It's been way too long since I've posted here, but we have been kept pretty busy lately. One of the new hobbies I've taken up is cake decorating. Mom and I have had a blast at the classes. There was only one other woman there, but she stopped coming after the first week. That meant we had the class all to ourselves with our instructor, Kathy, who has been teaching for 15 years! If you are interested in seeing some of her work, check out her site here.
The first week we learned a LOT. We got some information on the best tools and supplies, baking incredible cakes, frosting consistency, etc. etc. We didn't have time to do much decorating. We just practiced making stars on some sugar cookies we had pre-baked and brought to class.
The second week we actually practiced on a cake. We learned how to ice it with the cake icer tip. Using this tip makes icing a cake a thousand times easier. It is really great.
We also learned how to smooth it using the parchment paper method. All you have to do is wait for your cake to dry. Once you can touch it without pulling any of the icing away, press a piece of parchment paper over it. You will get an almost perfectly smooth cake if you keep at it.
We also learned how to do a paper transfer with piping gel and wax paper. It was really fun!
We did a transfer of a cupcake onto a cake!
Above is all the supplies for week 3. Needless to say, there was a lot of prep work involved.
Mom and I made red velvet chocolate pudding filled cupcakes for week 3. We learned how to do rosettes, fancy borders, shaggy mums, pompom flowers, pull out stars and so much more.
Stella's Cupcakes
I designed the above cupcake with the little pull out stars and leaves.
Mater's Cupcakes
These were Dad's birthday cupcakes. ;)
Our final cakes were so fun. I did a four layer chocolate cake with chocolate and vanilla pudding for filling, and Mom did a four layer strawberry cake with a lemon curd filling. Both were topped with buttercream frosting.
I made mine for a DI pool party.
Mom made hers for a Fourth of July party.
We loved the class and were so sad to see it come to an end. But I'm enjoying practicing my cake decorating skills at home for various events.
Before I finish this post, I wanted to show you some pictures of helpful supplies that I've learned about and/or purchased in this class.
In the top I store all my tips, couplers, and bag ties.
In the bottom drawer I store all my bags, piping gel, practice boards, parchment paper, stands, etc.
Above is a picture of the container for icing stands, icing, and some misc. tips that don't fit in the top of my carrier. There are three of these size containers in the middle.
On the sides there is space for spatulas, flower lifters, etc.
Above is the cake leveler that I have. It is perfect for torting or leveling cakes.
PAM Spray, while good for lots of baking, is NOT good for cakes. It makes for lots of crumbs. We like the Wilton Non-Stick Spray.
I have not tried Cake Release, but it does make for almost no crumbs, as we saw by our instructor's cake.
I love my turntable!
These icing bag ties are absolutely wonderful and keep frosting from pooling out of the top of your bag.
I also love the icing bag holder. It works really well for your icing bags and flower nails. It comes with 6 holes for normal sized bags, two holes for large bags, and several holes for flower nails.
Squeeze bottles are wonderful for changing icing consistencies or making candy. I didn't buy mine though. Mom gets the Agave Nectar instead of sugar in her tea, so I just used her empty bottle. We washed it out, and it works great! (It is a bit larger than the 8oz. bottle above. It's about 11.75 oz.)
We had tons of fun in the class and can't wait to do Course 2: Flowers and Cake Design.
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