Building upon 30 years of educating cake decorators.

NY Cake Academy is excited to announce the expansion of our certificate series with new Cake Decorating Fundamentals classes.

 

Designed by experienced cake artists, Cake Decorating Fundamentals provides a comprehensive understanding and practice of the core techniques every cake decorator must master to take their skills to new heights! Focusing on three important decorating mediums, our program consists of 15 different classes categorized into three certificate series—Buttercream Essentials, Fondant Essentials and Royal Icing Essentials—each containing 5 individual class topics for completion. In each series, you’ll gain the knowledge and experience that seasoned  cake decorators rely on to create beautiful edible masterpieces.

 

Created for cake decorating enthusiasts who want a deeper dive within the specific disciplines of buttercream, fondant or royal icing, students may sign up for individual classes or a full 5-class series to become NY Cake Certified! Sign up for the first of our three-certificate series, Buttercream Essentials beginning this February!

CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS

(LIVE VIRTUAL / IN-PERSON)

Baking 

Buttercream Essentials

The foundation of all cake decorating is buttercream! From applications for cake assembly—layering, stacking and frosting—to a versatile medium for decorating, buttercream is an essential component to master. Learn the strengths and weaknesses between various types of buttercream, including how to make them and the best application for each style. Practice using different tools to express your creativity including the spectrum of piping tips (including Russian tips), cake combs, spatulas, and palette knives. Gain the skills to create textures and shapes through piping, ribbons, spirals, horizontal stripes, drop flowers, abstract strokes, and modern buttercream flowers for beautifully decorated cakes. Take all five classes to receive your Buttercream Essentials certificate, or study à la carte to hone specific areas of interest.

COMING SOON!

Pastry


Fondant Essentials


Baking


Royal Icing Essentials


SPECIAL 30TH ANNIVERSARY OFFER!

Buy 4 Buttercream Essentials classes, get the 5th FREE!
Register for the full Buttercream Essentials series from February - March and you'll get your 5th class free—a $250 savings to help you get NY Cake Certified.

OFFER VALID FOR BOTH IN-PERSON AND LIVE VIRTUAL CLASSES TAUGHT THROUGHOUT 2021.
DISCOUNT APPLIED AUTOMATICALLY AT CHECKOUT WHEN ALL 5 BUTTERCREAM ESSENTIALS CLASSES ARE ADDED TO YOUR CART.

 

Study in-person or at home with live virtual classes!

Bring the NY Cake Academy experience to you, anywhere that you have access to a kitchen! For the first time, we’re pleased to offer students the opportunity to receive their certificate by completing 20 hours of in-person studies at our Manhattan Flagship store, or online through our new live virtual studies. Our live virtual classes bring the same expert level instruction and comprehensive curriculum as our in-person offerings directly to you in the comfort of your home kitchen. Taught by the same instructors, your lesson plan will be delivered in the same amount of time as it would for our in-person classes, but allows more flexibility for participation from students who would normally have to travel to the store. Live virtual students can also order pre-baked cakes & cupcakes from NY Cake Cafe to save on their preparation time in advance of class.

 

While the content of the class will be identical in both offerings, the learning environments will naturally be different for students studying in-person versus online. It is recommended that students select a learning style for the duration of their classes to provide consistency and minimize disruptions to the experience.

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Don't forget your tools!

In-person students are required to purchase the Cake Decorating Fundamentals Toolkit, plus the corresponding Buttercream, Royal Icing, or Fondant toolkit supplement prior to the start of their first class. This one-time purchase of the Cake Decorating Fundamentals toolkit will allow students to study in any of the 15 total classes accompanied by the purchase of the specific supplement for Buttercream, Royal Icing, or Fondant Essentials to be used in their respective 5 classes. When signing up for your first class, please select the Class with Toolkit + Supplement option upon checkout. If you are registering for a full 5-class essentials series, you only need to select this option once. If you’ve already purchased the Cake Decorating Fundamentals toolkit and are registering for a class in a different essentials series please select the Class with Supplement option once upon checkout. Then you’ll have the tools you need for all 5 classes within your chosen essentials series.

While it is not required for live virtual students, we highly recommend students studying at home purchase the toolkit to create a consistent learning experience.

Toolkits purchased for in-person classes will be available for pick up in store prior to the start of class. Tools will not be provided in class, so please be sure to bring your toolkit to each class. For live virtual classes, toolkits can be shipped within the continental U.S. directly to your home.

 

How to get NY Cake Certified

NY Cake Academy’s Cake Decorating Fundamentals offers three certificates for completion—Buttercream Essentials, Fondant Essentials, and Royal Icing Essentials Certificates. Students must successfully complete all five courses, a total of 20 hours, within a single certificate series—Buttercream, Fondant, or Royal Icing Essentials—within one year of their first course to receive their certificate. If you missed one of the required courses to complete your certificate, do not worry. The full set of courses will be scheduled several times throughout the year to provide students with the opportunity to complete their certificates within the required time.

