Hi all, I’m a self taught decorator and as the title says I have an upcoming job interview in a boutique bakery. I’m so nervous and unsure of what to expect- any pointers from more seasoned commercial bakers? Attached are some photos of my work for thread tax 🙂 (and also I am wanting to be reassured I’m up to par from people who know what they’re talking about not going to lie lol).
by AnalystWestern8469
12 Comments
(Also give it to me straight – should I include all these photos in my portfolio or eliminate any lol)
I’m not a professional but I love getting a nice cake for a birthday celebration. To my untrained eye these all look AMAZING and I’d be surprised if they didn’t want to hire you on the spot based on this portfolio. Take that with a grain of salt, I don’t know a thing about baking a cake but I do know a lot about eating them 😋
No pointers, just wanted to tell you that you’re incredibly talented and the fact that you’re self taught, wow!! You’re going to nail this interview and the job is already yours!! 👏🏽
The peach colored cake is absolutely beautiful and I’ve saved it!!!
I was in charge of hiring decorators at a prior position. I looked at portfolios ranging from self taught to those who went to school/had commercial experience. I would call you for an interview. Your piping is very even. The only thing that stands out to me is a temperature issue on some cakes but thats very nitpicky. If I was chatting with you Id ask about what styles of frosting you are familiar with. Id hope you would know at least 3. Id want to know about your other artistic skills. Do you paint/do ceramics/draw etc. If I was bringing someone in it would have been a working interview and they’d know what to wear and a brief idea of what we are doing. Id see if you could copy certain piping, how quickly you could smooth frost a cake, how familiar you are with common terms… now, interviews that I went on when I was starting out were mostly to get a personality test. I did have to frost a cake for someone once and they tricked me. The cake had been cold and it was all sweaty so I needed help with the first step. The fact that theyre having you interview is a good thing. You already beat out people with more experience.
I’m not a pro (but a consumer lol) and these honestly look beautiful!! I feel like there’s a good variety too. Wishing you all the best at the interview!
I love love love the second one!
Take a deep breath, your portfolio speaks for itself.
Your cakes are gorgeous! I truly mean that! Every one is just beautiful! The only tiny tiny critique I have is the writing on the 3rd pic. That’s it! 2 and 6 are my favs! Great decorating friend! I think you’ve got it in the bag! 🥰
Very cute cake!
I’d be thrilled to hire someone with your skill!
To be a bit more critical and helpful instead of just complimenting your work (which obviously is good stuff lol) I would def work on the temp of your frosting, precision, and your hand writing.
Some of these look a tiny bit rushed or not as clean as they COULD be. You can do things like pipe and freeze cacti, little shapes like hearts, flowers, anything really and then apply once completely frozen. Tidy up the edges of your cakes. Once completely frosted freeze your cake for 30 minutes (give or take depending on size) and then scrape until it’s even. You can use hot water and a spatula to help you out even more.
Handwriting is honestly something that comes with time. Be active in thinking about all the time. Ask yourself questions while piping. “Does it look neat?” “Can they read what it says?” “Does this color compliment the cake properly?” “Is there proper kerning?” The biggest thing is just take your time and even copy other handwriting styles to elevate yourself further. I used to take a small tooth pick and trace out my writing before I felt very confident enough to pipe it lol.
The last thing I’d consider is cake design. This will be important for taking cake orders and constantly elevating yourself as an artist and working towards becoming “professional.” For example if I was a customer and I came up to you and said “I want a neon pirate themed cake for the birthday girl.” Would you be able to come up with a design fairly quickly? As a consumer sometimes your customers want cakes that have never been done before. And that’s what will get customers to keep coming back to you and your business as well as attracting new customers.
These are honestly super nit picky kind of things, but once you keep these constantly in your mind while working….you’ll see yourself really start to grow more and more. Constantly strive to better yourself, and never stop learning or seeking new tips and tricks. You’re already VERY talented with no training or experience. Keep growing and I wish you all the success 🤍
Your work is wonderful! You have excellent skills! Former pastry chef here, I would suggest being familiar with using a scale for measuring recipes, local hygiene laws( like wearing gloves with ready to eat food), and time/temperature for food safety. Not sure where you are located but you should be able to google the local laws. Bakeries mostly use dairy and eggs but food safety is still important when working with ready to eat foods. Good luck!