Level-UP

10 Courses

Sick of keeping up with fast-moving trends? Build a cake style that lasts longer than the algorithm. Your style.

Get instant access to 10 courses designed to spark playful creativity and find your unique cake style through experimentation.

JOIN LEVEL-UP

✓ Self-paced ✓ Lifetime Access ✓ Flexible Payment Options

Experiment with playful techniques

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Find your unique cake style

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Experiment with playful techniques • Find your unique cake style •

A decorative glass sculpture with abstract, flowing shapes on a green and black marbled pedestal, displayed on a black cake stand.

Most of us learn by copying first. It’s necessary. But once you can efficiently make a buttercream cake, copying trending designs feels… limiting.

You’re ready for more. You want to create your own cake designs - ones that reflect your taste, your personality, and your creative point of view.

It’s time to experiment.

“You learn the rules, you practice them, and then you must break them. Mastery requires constant experimentation.”

ROBERT GREENE

IMAGINE BEING ABLE TO…

  • A woman in a kitchen using a NutriBullet blender to prepare a smoothie, with a measuring cup and kitchen appliances around her.

    • Find inspirations for creative ideas

  • A woman decorated two cylindrical cakes with marbled black and white patterns on a white countertop in a modern kitchen.

    • Turn ideas into cake designs

  • A woman wearing a brown apron with a white shirt is placing a candle wick into a tiered, marble-patterned cake on a kitchen countertop.

    • Bring designs to life with efficient experimentation.

Let go of perfection. Embrace play

Learn our Cake Smarter, Not Harder® framework to experiment freely with modern cake decorating techniques without wasting time, effort, or ingredients.

JOIN LEVEL-UP

✓ Self-paced ✓ Lifetime Access ✓ Flexible Payment Options

Real Results From Real Cake Designers

  • A tall, cylindrical cake with pink and white marbled icing, topped with a large, decorative pink and clear sugar lace made to resemble a flower.

    “Makes my heart happy 🥰💚."

    I’m SO enjoying playing and experimenting with all the fun ways to use the techniques we’re learning from Thao! I feel like a hella mad scientist in a lab when I am experimenting with the rice papers!

    Amber Glaze

  • Holographic birthday cake with a black topper that reads 'Happy Birthday Isaac', '18', a silhouette of a running figure, and 'Love.' A pink cotton candy decoration is on the side of the topper. The cake is on a black textured stand.

    "Really appreciate the detailed videos."

    Pretty happy with my first attempt at painted ganache cake for my son’s 18th tomorrow. I only bake a couple of cakes a year for family so was really happy that this one turn out as I imagined.

    Janice Thean

  • Round cake with pink and cream marbled icing topped with pink and white crispy rice treats and a pink tissue paper decoration.

    "FUN!"

    My first attempt at the sandstone pipe & scrape technique along with fried wafer paper decorations. I was happy with the result but think my sandstone looks a bit more like marbling. Fun though 🥰!

    Leesa Ivey

  • Close-up of a swirl pattern with red, green, white, and black colors, resembling a tie-dye or marbled design.

    "Cake decorating can sometimes be rather boring after you run out of ideas on what to do."

    Now, instead of running out of ideas on what to do, I’m running out of time trying to keep up to try out new techniques!

    I got so excited! Sandstone technique for Christmas!

    Maureen Tan

  • A decorative vase with a marbled, textured surface in shades of brown, gray, and tan, topped with an abstract pink glass sculpture that has a smooth, flowing form with glossy finish, set against a dark background.

    "My first painted ganache cake. what fun I had! "

    Looking forward to the next one, trying different colours! Thank you Thao! Your classes are outstanding

    Montse Esteba

  • A decorative arrangement featuring a cylindrical marble vase with a swirling pattern in shades of yellow, white, and beige, containing ruffled light-colored dried or artificial leaves or coral on a black round base, set on a wooden surface against a dark background.

    "I had SO MUCH FUN creating this beauty!!"

    Seriously cannot give enough gratitude for Thao and this group! I studied the sandstone & rice paper tutorials for a week and then got super hands on in the kitchen. The results are so satisfying! This may be my personal favourite creation EVER & I can’t WAIT to get in the kitchen and play some more!

    Amber Glaze

  • A marbled cake with purple flowers on top and to the side, placed on a white cake board.

    "Pretty happy with the way this worked out!"

    it’s a test run for an ocean themed wedding.

    Natalie Cream

  • A tall, cylindrical cake with a marbled pink, cream, and gold exterior, decorated with white edible flowers and delicate white sprigs on top.

    "It feels good to learn something new. "

    I finally found some time to practise!! Sandstone effect using the pipe and scrape technique. There are parts that I like, and things that I would do differently next time, which I guess is the whole point of practise.

    The tutorials were a fantastic way to learn, thanks Thao!

    Karen Scanlon

  • A cake with black, white, and green marbled swirl icing, decorated with a piped border along the top edge, placed on a silver cake board on a wooden table.

    "A 5 year old's request for a green, white and black cake gave me a chance to try the sandstone technique."

    I loved getting to see the different patterns appear.

    Sarah Newman

What You’ll Learn

  • Camera setup capturing a woman in a kitchen. The camera's display shows a smiling woman wearing an orange apron over a white shirt, standing in a kitchen environment.

    How to turn ideas into awesome cake designs

  • A cylindrical object with a black and white marbled pattern on a black base, set against a pink background.

