Pineapple upside-down cakes are a perennial favorite ... you’ll be able to appreciate this Harry Potter birthday cake. This ...

Despite the fact that I’m a cooking editor, I don’t have much experience with cake decorating. I bake a lot, sure, but I typically top my cakes with ... before the real decorations can happen.

So don’t ask me why my kids still insist I make their birthday cakes. For some guidance, I headed off to Wilton Sweet Studio in Naperville for a “basics” vintage cake-decorating class.