I don’t think my family have ever liked me more than when I brought home a tray of Christmas cupcakes this week.
Not only did they get a delicious sweet treat to eat, but they were also mightily impressed with my cake decorating skills.
Sadly, I can’t claim all or even any of the credit, really, as my new-found talent is thanks to Laura Moore.
The 36-year-old has started running a host of different cupcake decorating classes, and on Friday, November 16, I went along to the Christmas cupcakes class to have a go.
Laura runs the business, called Enchanted Cupcakes, from her home in Ashurst Close, Goring, and I arrived to find Christmas tunes playing and the smell of baking in the air.
I couldn’t wait to get started!
To ensure everybody gets plenty of help and attention, Laura keeps class numbers small, so there were just three lovely ladies joining me.
After we’d made our introductions and Laura had made us a cup of tea, she explained to us the format the four-hour class would take.
She had pre-baked six cupcakes for us, and we were to decorate them with Christmas-themed sugarpaste decorations.
We started by learning how to mix the colours we would need, and Laura then demonstrated how to knead and work with sugarpaste.
She then got us cutting out a disk and using a stencil to create a simple but effective bauble creation.
As the class progressed, we started on some of the trickier designs, which included Santa’s face and Rudolph in a snow scene.
At first glance, they looked far too complicated for a mere beginner like me, but Laura broke each cake down into a step-by-step process.
In doing this, we learned how to use several different tools and ingredients, including cutters, edible glue and glitter spray.
And lo and behold, by the time the class was finished, I had managed to create six half-decent cakes (even if I do say so myself), with Rudolph being the pièce de résistance.
The time whizzed by, and I left feeling so excited to try out my artistic talents at home.
I’ve already got all the equipment I need on my Christmas list, so stand by friends and family, there could be a lot of cake coming your way...!
For more on how and why Laura started the business, see the Herald and Gazette, out now.
For full details, visit her website at www.enchantedcupcake.co.uk
Comments