Cupcake Creations

Some of the Chefs' cupcakes after the Demo finished

A few weeks ago, I volunteered to assist in another of Le Cordon Bleu’s weekend “Short Courses,” single-day classes that are attended by the public.  The topic of the class: Cupcake Creations.  I was kind of surprised that this class existed, knowing full well that French chefs don’t generally appreciate cupcakes (a 100% North American dessert), and I was excited to see how they would go about decorating them.  My job for the day was to help direct attendees to their seats, and to assist them in their practical class.

After the Demo

It was a good day.  The demo was hilarious. I sat with some fellow student helpers in the back of the class, and it was often all we could do not to giggle out loud.  We could tell that Chef Hervé and Chef Eric weren’t really in their element, and that they clearly Googled “cupcake decoration” as the source of many of the techniques.  They showed us two flavors of cake: Red Velvet and Pound Cake, then proceeded to decorate them with marshmallows and candies and shaved coconut and Oreos.  There were beehive cupcakes and Cookie Monster cupcakes and cupcakes that looked like flowers.  Though we thought it was funny, the paying customers seemed to really enjoy the class.

When the demonstration was finished, Dina and I helped carry boxes and boxes of supplies and candies to the practical kitchen, then helped Chef Eric set up stations of decorations and tools.  The students arrived and the class had begun!  They each made a dozen cupcakes, then had free reign to decorate them as they pleased.  We were at their full disposal for help, extra ingredients, and technical advice.  I’ve always enjoyed being in a teaching environment, and I really enjoyed myself. 

Oreo sunflowers with lady bugs!

To my relief, most of the students had a pretty hard time with the techniques demonstrated by the chefs (they got their money’s worth, for sure!), and really needed our help.  I did everything from helping with the correct ways to pipe drop flowers and properly color marzipan to making little marzipan bees for a lady who was behind on time. 

When everyone had finished and left, we cleaned the kitchen and searched high and low for everyone’s muffin tins.  Overall, it was a really great day, and a relaxing and fun way to spend a Saturday morning.