A few weeks back blogger friend Jenn of Hello Rigby entered the two of us into a cake decorating class giveaway with Bells Pastries on Instagram. I’d never won an Instagram giveaway before so I thought the odds were pretty low that this would actually happen. But as luck would have it, we won! Jenn and I headed over to Goose Ridge tasting room for some cake decorating plus wine tasting with Jasmin Bell of Bells Pastries. I had never decorated a cake before so I had no idea what to expect. But wine plus dessert plus friendship? Sounds good, right?
The night started with wine tasting, thanks to Goose Ridge, and some light bites. Which I was very happy about because I really like Goose Ridge wine and have been to their tasting room in Woodinville multiple times. Before our class we were able to purchase glass pours or bottles so I went with a glass of their GRV. Tipsy cake decorating ftw!
Here’s the thing, there’s no time to drink when you’re decorating a cake. Plus it’s messy! Ok that’s not entirely true but you do need your hands and to stay focused. Cake decorating is…something you can definitely learn but need to practice to become really good. There’s a lot of repetitive movements and knowing the right techniques. So much of it involves the correct hand placement. Literally, just making sure you align your hand properly against the cake as you frost is key.
And you also get to play with a lot of different tools which I thought was super fun because I’m a baking freak and like all the baking accoutrements. If you’ve never taken a baking class one thing I suggest is making sure you keep up and try not to be a perfectionist (which I cannot stop myself from doing). You’ll end up missing out on helpful hints. I paid attention as best I could but I’m a mix of slow + perfectionist and will nit-pick forever or until I’m happy with the result. You can certainly do that, as I did, but make sure you listen in as you try to perfect your crumb coat. Thankfully, Jasmin is a very helpful teacher and comes around to make sure everyone is staying on track.
You know when you see a finished product, like a frosting flower, and think there’s no way you’d be able to recreate that? Well this class proved me wrong. Making flowers out of frosting is ridiculously fun. And surprisingly easy once you find your rhythm. The flowers are now my favorite part of cake decorating. We experimented with two types of flowers and my only wish is that I’d made more flowers for my cake. Did you know that if you put frosting flowers in the fridge they will come out hard like butterballs? That’s an important part to remember while decorating your cake. Cool your flowers so they’re easier to place on your cake.
It all went so quickly and suddenly all nine of us had delicious triple layer vanilla cakes (except for Jasmin who had chocolate) with chocolate ganache and buttercream frosting. Thankfully I was going on vacation that week so I brought my cake with me to share with my friends.
Part of the fun of this whole experience was seeing how each person’s personality showed through their cake despite having received the same instructions. The cakes all look so different! My cake is top left and someone told me it looked “precious”. I only understood what they meant after I saw that mine was the only one with the flowers all tight around each other. Everyone did such a wonderful job! Look at how pretty the cakes look!
Here we all are with our completed cakes. Proud little cake decorators. I told Dan that we should take a class or two together. I think he’d really enjoy learning more about baking. He’s the cook in our family and I’m the baker so it’s interesting to see how our minds work differently. But he’s very curious about the art of baking and I’d love to see his massive hands try to make tiny decorative flowers. Yes, for my own amusement. Plus Jasmin is such a great teacher I know we’d both have fun and learn a lot.
Thank you Jasmin for doing a giveaway for one of your classes. It was so much fun and you’re a great teacher. Everyone should try their hand at cake decorating because it’s easier than it looks.
Here are a couple upcoming classes that aren’t yet sold out. Her classes go fast!
August 20- Beginner/Intermediate Cake Decorating Class (new location and daytime hours @ The Melding Pot)
September 24- Creme Puff & Eclair Class (new location and daytime hours @ The Melding Pot)
You can make a reservation by phone (520)370-0646 or through the Bells Pastries website http://www.bellspastries.com/purchase/ . And be sure to check out Bells Pastries on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to events to be updated with the latest news about Bells Pastries and upcoming classes.
images via: Tanya Dukhopel @tanyadukhopelphotography
