How To Become A Cake Decorator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a cake decorator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Cake decorators spend their time decorating cakes to standards specified by customers. They are responsible for consulting with customers to discuss desired cake designs and then designing and decorating cakes to customers' specifications. They also often decorate regular bakery items and prepare different kinds of icings, frostings, and cake fillings based on customer specifications.

Cake decorators are also responsible for cleaning and sanitizing all work areas, ovens, and baking and decorating equipment as well as for taking inventory of baking and decorating supplies and ordering new stock as required.

Cake decorators need excellent communication, customer service, organizational, time management, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills. They also need to be polite, courteous, and friendly, have a genuine desire to help customers, work well with a team, have manual dexterity, and have the ability to stand for long periods of time.

The most basic requirement for becoming a cake decorator is a high school diploma. However, having a degree in a field related to culinary science is an advantage. Previous experience with cake decorating is valuable, but you will also receive hands-on training while working in a bakery.

ScoreCake DecoratorUS Average

Salary

2.5

Avg. Salary $31,509

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

5.1

Growth Rate 3%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.55%

Asian 3.43%

Black or African American 11.29%

Hispanic or Latino 22.31%

Unknown 4.03%

White 58.40%

Gender

female 91.15%

male 8.85%

Age - 41.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41.5

Stress Level

5.1

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

2.6

Complexity Level is basic

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.8

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

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Key steps to become a cake decorator

Explore cake decorator education requirements

Most common cake decorator degrees

High School Diploma

31.4 %

Associate

30.2 %

Bachelor's

23.3 %

Start to develop specific cake decorator skills

Skills	Percentages
Food Safety	14.52%
Food Handling	11.42%
Safety Standards	8.30%
Basic Math	7.27%
Cleanliness	6.22%

Complete relevant cake decorator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New cake decorators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a cake decorator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real cake decorator resumes.

Gain additional cake decorator certifications

Cake decorator certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific cake decorator certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for cake decorators include Food Safety Manager Certification and Certified Food Manager (CFM).

More About Certifications

Research cake decorator duties and responsibilities

Assist customers for their needs, and bag groceries.
Bake cookies, scones, muffins and various dessert bars.
Prepare smoothies and milkshakes using recipe book & ingredients provide.
Bake cakes, cookies, and bars in a gluten-free/vegan bakery.

Prepare your cake decorator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your cake decorator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a cake decorator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Cake Decorator Resume templates

Build a professional Cake Decorator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Cake Decorator resume.

Apply for cake decorator jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a cake decorator job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do cake decorators rate their job?