A month ago I signed up for a cake decorating class at JoAnn's with my friend Jackie. I learned a few things along the way.- Cake decorating/making is hard work!
- When you cut the tops off your cake, be sure to turn it over so that the bottom is the top.
- A "crumb coat" is a good thing.
- Plan ahead...enough said.
- Almond extract in your icing is divine!
The biggest problem I had was getting crumbs in the icing. It seems that everyone in our beginners course had the same difficulty. I figured out that remembering to turn the cake upside down makes it all less crumby. My roommate, Katie, suggested a "crumb coat" too. I didn't get the chance to try that, but I am sure I will the next time.
The process of making and decorating the cakes was extremely time consuming. Going quickly: baking, cooling, making icing, assembling and icing in total took an hour and a half. I didn't decorate until I got to class. My advise to anyone else is to plan ahead and do things in pieces. Happy baking!
