From Marie Antoinette's Baker

Okay, so I know that Marie Antoinette didn't actually say "let them eat cake," but as far as popular cultural references go, she did.  Truth doesn't matter as much as folkore sometimes.  

Anyway, I've started taking a cake decorating course.  Miss T had gotten me started on decorating,  both with the inspiration of her own bakery creations and with a few impromptu lessons on cake and cookie decorating before she moved (thank you!).  So now with her gone South, I needed a source for birthday and other celebratory cakes and decided to look to myself instead of someone else.  Mama Teacher, who has more decorating experience than I do, decided to join me so we're taking the class together.  We'll be splitting some of the work and supplies, which will make it easier/cheaper.

Our first class was purely introductory, with lots of observation and no hands-on participation (except if you count our parchment paper triangle pastry bag origami).  We watched the teacher make buttercream, level a cake, fill, and frost it.  We learned about filling a pastry bag and different angles to hold it, all of which we will do for the next class.  

A rainbow cake is our first project.  And I have some ideas.  I'm going to make the "tye-dye" rainbow cake here and then cover it with light blue frosting streaked with white (to mimic the sky, or vice versa, white with blue).  Then I'll do the rainbow-cum-clouds on the top, just like in the course book; just google "wilton rainbow cake lesson 1" and you'll find an example of the basic pattern. Not sure what I'll write, probably just our names.   And then I suppose I'll bring it home and we'll all eat it, 5 different kinds of food coloring and lots of shortening and all.  

I might even get to make a practice cake--Sis and Bud are very excited about my cake class and want to help.  So, we'll make a regular cake this week and I'll practice leveling and frosting it.  They want to add decorations--Sis wants her initials and a bunny.  I think Bud just wants the frosting.  We can eat this for Mother's Day.  It's good that I'll get to practice--I always seem to have crumbs when I frost a cake.  Only problem:  deciding on a flavor.  Sis loves all things chocolate.  Bud much prefers vanilla with strawberries.  I agree with Sis in this.  And Mama is more partial to strawberries . . . 

I'll keep you updated on the progress.