Please have your three cake layers baked and cooled before class. Please also have your buttercream prepared before class. Cake decorating and white chocolate drip will take place during class.
Cake Baking and Decorating Intro to Cake
Thank you for choosing to take a class with Le Dolci! We’re looking forward to meeting you and making delicious treats together! In the meantime, please look at our equipment and ingredient lists to see how to prepare for your class.
For this class, you will need the following equipment:
For Chocolate Cake made before virtual class
- A rubber spatula
- A digital kitchen scale or measuring cups and teaspoons
- 2 medium size mixing bowls
- A KitchenAid stand mixer (optional, can be mixed by hand)
- A whisk
- 3 x 6inch cake pans, or 2 x 6inch tall pans (4’’ tall)
- Parchment
For Swiss Meringue buttercream made before virtual class/ see buttercream bonus recipes to create your own flavour
- A rubber spatula
- A digital kitchen scale or measuring cups and teaspoons
- A KitchenAid stand mixer or hand held blender (this meringue CAN NOT be mixed by hand)
- A medium size metal bowl (for double boiler)
- A medium size pot
For Decorating
- An offset spatula or flat metal spatula/ medium to large size
- A cake turntable or lazy Susan (optional but strongly recommend)
- A cake board 8-inch
- A bench scraper or flat cake scraper
- Pink gel colour (can be purchased from Bulk Barn or local cake supply store)
- 1 piping bag
- Wilton tip number 1M star tip or 2D or 6B for rope border or any tip brand that resembles a star shape
- Small- medium size bowls for mixing buttercream colour
- A Rubber spatula
- 2-3 utensil spoons
- Squeeze bottle or additional piping bag for drip
- Sprinkles of your choosing
We recommend the bottom 6B piping tip, but you can also use a smaller version like the 4B as well as anything similar, such as a 1M piping tip
- If you use a different tip from a 6B it may look slightly different but the technique will be the same!
Come along to our brand new Virtual Intro to cake class
This class is designed for those who have a passion for baking and cake decorating, ages 16 and up. You will learn to create The Perfect Pink Ombre design, all this in just a couple hours! Wow!
If in doubt about your suitability for this class, please call us to discuss before you book a place
This is a 2 hour class
Before virtual class you will pre-bake the cakes and make your buttercream. This needs to be done at least 1 day before class to ensure cakes are cooled and set. A chilled cake is always best!
Cake decorating and white chocolate drip will be made during class.
Your class will be taught by one of our fabulous teachers and share their love for cake!
Please use our hashtag #ledolci when posting your class creations on social media so we see your wonderful creations.
In this class, you will learn:
– How to cut and layer chocolate cake
– The method of how to make Swiss Meringue Buttercream
– How to prepare your cakes for decorating
-How to fill and use a piping with star piping bag
-How to create colour gradient using butter
– How to use essential cake decorating equipment to achieve smooth straight sides on your cake
– How to colour and create a white chocolate drip design
– How to use edible flourishes and sprinkles to decorate and finish your cake
At the end of class you will have:
– A 6inch round drip cake that you will have decorated with piped buttercream and colourful sprinkles
– New understanding of swiss meringue buttercream
– New skills in decorating using very trendy techniques and designs
– An understanding of layering cakes
-An understanding on how to replicate future drip cakes
-An understanding of colour mixing
- A ‘How to’ guide that includes recipes that are yours to keep for your future baking projects
The pictures are for display and inspirational purposes only. Your teacher will talk you through design elements in any picture shown, but for efficient running of this class, you will be guided by her in terms of design
Chocolate Cake Recipe
yields one 6″ cake or three 6" round cake layers
- 252g Sugar
- 57g Oil
- 1 Egg
- 165g All Purpose Flour
- 46g Cocoa Powder
- 5g Baking Powder
- 5g Baking Soda
- 1g Kosher Salt
- 143g Buttermilk
- 50g Boiling water
- 1tsp Vanilla extract (clear)
Method
- Mix oil and sugar together in a mixer
- Add eggs, one at a time.
- Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Mix vanilla with buttermilk.
- Mix in dry ingredients and milk mixture alternating - start and finish with flour - into mixer.
- Add boiling water.
- Fill into a greased 6″ cake pan.
- Bake at 325°F for 17 minutes
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 300g Sugar
- 225g Egg whites (pasteurized)
- 340g Butter (room temperature)
- t.t vanilla - To taste
Method
- In a large bowl over a ban-Marie combine egg whites and sugar and cook occasionally whisking to allow for even cooking.
- Mixture is ready when its warm to touch and sugar is dissolved completely (rub the mixture between your fingers, continue to cook if you feel the texture to be gritty.)
- Transfer to an electric mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment and whisk until it is cool to touch, usually around 25 minutes.
- Add softened butter gradually and whip until incorporated, then add vanilla or the flavours of your choice.
- Flavour the buttercream however you like, whip in extract, melted chocolate, fruit purees or even Oreo crumbs, let your creativity shine!!!
Buttercream Troubleshooting
The number one problem with buttercream is splitting, if this happens try one of the following solutions.
With heat – Warm Buttercream slightly, this can be done by microwaving it of 10 second blasts whisking each time until it comes together. If you like, remove a tablespoon of the mixture melt it completely in the microwave and add it back to the mixture.
With friction – Continue to whip buttercream in a stand mixer, sometimes it can take approximately ten minutes to come back together.
With butter – Add more room temperature butter, do this one tablespoon at a time until the mixture comes back together.
White Chocolate Ganache (For the Drip)
- 35% Whipping Cream (120g)
- White Chocolate Chips (350g)
Method:
- In a pot, bring cream to a simmer
- In a bowl, add white chocolate chips
- Pour hot cream over chocolate and let it sit for 2 minutes
- Stir to combine - Strain and use for drip
