About this role
Role Purpose
The Cake Baker / Cake Decorator is responsible for producing, assembling, filling, decorating, and finishing a wide range of cakes and bakery products to a high standard. The role requires a skilled baker with strong cake experience, including large-format cakes, birthday cakes, special occasion cakes, individual cakes, celebration cakes, layered cakes, tray bakes, and decorated bakery items.
The ideal candidate will have a solid bakery background, strong technical skills, attention to detail, and the ability to create attractive, consistent, and high-quality cakes for retail, restaurant, catering, and special order requirements.
Key Responsibilities
Cake Production
Prepare and bake cakes, sponges, bases, fillings, creams, frostings, buttercreams, ganache, glazes, icings, and other cake components.
Produce large-format cakes, birthday cakes, celebration cakes, special occasion cakes, individual cakes, cupcakes, loaf cakes, tray cakes, entremets, and other bakery items as required.
Follow approved recipes, production methods, baking times, portion sizes, and presentation standards.
Ensure cakes are baked to the correct texture, flavour, moisture, height, colour, and consistency.
Prepare fillings such as fruit compotes, creams, mousses, ganache, custards, buttercream, caramel, chocolate fillings, and other relevant components.
Cake Assembly & Decoration
Level, layer, fill, mask, ice, glaze, pipe, decorate, and finish cakes to a high standard.
Decorate cakes using buttercream, whipped cream, fondant, ganache, chocolate, fresh fruit, edible flowers, sprinkles, piping, writing, and other decorative finishes.
Create cakes for birthdays, celebrations, events, retail displays, seasonal promotions, and special customer requests.
Execute simple customised messages, names, colours, themes, and decoration styles where required.
Ensure all decorated cakes are neat, balanced, visually appealing, and aligned with brand standards.
Bakery Support
Support wider bakery production when required, including breads, pastries, muffins, cookies, brownies, tarts, viennoiserie, and other baked goods.
Assist with preparation, baking, finishing, packing, labelling, and storage of bakery products.
Work as part of the bakery team to meet daily production targets and outlet requirements.
Quality Control
Check the appearance, taste, texture, weight, finish, and freshness of all cake products.
Ensure consistency across all cake sizes, formats, decorations, and finishes.
Identify and report quality issues, ingredient concerns, or production errors.
Maintain high standards of presentation, cleanliness, and craftsmanship.
Hygiene & Food Safety
Follow HACCP, food safety, allergen control, hygiene, and municipality requirements.
Maintain a clean, organised, and sanitised workstation.
Ensure correct storage, labelling, expiry control, and temperature management of cakes, fillings, creams, dairy products, and decorations.
Follow safe handling procedures for allergens, chilled items, and ready-to-eat products.
Stock & Wastage Control
Use ingredients accurately according to recipes and production requirements.
Minimise wastage during baking, trimming, filling, decorating, and portioning.
Report low stock levels, damaged ingredients, or quality issues to the supervisor.
Support accurate stock rotation and storage.
Special Orders & Events
Assist with special cake orders, celebration cakes, seasonal products, event cakes, and bespoke bakery requests.
Work with the Head of Bakery on new cake designs, flavour trials, seasonal ranges, and product development.
Ensure customer orders are completed accurately, attractively, and on time.
Required Experience
Minimum 3–5 years’ experience as a baker, cake decorator, pastry commis, demi chef, chef de partie, or similar role.
Strong practical experience in cake baking, filling, icing, decorating, and finishing.
Bakery background required, with ability to support wider bakery production when needed.
Experience with celebration cakes, birthday cakes, individual cakes, cupcakes, tray cakes, and special occasion cakes.
Experience in a bakery CPU, hotel bakery, pastry kitchen, premium café, cake shop, or central kitchen is preferred.
Skills & Competencies
Strong cake baking and decoration skills.
Good piping, icing, filling, masking, and finishing ability.
Knowledge of buttercream, fondant, ganache, cream-based cakes, layered cakes, and chilled cakes.
Good understanding of bakery production methods.
Strong attention to detail and presentation.
Creativity with colours, finishes, textures, and decoration styles.
Able to follow recipes and brand standards accurately.
Good time management and ability to work under pressure.
Clean, organised, and disciplined working style.
Team player with a positive attitude.
Able to work early mornings, weekends, public holidays, and flexible shifts as required.
Qualifications
Culinary, bakery, pastry, or cake decoration training preferred.
Food safety or HACCP certification preferred.
Practical portfolio or photos of previous cake work would be an advantage.
Key Performance Indicators
Cake orders completed on time and to specification.
High standard of decoration and finishing.
Consistent product quality and presentation.
Low wastage and accurate use of ingredients.
Compliance with hygiene and food safety standards.
Ability to support wider bakery production.
Positive feedback from outlets, customers, and management.
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