Many aspiring pastry chefs are confused by the difference between cake baking and cake decorating. Are these two clearly delineated professions that work separately, or is the line between the two professions quite blurry? Here is a brief overview of the two different professions, including how they come together and what keeps the two distinct entities.

Cake Baking and Cake Decorating Defined – What is the Big Difference?

Is there a big difference between the title of cake baker and cake decorator? That is, do you have to choose one over the other, or is it generally accepted that if you bake cakes, that you can also decorate them? In general, there is a professional delineation made between the two. A cake baker is one who is professionally trained to create and bake cakes. Most professional cake bakers create cakes for special occasions such as wedding cakes, corporate events, or for mass consumption, as cakes that are sold at grocery stores. A cake baker can own his or her own bakery, or may work for a bakery as a cake baker. Some cake bakers that are also bakery owners produce cakes exclusively for sale at their own bakery, while others bake for various bakeries.

Do Cake Bakers Also Work as Cake Decorators?

It is very common, in fact, for cake bakers to also work as cake decorators. However, this does not always have to be the case. Some bakers enjoy the process of baking, but do not express interest in the decorating aspect of cake design. Bakery owners who bake all their own cakes but who do not consider themselves cake decorators will hire professional cake decorators to take care of this aspect of the final cake design. However, it is not uncommon at all for cake bakers to also decorate their own cakes.

What About the Cake Decorator?

Cake decorators are a bit more specialized than bakers. That is, an individual who has been trained as a cake decorator is less likely to have experience as a cake baker. However, the two are clearly not mutually exclusive—a cake baker can work as a cake decorator, and vice versa.

Training and Education for Becoming a Cake Baker or Cake Decorator

Perhaps you are wondering what kind of formal education and training is necessary in order to become either a cake baker or cake decorator, or both, Technically, no formal education or training is necessary in order to be considered a professional cake decorator or cake baker. However, formal training and education in both these skills and arts is highly recommended. It can be very difficult to acquire a good position as either a cake baker or a cake decorator without some degree of professional experience and formal training. The best way to be able to secure professional experience is to receive formal training in baking and decoration.

Why Formal Education Can Give You the Career Boost You Need

No matter whether you identify yourself more as a cake baker or a cake decorator, chances are that you will need to gain some amount of formal training in order to get work as either (or both). Even if you are an accomplished self-taught baker or cake decorator, a formal education can provide you with cutting edge methods and techniques, and it can connect you to a whole community of bakers and decorators that you may not otherwise come into contact with. However, if you would like to establish yourself as a baker and a cake decorator, you should know that formal training often encourages specialization, so make sure that you get a firm grounding in both of these skills.