 

Be sure to sign up for our mailing list to be the first to know when registration opens for future sessions! Don’t forget to check out our Pastry Essentials and Cake Baking Essentials Certificates through the Baking & Pastry Fundamentals series.

 

For students who aren’t ready to dive into the full certificate experience, you may elect to take class à la carte and sign up for just one class at a time.

Course Requirements & Policies

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General

Students do not need prior decorating experience to attend these classes. Our curriculum is designed to teach you the fundamental techniques and skills needed to succeed in the kitchen. You’ll learn to decorate everything from start to finish, and you’ll get to take home your complete finished products.


Payment

Classes must be paid in full upon registration. Credit card payments can be made via our website.


Cancellation Policy

NY Cake Academy classes are not eligible for refunds, however classes are transferable. Students may reschedule their class to an alternative date or time up to 7 days prior to the class date for in-person classes, or 14-days prior for live virtual classes. Students may also choose to give their place in class to another student. Please let us know in advance so we can request the appropriate paperwork. In this case, class time may not be split up between multiple students. The same student will be enrolled in all days of a multi-session class. All deposits & fees are forfeited for no shows. We do not provide make-up classes.


NY Cake Academy reserves the right to cancel a class due to low enrollment up to 48 hours before the class date. We reserve the right to change class schedules. If for any reason NY Cake Academy should cancel a class, a full refund will be offered to the student. However, NY Cake Academy does not accept responsibility for any other expenses incurred such as hotel or airline cancellation penalties.


Toolkits

In-person students are required to purchase the Cake Decorating Fundamentals Toolkit, plus the corresponding Buttercream, Royal Icing, or Fondant toolkit supplement prior to the start of their first class. This one-time purchase of the Cake Decorating Fundamentals toolkit will allow students to study in any of the 15 total classes accompanied by the purchase of the specific supplement for Buttercream, Royal Icing, or Fondant Essentials to be used in their respective 5 classes. While it is not required for live virtual students, we highly recommend students studying at home purchase the toolkit to create a consistent learning experience.


Photography

We encourage students to take pictures during class and to share on social media tagging @nycakeacademy using #nycakecertified. However, we do not allow video or voice recording. We also ask that you refrain from sharing class materials or step-by-step pictures. Please silence cell phones while in class and excuse yourself to the store area if you need to make or take a call. NY Cake Academy employees may photograph the class for future promotions, or for use on our social media channels. Please let us know if you would prefer not to be photographed. 

Live Virtual Classes

At-Home Preparation

Students must prepare in advance of their live virtual class by having all ingredients, tools and equipment in place PRIOR to the start of class. We recommend that students measure out all items in advance as the pace of class will move quickly. For decorating classes, students also need pre-baked cakes and/or cupcakes in advance of their class which can be purchased from NY Cake Cafe or made on their own. Students will receive an email two weeks prior to the start of their live virtual class with the link to join, handbook, recipes, tool/equipment list and ingredient shopping list. For this reason, tuition is non-refundable after this point. 


Tardiness Policy

These comprehensive classes are taught within a rigorous 4-hour timeline. Classes will begin on time—please be sure to allow enough time to log on and prepare prior to the start of the class. We will not permit late entry to tardy students that miss 25% of any class. Classes occasionally run over time—please let the instructor know if you need to sign off early or immediately at the end of class so they can plan for it. 

In-Person Classes

Orientation

For in-person classes, each student will be asked to attend a 15 minute orientation with their instructor PRIOR to the start of their first class. This orientation will help students become acquainted with the kitchen and review safety & sanitation protocols to provide a comfortable learning experience. Instructors will be holding the same lecture just before the start of each class (if class is at 5pm, orientation begins at 4:45pm). After completing your orientation, you will be ready to take future Cake Decorating Fundamentals classes without the need to participate in an orientation again.


Tardiness Policy

These comprehensive classes are taught within a rigorous 4-hour timeline. Classes will begin on time—please be sure to allow enough time to arrive and prepare prior to the start of the class. We will not permit late entry to tardy students that miss 25% of any class. Classes occasionally run over time—please let the instructor know if you need to leave early or immediately at the end of class so they can plan for it. 


Attire Policy

This is a commercial facility. We kindly ask that you follow our Health and Safety Certification standards required by law. Students attending in-person classes will need to:

  • Wear closed toe shoes (flip-flops and other sandals are not permitted)

  • Wear NY cake apron (included in toolkit)

  • Tie back long hair

  • Ensure that no bare skin is exposed below the waist (no shorts, skirts, or going sockless)

In addition, students studying in-person need to follow all COVID safety precautions including:

  • Must wear a face mask at all times within the NY Cake Store and in the Academy kitchen.

  • Maintain social distance from anyone not within your household. For this reason, in-person classes are limited to a max of 10 students. Students will have their own table & workstation to safely maintain 6-feet of distance from other attendees.

  • If you feel sick, stay home!

  • Wash hands with soap & water thoroughly and frequently.


NY Cake Academy reserves the right to change these policies without notice. By registering for a class you agree to these Class Policies and Regulations.