Cupcake Decorating Classes

Picture from Butterlane Cupcakes

Do you want to learn how to decorate beautiful cakes or cupcakes but you aren't quite ready to sign up for culinary school? Check out your local craft store, grocery store, or high school. Yes, high school.

In my area (Salt Lake City, UT) there are several places to take classes to learn how to decorate cakes and cupcakes and they are pretty inexpensive. Michael's craft store offers Wilton Cake Decorating Courses (click to see class descriptions or find a class in your area). A local grocery store, Harmons, holds cupcake decorating classes every once in a while. We also have a restaurant and culinary supply store, Gygi's, that teaches classes like gluten-free baking, how to make sugar-art gum paste flowers, and other decorating classes. But, did you think to check at your local high school for cupcake decorating classes? Our school districts have continuing education programs where adults take classes in the evening for enrichment, career development, or just for fun. Granite Peaks Lifelong Learning offers cake decorating, gluten-free baking, cake pop making, and cupcake decorating classes. They range from one to four sessions and cost $15 to $39 per class (includes all sessions).

So, if you just want to learn the basics about cupcake decorating, check your local craft stores or schools.  Also, don't forget to check out your local cupcakery - more and more are starting to offer cupcake decorating classes right in their stores.

The Cakery Fakery

Don't the cupcakes in this post look good enough to eat? Well, don't do it. They aren't edible. They are adorable cupcake creations by The Cakery Fakery. The creator of these faux cupcakes calls them "cupfakes." She stated that she is a terrible baker so when she feels like making cupcakes, she goes to Home Depot instead of the supermarket for her ingredients. They are all fun, without the fat. 

The are the actual size of a cupcake but are heavy enough to be a paperweight. They would make a "sweet" desk accessory. The Cakery Fakery sells them online and has a lot of choose from. You can find their Etsy site, here. Also, you can find their blog, here, or follow them on facebook, here. 

Something else that is pretty sweet, The Cakery Fakery donates 10% of all sales to the St. Judes Children's Research Hospital. I love that!

The Cupcake Girls

How did I not know about the reality cupcake show called The Cupcake Girls? Not only did I just find out about them, but they already wrapped their second season. Heather White and Lori Joyce, best friends and co-founders of Cupcakes by Heather and Lori, can be found on the WE tv channel (click to check your local listings). I caught two episodes today and totally fell in love with the show. The girls are funny, business savvy, and very charming. During the show you follow them through the trials and triumphs of running a successful cupcakery - they have six shops to be exact, all located in Canada.

Do want their recipe for Cherry Glazed filled Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting? Click here.

To follow The Cupcake Girls and find out what they are up to, you can find them on facebook, here. To follow their business, Cupcakes by Heather and Lori, click here.

To find out about other cupcake shows on TV, click here.

Miette: Recipes From San Francisco's Most Charming Pastry Shop

Miette, San Francisco's most charming pastry shop, now has a cookbook. This hard-cover cookbook has over 100 recipes and 75 color photos of the sweets you can purchase right at the shop. Check out the scalloped edges on the pages, isn't that adorable? You can pick up a copy of this cookbook, here. You can also visit Miette's website, here.

I am really excited that I am going to San Francisco in a few weeks and will be able to visit this charming pastry shop. If you know of any other cupcake shops I should try between Reno, NV, San Francisco, CA, and Napa, CA, send me an email (besides Kara's Cupcakes, Miette, and Sift Cupcake - they are already on the list).