Kat Thompson is the audience editor of Eater’s Southern California/Southwest region. Despite the fact that I’m a cooking editor, I don’t have much experience with cake decorating. I bake a lot, sure, ...

Rai Mincey is a food writer and baking enthusiast whose focuses include culinary history, seasonal cooking, and Southern cuisine. She splits her time between Birmingham, Alabama, and Tulum, Mexico.

The world of cake decorating can be one of high art and amazing deceptions, as shows like Is This Cake? have proven. But usually cakes of this level of decor are far out of the budget range of most ...