In many areas of the world, decorated cakes are often a focal point of a special celebration such as a birthday, graduation, bridal shower, wedding, or anniversary.

During the 1840s, the advent of temperature-controlled ovens and the production of baking soda and baking powder made baking cakes much easier.

Even though baking from scratch decreased during the latter part of the 20th century in the United States decorated cakes have remained an important part of celebrations such as weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, showers and other special occasions. Recently cakes decorated with fondant have become extremely popular and resulted in several reality based TV shows across the country.

Some cake designers are former painters. Colette Peters, of Colette’s Birthday Cakes, and some of Colette's employees have degrees in Fine Arts, or art history and Duff Goldman was a graffiti artist.

Home-based baking is a sleeper industry that offers even novice bakers the opportunity to bake from home for profit using tried and true recipes and equipment already on hand. Home-Based baking is the foundation for how cake decorators start their baking business. The idea of baking from home for profit is not without many rules and how-tos and though not allowed in many states, over 25 U.S. states have some form of cottage laws that allows baking for profit.