You have probably been bookmarking videos, saving Instagram posts, and wondering where to properly begin — or where to go next. You want to learn from someone who genuinely knows what they are doing. You want to feel like you are somewhere, not just watching.
That is exactly what this page is for.
Below, you will find 13 online cake decorating schools — each taught by a real working designer with real expertise. They cover everything from the delicate art of wafer paper flowers to the precision of fondant sculpting, buttercream piping, and colour theory. Some are built for beginners just finding their footing. Others are designed for decorators ready to go much further.
Take your time with this list. The right class has a way of finding you.
Specialises in: Gum paste flowers, wafer paper flowers, cake design
With over 14 years of experience — including working at the prestigious Maggie Austin Cake boutique in Washington D.C. and creating pieces for the White House Christmas (2014) — Winifred teaches the art of wafer paper flowers, sugar flowers, gum paste, and cake decorating, with a deep specialisation in colour theory and producing natural, true-to-life colours in edible art. Over 6,000 students worldwide have learned through her online academy, private workshops, and masterclasses. She offers a variety of online classes, from Gum Paste to Wafer Paper – Sugar Flower Wedding Cakes and Art of Wafer Paper Flowers & Cake Design.
The former focuses on Flexible Gumpaste flowers while the latter focuses on creating wafer paper flowers.
Her courses are designed for cake decorators of all levels and offer everything you need to know about these cake decorations. Beyond the basics, you can also expect to learn how to conceptualise a cake design and bring it to life.
Additionally, students who enroll in her Online School will enjoy access to her through the private Discussion Board inside the courses where she continues to support her students by sharing insider cake decorating tips, exclusive content, academy member perks and answering questions they might have.
Want a professional taster and start to this incredible journey? Thinking how you can make realistic looking sugar flowers that are light weight, do not break and doesn't require overnight drying time?
3000+ people have signed up for Winifred's FREE Wafer Paper Guide + Cosmos Workshop and benefitted from it. This is where you will master all the foundations for working with wafer paper, create beautiful cosmos flowers and how to arrange them on a cake.
She also has a YOUTUBE Channel where you can look out for other FREE resources that are extremely comprehensive and might help you kick start your cake decorating and improve on your flower making journey.
One example you want to look out for is her FREE "How to make wafer paper leaves" tutorial that teaches you how to create these delicate sugar foliage. This comprehensive tutorial guides you on how to create wafer paper leaves, and you will also get to learn how to apply a unique multi-colouring technique to make the leaves look more realistic.
If you’ve ever wanted to try making wafer paper flowers but felt overwhelmed—this Mini Wafer Paper Rose class is the perfect first step.
For just $19, you’ll learn how to create a beautiful rose that looks delicate and professional… even if you’re a complete beginner 💕
🌸 Never have to wonder how to paint and shape petals
🌸 Build confidence working with wafer paper
🌸 Create something truly elegant & romantic looking with simple tools
🌸 Add a timeless rose to your decorating skills (or portfolio!)
🎨 BONUS: My special Color Mixing Video Bonus to elevate the look and colors of your roses!
This class is about more than just technique—it’s a life skill & about finding joy and surprising yourself with what you can make.
What our students are saying:
Let real stories speak for themselves.
Specialises in: Buttercream flowers, cake decorating.
Eat Cake Be Merry is founded by Liz Shim, a cake designer whose work is defined by clean lines, modern aesthetics, and beautifully rendered buttercream florals. Liz started with a clear philosophy: that great cake design does not have to be complicated — it simply has to be intentional.
Her online courses focus on buttercream flowers and cake decorating technique, and they are well-suited to students who want to build a polished, professional aesthetic without working with fondant or sugar. The instruction is clear and methodical, and her visual sensibility is consistently elegant.
If you are drawn to a contemporary, clean style and want to build real confidence with buttercream — from petal consistency to colour palette selection — Eat Cake Be Merry is a considered choice. Courses can be purchased individually, making it easy to start with exactly the skill you want to develop.
Best for: Intermediate decorators wanting to elevate their buttercream work with a modern, refined aesthetic.
Specialises in: Buttercream Piping, Cake decorating, Buttercream Cake Decorating
Sweet Heather Anne is founded by Heather in 2010, and they have been creating extremely beautiful floral wedding cakes for their clients.
In their online tutorials, we share techniques and processes to help you become a more confident cake designer and sell the work that inspires you. It’s my hope that our insights will be valuable to you no matter where you are in your cake journey.
Specialises in: Fondant cake decorating, cake sculpting, cake painting
The online cake decorating classes at Avalon Cake School focuses on a variety of topics including cake sculpting and painting on fondant.
The courses on this site are suitable for beginners to advanced cake decorators. Some of the content on the site is free. However, the majority of the online classes can only be purchased or accessed through a monthly membership.
Specialises in: Fondant cake decorating, buttercream cake decorating
Ashlee Marie was catapulted into fame after her appearances on Food Network. On her site, you can find cake decorating tutorials and tips on how to make show-stopping desserts.
Most of her online classes feature written instructions accompanied by videos to supplement the text, making them great for visual learners.
Specialises in: Fondant cake decorating, buttercream cake decorating
The Butter Book is a learning platform that offers a variety of cake decorating courses. This platform was created by pastry chefs who founded the French Pastry School in Chicago.
You can choose to sign up for their courses on basic cake decorating, cake embellishment, or fondant. Apart from cake decorating, the site also offers video tutorials on bread making and pastries
Specialises in: Chocolate modelling, rice paste flowers
CakeJess is helmed by Jessica MV, an award-winning Vietnamese cake decorator who specialises in creating custom wedding cakes.
