BEGINNERS CUPCAKE DECORATING CLASS IN LONDON REVIEW
Last weekend I was truly treated in a lesson in cupcake decorating. Taking place on a sunny Saturday afternoon, Sophie and I strolled to the location of the event – which was a convenient 10 minutes away from Kensal Green station. We arrived at a pretty town house in a friendly suburban neighbourhood, both double checking the address before we knocked, as were expecting a company building…not someone’s home! We walked into the beautiful house – decorated in a Vintage Chic style – and warmly welcomed in by resident cupcake Queen- Nadia. Nadia led us into huge open-plan kitchen where we met our small group of 6 and took our seats, at the large oak table.
What immediately caught my eye was the spread of colour popping across the table – different tubs of sprinkles every shade of the rainbow, in every shape and colour imaginable – we would certainly be spoilt for choice in this cupcake decorating class! Nadia then proceeded to lay out Tupperware boxes filled with cupcakes (which she had woken up at 6am to freshly bake)…they smelt divine! Filling our piping bags with different, spring pastel coloured icing – one in a natural butter cream, the second in a mint green and the final one in a lilac, and awaited our next instruction.
Cups of tea in one hand and a cupcake in the other, Nadia began to show us expert techniques in creating the perfect cupcake swirl. Our piping bags were cut – standing up, with one hand for guiding the nozzle and the other pressurising the top of the bag, we began to create delicate swirls at the base of the cupcake. Nadia then went through a variety of techniques, the overall look relying on the segregated edge of the nozzle as well as the width creating an array of different patterns. These included icing forms of; fondant domes, roses, swirls, iced gem, two tier and leaves. Armed with a piping bag and a collection of glitter sprinkles, each participant received 6 cupcakes each and our creative masterpieces began to blossom as we were left to own devices.
One lady in the group was accompanied by a few members of her bridal party, including her mother-in-law who was prepping to create the wedding cake herself, I certainly think she gained more than enough tips and ideas for the day!
This experience is perfect for a group of close “girl friends”, as the class is very relaxed with an informal and personal teaching style throughout. This is a truly fun afternoon and one of my favourite experiences to date. The finished cupcakes were easy to create and looked exquisitely beautiful (as if bakery bought) – sadly they did not last! Thanks Nadia!
Tip of the Day: Place a tray of water into the oven in order for the cakes to remain moist for the perfect sponge!
