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Prepare the buttercream!
You just dampen them in water, wrap them around your pan, and bake normally. They were crowned the winners in a test of several hacks on Craftsy done by Erin Bakes. (Who, btw, has a CUTE AF cake decorating/cookbook, $16.28 on Amazon).
Get a pack of two strips on Amazon for $8.91.
Your cakes MUST be completely cool before you attempt this, though: otherwise it might mess up the top of your cake. One reviewer suggests freezing the cakes for an hour, then cutting, if you don't have time for them to cool completely.
Get it from Amazon for $7.69, or from Sur La Table for $9.95.
It'll help you always know how to adjust your oven's heat so it's like baby bear's porridge: juuust right. I use one of these and it's been a game changer, because my oven runs too cool. Get one from Amazon for $6.29.
Cooling racks let the air circulate ~all around your cake~ — if you just leave it on a cool plate or even worse, in the pan*, that doesn't happen. So avoid a cakefail; get a highly-reviewed cooling rack on Amazon for $13.50. And as the picture shows, they're also useful for pouring flawless glazes and ganaches.
*Most/all cakes need to cool in the pan for 10ish minutes or so (your recipe will probably specify), then turn out onto a rack.
Then when you're done, carefully remove the paper to reveal a sparkling clean plate. Of course, if you're going hardcore professional, you'll probably set down a cardboard cake circle that'll make the whole thing easy to move to a box or the serving plate after it's frosted, instead. (Get a dozen 10-inch cake circles for $5.94, or 8-inch ones for $7.14, both on Amazon.) Watch the full video on Tasty 101.
If you cut your cakes in half to make your layers, make sure to pick a half that has that bottom square edge, and (obvs) put it crumb-side down. Watch the full video on Tasty 101.
It'll make applying the rest of the frosting neatly significantly easier, and it'll ~set the layers~ so they don't want to go sliding all over the place when you move or cut it.
Style Sweet CA has full tutorials on the ombré and watercolor techniques. You can also make a pretty striped texture in buttercream with the comb sides. Get one on Amazon for $2.79.
Find the step-by-step tutorial for icing the smoothest buttercream cake ever on Life, Love, and Sugar, and get the fondant smoother on Amazon for $4.
Unlike the decorating comb, a bench scraper's useful for dozens of different tasks: scraping up all the veggies you just chopped at once, cutting bread dough in a snap, moving layers of cake so they don't break... Get one on Amazon for $9.99.
First add the tip (or the coupler with the tip), then put the bag in tip-first, and fold the excess over the outside. See more on The Kitchn and Creations by Kara.
Watch the full video on Tasty 101.
Or with a writing tip, that works too. If you mess up your letters or spelling at all in the toothpick stage, just wipe it smooth again! Get the full tutorial on Coco Cake Land.
As will all cake decorating skills, you'll probs still have a little trial-and-error before it looks perfect, but it'll be easier than trying to pipe buttercream flowers the traditional way. Renee Conner has a helpful video tutorial on YouTube. Get a starter set of tips on Amazon for $7.77.
Craftsy has quite a few cake decorating offerings, including this buttercream class that's currently on sale for $14.99. (You can also probably find classes at your local baking or craft store.)
Just dip, let it dry, and decorate! (Protip: Wash your flowers well and check for bugs first.) You can tint it with food coloring to match your frosting, too. Get it on Craftsy for $10.40 (+$4.99 flat-rate shipping, or free shipping for orders $99+).
From Sweet Style CA and Lovely Indeed. Get the sprinkles from Shop Sweet Lulu for $8.50 (10+ color combos available).
You might have to practice a little bit, but reviewers say its pretty easy to get the hang of the basics. Get the 108-piece set on Amazon for $19.99.
Get more fondant tips from NYC Cake Girl.