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Saturday, August 21, 2010

The Beginnings of (Cup)Cake Decorating

I've been wanting to learn how to decorate cakes the past few years.  I looked into taking a class but either my schedule didn't fit with the class schedule or don't have the money to do it.  So, why not just teach myself?  I began by buying a decorating bag and a few random decorating tips.  I made some frosting and practiced 'decorating' on some wax paper.  It was bad.  Embarrassingly bad. 

My next step was to buy a Wilton decorating set with practice sheets and a practice board.  It went better, but I still need lots of practice!

Not pretty, but it was good practice.

My focus right now is accumulating good cupcake recipes and learning how to decorate the cupcakes.  I bought some buttercream frosting from the store to use on a few old cupcakes I was about to throw out.  Here are a few pictures of that first attempt:

Haha!  Not too good, right?!
These are a little better
Quickly improving!
It didn't help that I only had enough frosting to cover six cupcakes!  From those six practice cupcakes, I hoped I learned enough to attempt a whole batch.

I decided I would make cupcakes for my husband's graduation.  He loves anything lime flavored so I decided on margarita graduation cupcakes.  I had found several recipes online but the one I decided on turned out horribly!  I don't know what went wrong but the cupcakes didn't rise like they should have and turned out very doughy.  I've never had a recipe turn out so bad (well, one that I was following!).  Needless to say, I ran to the store to get what I needed and made a different recipe for my margarita cupcakes the next morning.  I made lime buttercream frosting, prepared my 16in decorating bag with a 1M decorating tip, and frosted the cupcakes successfully! 

Aren't they pretty?

And delicious too!

I still need practice with consistency, but I was pleased with how they turned out.  I am planning on making more cupcakes here soon, (I'm thinking vanilla with chocolate frosting) and will be sure to keep you updated on my baking and decorating progress. 

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2 comments:

  1. Hi Amy, Rita told me about your blog. I made myself a follower so I can keep track of all your creations. But you then have to follow my book blog to keep track of good books. Fair trade?
    These look yummy. Will we see you on the Food Network in a few years?

    -Anne Bennett
    http://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com

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