Let’s decorate some cakes! 

Day 1

Forming teams of two, we made Swiss buttercream icing. We started with 3 cups sugar and 10 large egg whites heated to 140° F. That gets a whirl in the mixer until it becomes a soft meringue. Then 3 pounds of butter, cut up into squares, are added. We pulsed the machine to submerge the butter and then sped it up. We had a choice of flavorings and I went with a framboise (raspberry) liqueur. A few minutes later, we had a smooth, shiny buttercream.

Next was our first lesson in border techniques. We did star flowers, shells (small, large, and reverse shells, which all require different techniques), zigzags, rosettes, fleurs-de-lis, ropes, and garlands. We practiced each design for a while, allowing us to get used to the pastry bag and tip and get a sense of how to position the bag and how much pressure to put on it. I got frustrated a few times, but then I just scraped up the mess, threw it back in the bowl, and started again. The hardest decoration for me was the garland. I don’t know why, but I just couldn’t get quite the right feel for the technique. I’ll have to practice that one.

If you watch those Food Network challenges, you’ve probably been awed by some of the stuff they do. Well, they all started with the same stuff I started with today. Having said that, it’s not as easy as it looks. Those TV chefs make what they do look so easy, but it really takes a concentrated effort to apply the right technique. to hold the tools just right, to apply the correct amount of pressure, and to make each decoration uniform. The decorations I made left a little to be desired where the loveliness factor is concerned. But to be fair to myself, it was the first time I was doing them and certainly the first time I was getting any kind of instruction. I’m sure that with practice, I will get better.

Day 2

Today, we started with a variation on the Swiss buttercream, called decorator’s buttercream. It’s a higher sugar-to-fat ratio than Swiss buttercream and, therefore, more stable and easier to work with. I must say that 3 lbs. of sifted confectioners’ sugar is a pretty sight. You want to stick your hand right in and…oh, I digress. Sorry.

Anyway, we did a few more borders—ruffles, swags, bows, and leaves—and then we made rosebuds and half roses. The coolest thing we did today, though, was the basketweave technique. The procedure itself is not difficult. What is difficult is keeping your lines straight. As you can see from the photo, I didn’t do a very good job of that. But, then, I’d just finished a cup of coffee. As Chef Toba Garrett warned us, lay off the coffee before doing this sort of thing. She was right.

We also did a writing workshop. That means we all practiced writing “happy birthday” and other cakey things. It’s not as easy as it looks, folks. It’s not like writing on a piece of paper with a pen. It’s totally different…and annoying when your little pastry bag plops out too much icing or lets out a big ol’ puff of air in the middle of a word. I have newfound respect for bakery workers.

Day 3

This was the best day so far. We made marzipan fruits, which was really a lot of fun. We started with almond paste, to which we added confectioners’ sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, and rum. Each team of two made their marzipan a different color, and everyone got a piece of each color: yellow, red, green, orange, and chocolate (that was my team). (It’s chocolate, not brown, because we actually put cocoa powder in it.) With everyone set with the colors, we proceeded to make apples, pears, peaches, oranges, lemons, bananas, pumpkins, strawberries, and raspberries. The instructor showed us the techniques for each one and then showed us how to decorate them. They really turned out beautiful. And let me tell you this—making those marzipan fruits was easier than doing all those cake decorations I showed you from earlier in the week. With marzipan, it’s about shaping; with cake decorating techniques, it’s about illusion.

Speaking of which, we also made full roses today. Not easy, but I think I did okay. Again, it’s about illusion: making people see what you want them to see.

Day 4

On day 3, we prepared some chocolate to make what’s known as modeling chocolate or chocolate plastic. That’s chocolate that has had corn syrup and a few other things to it to make it pliable. We did that because on day 4, we made chocolate roses.

Working with chocolate proved to be one of the most labor-intensive tasks. After the plastic cools, you must microwave it to soften it and then pound out the lumps and knead it to make it smooth. And as you’re working with it, it’s getting harder and harder. It took probably two hours for the instructor to show us (and for us to make) our chocolate roses. And if the temperature in the room is not right, you’re looking at a cholatey mess. My fingers seemed to be too hot because my rose petals kept melting.

After we did our roses, leaves, and a ribbon, we cut and iced a cake with mocha buttercream icing (really delicious). We used the techniques we learned during the week to decorate the cake as we wished, then added the pièce de résistance: the rose. I thought mine was not half bad for my first time.

As with anything, practice makes perfect. So, I’ll be taking that extra buttercream frosting I took home and practicing my stuff. I hope to put these skills to some professional use. Cooking food has always been one of my talents, and now I’d like to consider decorating cakes a talent, too. But even if I never make any money from it, I had a good time and learned some new things, so it was worth it.

If any of you are in the same position that I’m in—that is, unemployed and at a crossroads in your life—I hope you take this opportunity to really think about what you want to do with your life. Take some classes, read up on new things, and open your mind to possibilities. And I hope everyone finds what they’re looking for (me included).

Have a great week, everyone. Peace.