In 2012, Duff Goldman, the star of Food Network shows such as Ace of Cakes, opened Duff's Cakemix in Los Angeles, making it easy for foodies of all ages to decorate the cakes of their dreams.
The studio is perfect for people like me, who are mesmerized by the endless cake decorating videos on Instagram and want to try their hand at decorating with the help of special tools and super helpful experts.
The Inspiration
The Duff's Cakemix Instagram (@duffscakemix) is full of inspiration for fun cakes, including those inspired by birthdays, emojis, donuts, sports teams, and holidays. Browsing Instagram for cakes made by both visitors and pros is the perfect way to choose the theme for your cake.
The Process
At Duff's, you start by choosing whether you want to decorate a chocolate cake, a funfetti cake (my choice), or half a dozen cupcakes. Duff's takes care of the baking, leaving the most fun part — the decorating — to you. For my visit, I decided to decorate a sushi cake, complete with fondant seaweed, buttercream and sprinkle rice, fondant salmon, and fondant cucumber.
Once you receive your blank canvas, you choose the color of the fondant that will cover the entire cake. While the studio offers about a dozen classic colors, you can work with the staff to create a custom color to fit your design, like my seaweed-green base color.
You can then choose from the endless fondant, buttercream, and candy options according to your idea. I created the rice for my sushi cake using white buttercream and white sprinkles, the salmon using white, orange, and red fondant, and the cucumber using green fondant.
The Final Product
Decorating at Duff's Cakemix is easy and fun, making it an ideal activity for everyone. Most importantly, the cakes are delicious; they work perfectly as party desserts (especially for Valentine's Day, Fourth of July, and Halloween) or as special gifts. I had an incredible experience decorating at the studio and would highly recommend a visit to anyone who loves cake and crafts or simply wants to try something new!