She offers a range of cake decorating courses on topics like chocolate modelling and creating rice paste flowers. These online cake decorating classes are taught by Jessica and feature comprehensive follow-along video tutorials.
Specialises in: Buttercream cake decorating, isomalt decorations
Founded in 2013 by Thao Armstrong, Don’t Tell Charles (DTC) started as a small coffee and dessert shop in Australia. Since then, the brand has grown to become a renowned cake designer known for its concrete buttercream cakes.
DTC offers various online courses that aim to provide students from all over the world with resources to become a successful cake designer. They currently offer classes on buttercream cake decorating techniques and creating isomalt cake decorations.
Specialises in: Buttercream cake decorating, fondant cake decorating
The Wilton School is a world-renowned cake decorating school known for its “Wilton Method” – a set of cake decorating techniques developed by the school.
Over here, you can access courses taught by Wilton-trained instructors with extensive teaching and cake decorating experience. The online courses at Wilton are taught live; this means that your instructor will provide you with guidance in real-time.
Specialises in: Buttercream cake decorating, fondant cake decorating
Sugar Geek Show was started by Liz Marek – a cake decorator from Portland, USA in 2015. She offers a broad selection of online classes ranging from basic to advanced cake decorating techniques.
To sign up for her classes, students can subscribe to her membership plans. Becoming a member also allows you to access a members-only forum where students can talk about all things related to cake decorating.
Specialises in: Basic cake decorating
Skillshare is an online learning platform where you can watch video tutorials on a plethora of topics. On this site, you’ll find video tutorials on cake decorating techniques taught by experienced instructors.
You’re required to sign up for a paid membership before you can access these videos. Fortunately, there’s an option to register for a free 7-day trial before you decide to commit to the platform.
Specialises in: Buttercream cake decorating, buttercream cake decorating
Craftsy offers online classes for creatives on topics like cake decorating, sewing, and photography. Their cake decorating courses are suitable for students with varying levels of experience and are taught by professionals.
To enrol in their courses, you’ll need to subscribe to their paid membership plan.
Specialises in: Buttercream cake decorating, fondant cake decorating
Brit + Co is a website that features video tutorials related to business, food, design, and art. On the site, you can find a small collection of cake decorating classes that focus on basic techniques like frosting and decorating a cake with fondant.
You can make a one-time purchase to enrol in their cake decorating classes. Alternatively, you can also subscribe to their all-access pass for access to all the courses available on their site.
*FREE DOWNLOAD*
Begin your journey here: A Comprehensive Guide to Tools, Techniques & Flowers — with Winifred’s Personal Tips & Insights
A 100% yes. Winifred learns most of her skills from scratch, made all the mistakes so you don't have to- so all classes are designed with the thought of making sure all the fundamentals are covered in detail step-by-step processes, before we move on to something more advanced.
You're in safe hands to kick start your wafer paper and cake decorating journey here. All we ask for, is a heart open to learning.
If you are still unsure, you may try out Winifred's most popular Wafer Paper Mini Rose Class, perfect for beginners to get started!
Not at all. However, if you prefer to start with a smaller class and have a taster, our Beginner's Favorite is our Wafer Paper Mini Rose Class.
This class will allow you to understand how easy it is to create a romantic looking flower like the rose- you’ll be guided step-by-step through the process, and be able to build confidence in working with wafer paper flowers.
You’ll need some basic tools like scissors, floral wire, and edible glue, along with wafer paper (don’t worry—we’ll send you a full supply list when you sign up!). Many of the items are things you may already have in your cake decorating kit.
Wafer paper can work on buttercream cakes, too. Just remember to add in a layer of melted cocoa butter between the wafer paper flowers and the buttercream so the condensation from the buttercream will not soften or affect the wafer paper. (Wafer paper is sensitive to moisture.)
Winifred is based in Singapore where the humidity level is around 70-80% on average, so yes, both wafer paper and flexible gum paste flowers can be made in humid climates. Helpful tools include a dehumidifier to reduce the humidity level to about 60-65%, and the use of vodka to condition wafer paper. You can learn more about working with wafer paper on my YouTube Channel.
Yes- in fact, many techniques for gumpaste and wafer paper are interchangeable.
Both are beautiful — and both have their place on a cake. Wafer paper flowers are made from edible rice paper: they are lightweight, translucent, and do not require overnight drying time. There is a delicacy to them — almost ethereal — that makes them feel incredibly lifelike.
Gum paste flowers are denser and more sculptural, ideal for highly detailed work that needs to hold its shape firmly over time.
If you are new to sugar flowers, wafer paper is a wonderful, forgiving place to begin. If you are drawn to intricate, structured petals with a porcelain quality, gum paste may be calling you.
This varies widely depending on the school and the depth of the course. Single classes can range from as little as $19 — like our Mini Wafer Paper Rose class — to several hundred dollars for a comprehensive masterclass. Subscription platforms like Skillshare or Sugar Geek Show offer membership-based access that can be cost-effective if you plan to take multiple courses.
At Winifred Kristé Cake, we also offer a free entry point — our Wafer Paper Guide + Cosmos Workshop — so you can find your footing before committing to a paid course.
We would gently suggest starting with something free — both to experience the teaching format and to find a teacher whose style genuinely resonates with you. Our FREE Wafer Paper Guide + Cosmos Workshop is designed exactly for this: a full, foundational introduction to working with wafer paper, creating cosmos flowers, and arranging them on a cake.
Over 3,000 students have begun their journey here. From that experience, you will know exactly where you want to go next — and you will already have surprised yourself with what you can make.