    Sandstone Buttercream

  • Close-up of two cylindrical objects with pastel colors against a blue background. The lower object features a terrazzo pattern with various circular fragments in shades of peach, beige, and gray. The upper object is a solid light pink color.

    Beachstone Buttercream

  • Marble-patterned cylindrical object with black, white, and gray swirls sitting on a black surface against a pink background.

    Marble Buttercream

  • A two-tier pink cake decorated with ruffled pink flowers and delicate white sugar web accents.

    Abstract Buttercream Piping

  • Yellow cake with white flower decorations on a white cake stand.

    Buttercream Flower Pattern

  • A cake with white and green marbled fondant decorations, topped with a green artful sugar sculpture, on a white circular cake board placed on a kitchen countertop.

    Retro Buttercream Pattern

  • A cylindrical cake with a green, black, and gold abstract textured design on the surface, placed on a black circular base on a white table.

    Painted Ganache

  • A cylindrical sculpture with a textured gray surface, decorated with abstract black, pink, yellow, and white paint strokes and line drawings, standing on a white circular base.

    Abstract Buttercream Painting

  • A woman in a kitchen decorating a chocolate cake while smiling. She is wearing an apron with the text 'Don't tell Charles' and using a small offset spatula. There is a bowl of chocolate frosting and a paper towel with some frosting on the counter.

    Covering with Ganache

  • A woman in a white shirt is measuring a block with a ruler in a bright kitchen with white cabinets. Various kitchen items, including a small container of milk, are on the counter.

    Working with Styrofoam Dummies

  • A woman in a white shirt is working on a cake with a patterned panel on a kitchen countertop. The kitchen has white cabinets and a stainless steel fridge decorated with various magnets. There is a sign that says 'Don't tell Charles' on an easel in the background.

    How to Prepare a Transfer Sheet

  • A modern, artistic cake with a abstract marbled black, white, gray, and beige design, topped with a decorative gray flower-like sugar sculpture and a clear glass-like decoration, set against a light blue background.

    Fried Rice Paper Decorations

  • Glass art sculpture with abstract blue and clear glass pieces on a rectangular white and speckled pedestal, set against a pink background.

    Isomalt Decorations

  • A white cake decorated with colorful flower-shaped fondant flowers in yellow, orange, and peach colors.

    Chocolate Flowers

  • A tall cake with green and white marbled patterns, topped with a green and white marbled abstract sculpture, on a white and silver cake stand.

    Marbled Chocolate Sail

10 Experimental Courses

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27 New Ideas

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10 Experimental Courses • 27 New Ideas •

how you’ll learn

On-Demand Videos

Straight-to-the-point instructional videos without unnecessary fluff or wasted time.

Detailed written materials including the full recipe, methods, baking charts and helpful notes.

Downloadable PDFs

Ask questions in the course and get guidance directly from Thao and the student community.

Direct Support

Lifetime Access

Return to the course materials anytime you need a refresher.

Get started with 3 easy steps

Step 1

Get Instant Access

Get lifetime access to the entire Level-UP course library.

Step 2

Play

Step out of your comfort zones and have fun experimenting with new buttercream and ganache techniques.

Step 3

Find Your Own Cake Style

Create signature cake designs that are unmistakably YOU!

Join LEVEL-UP TODAY

Choose the option that works best for you.

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Group of women in aprons smiling behind decorated cakes at a celebration.

Our guarantee

After teaching over 10,000 students worldwide, both online and in person, we’ve seen firsthand that our students achieve longer-term results from our online courses. While in-person classes are fun and valuable, there’s only so much you can remember once it’s over.

Our online courses are based off our in-person classes, but are more detailed and easy to follow. With lifetime access to lessons, you can learn at your own pace and revisit the course any time you need.

Our promise: you won’t be doing this alone. You’ll join a community of thousands of DTC students who are generous, supportive, and welcoming. And Thao is always just a message away — whether you need help troubleshooting, fresh ideas, or a bit of encouragement.

JOIN LEVEL-UP

✓ Self-paced ✓ Lifetime Access ✓ Flexible Payment Options

What Happens Once You Join

You experiment with confidence, not hesitation.

You create cakes people haven't seen before.

You develop your own signature style.

Enjoy creating again because it's FUN!

 FAQs

  • The courses include videos, presentations and written materials you can learn from in your own time. There’s no live component, but when you ask a question in the course or FB group, Thao (and other students) reply in real time.

  • LevelUP is best suited for decorators who already know how to bake, fill and cover a buttercream cake. We don’t reteach the foundational skills — this library assumes you can already make a stable, well-finished cake.
    If you’re still building those skills, start with Buttercream Cake Mastery so you have the right foundation to get the most out of LevelUP.

  • es — in fact, LevelUP was designed for you. Creativity isn’t something you’re born with. It’s something you build through play, exploration and guided experimentation.
    Level-UP gives you structured techniques, exercises and prompts that help you loosen up, stop chasing perfection, and confidently develop your own style — even if you’ve never considered yourself “creative.”

  • Yes. When you join Level-UP, you get instant access to the full library of 10 on-demand courses.

  • You can use any stable buttercream cake recipe you already love. The techniques taught in Level-UP are decorating-focused, so they’ll work with most reliable bases.

  • The written materials are in downloadable PDF form. Most of our students print these out to keep in a folder for easy access in the kitchen. The videos are not downloadable but you can access them any time via the course platform.

  • Our courses are hosted on Teachable.