perfecting the above design and making your cake stand out from the crowd.   During the class, we will teach you:

• How to work with a REAL chocolate cake including how to split, cut and perfectly level a cake ready to work on;
• How to apply a crumb coat to the cake and an explanation of why this is necessary;
• How to ice a cake so that you get an even, professional and flawless finish;
• How to use side scrapers, levellers and smoothers to get a consistently clean and neat finish;
• How to work with dowels and other specialist tools;
• How to work with sugar paste, buttercream and florist paste with big cakes and what you should use for different parts of the cake;
• How to use food colouring properly and effectively in order to create the correct “style” of cake (whether vintage, modern, contemporary, classic etc);
• How to prepare, ice and finish a board for your cake.
• How to work with a dummy cake, dome and round cake to achieve a consistent finish (many professional tiered cakes have several dummy layers so this is an essential skill if you intend to make cakes with several tiers);
• How to cover a cake in fondant and the tricks behind a clean finish and properly securing the fondant (no more bumpy bits);
• How to create a dome for your cake. and how to ice over a dome correctly;
• How to stack cakes properly so they are secure, straight and neat;
• How to make beautiful wild rose style flowers and little decorative blossoms;
• How to make perfect embossed butterflies;
• How to pipe trailing ivy using a leaf nozzle;
• How to make ivy using cutters and veiners from floral paste;
• How to create pretty borders;
• How to pipe straight lines on a vertical surface;
• How to pipe perfect dot details;
• How to properly use ribbons and/or lace to decorate cakes and boards including our tried and tested techniques;

During the class you will be able to ask any question you can think of about making tiered cakes (whether celebration, wedding or birthday) to Rachel who has made 100s of cakes and supplies cakes to some of the top hotels in London.

This class is all about working hands on. You won’t be watching someone else doing something – you will do everything yourself.

Class Times, Level and Equipment

This class is a two day class.  The class starts at 10.30 and runs to approximately 5pm (both days).

Everything is explained to you step by step and as with all our classes, all equipment is provided for you.  You do not need to bring anything with you except a small packed lunch.

This class is suitable for intermediate level cake makers who want to advance their decorating skills. If you are a beginner, we would recommend you first attend the Two Tier Big Cakes Class or the Love Birds Class first .  As our groups are small but our kitchen is very large with plenty of space, separate standing areas, seated areas, photography area and shop, we are able to cater for those of differing standards and ensure you get individual attention.

Your Tutor

This class will be taught by Rachel, an expert in making tiered wedding cakes.   Rachel’s cakes are regularly featured in bridal magazines and she provides cakes to some of London’s most prestigious hotels.

Rachelle has vast experience in making big cakes and this is a real opportunity to ask an expert everything you could want to know about decorating big cakes including how to properly price such cakes for sale.

Testimonials from prior students

To see what others have said about our courses, see here .

Take Home Fact Pack

You will be given a fact sheet describing the techniques you learnt during the day so you can refresh your mind next time you decorate a big cake.  Of course, there are also lots of tips on our Online Tutorials Page where Rachel is also a Guest Tutor and demonstrator as well where you can follow up what you have learnt and supplement your learning.

We supply lots of tea and coffee throughout the day and you can take breaks whenever you wish.

Click here to book our Bird Cage Chocolate Cake Class.

Location: Our Bird Cage Chocolate Cake Class is based at Pretty Witty HQ, a bright, spacious and airy 40 foot kitchen in Crowborough (TN6) on the Kent, East Sussex border.

Price: £375 (includes VAT where applicable).  To pay in instalments, please email [email protected] or call 07976 32 72 78.

Time : 10:15am – approximately 5pm (both days)

Travel: We can assist with all travel arrangements including advising on trains and flights, pick up from the airport or train station.  For those coming by car, we have ample private and enclosed parking at the house.

Before booking, please ensure you read the terms and conditions on this website and also double check the date that you wish to attend as there will be no refunds for cancellations.  Class places are non-transferable.

For further details, please email [email protected] or call 07976 32 72 78.