So I've been taking this super radically fun cake decorating class at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts with the awesome April, and every week we learn some bonkers new techniques and we get to practice on baked cakes we bring to class as well as on styrofoam "cake dummies." My intention with taking the class was to develop my old-school buttercream piping skills, for as my friends and blog reader pals know, I love vintage-looking stuff!
I learned "the basket-weave" for example, as seen on the chocolate ganache and mocha buttercream cake at the top; also, I covered an ENTIRE two-tier cake a.k.a. the white chocolate buttercream-piped shag rug avant-garde hat, with those little drop stars-- (see below) --boy my wrist was sore after that! The white cake smooshed down on itself when I drove home, sadly, and the yummy raspberry filling gooshed out the sides a bit.
I learned "the basket-weave" for example, as seen on the chocolate ganache and mocha buttercream cake at the top; also, I covered an ENTIRE two-tier cake a.k.a. the white chocolate buttercream-piped shag rug avant-garde hat, with those little drop stars-- (see below) --boy my wrist was sore after that! The white cake smooshed down on itself when I drove home, sadly, and the yummy raspberry filling gooshed out the sides a bit.
The chocolate ganache mocha buttercream basketweaver: I took this to a potluck and my friends were crying they were laughing so hard-- only because it just didn't look like I made this crazy thing! It sort of looks like a grandma's 80th birthday cake.
Slicing out some good times!
"it's alive, it's ALIVE!!" I had piped all of the shaggy white drop stars and it occurred to me that I naturally wanted to put an animal face on it as I love cute faces and making cute cakey faces. But then I had to practice with all the flowery stuff!! I still think it looks like a little shaggy vintage alien from the 1960s, haha.
A little zoom-in for your viewing pleasure: drop stars, buttercream roses, leaves, gold dragees for flower centers... two tiers of out-of-control crazy delight!
"And what do we have here??" inquires my main man. Rich dwarfs the cake in this pic, but the cake is actually pretty big-- and SOOOO heavy! You could use it as a doorstop! Your door would look like hell after though, but it would taste good.
Fun times at cake class...! And I learned lots of techniques I can apply to my little friend the scrumptious cupcake.
Additional pics taken by Andrea Nunes.
Additional pics taken by Andrea Nunes.
nice cakes :)
ReplyDeleteWe could use a heavy cake like that at next week's workouts!
ReplyDeletenatalie-- thank yoU!
ReplyDeleteal-- LOL!!!
Again, amazing! Your recently honed butter cream piping skillz are blowing my mind. How much icing went into that white flower basket cake?
ReplyDeletei have never been able to weave..be it pies and the basketweave..great job!!!!Looks soo pretty
ReplyDeletejj-- woh, you wouldn't believe the buttercream that got plowed through, LOL! if i come to spain i will show you how!!
ReplyDeletefin-ish me: thanks so much! :)