Not quite so ridiculous cakes...

I went to a cupcake decorating class at the Cocoa Box in Hampstead on Saturday, and the lovely (and very skillful!) teachers taught me how to make pretty cupcakes!

My buttercream piping skills need a bit of work, but at least I know how to do it now, and I've learnt how to fill an icing bag properly which was a long overdue lesson! Hopefully next time I ice I won't get it all up my elbows and 80% of it outside the bag...

The cakes were already baked (three vanilla, three chocolate) and then we had cream cheese icing, fondant and strawberry buttercream, plus bowls of sprinkles, glitter and sweets to play with.  My favourite design they taught was the cupcake on a cupcake...and my little piggy!

Oink oink.

The class was really fun, recommended! http://www.thecocoabox.co.uk/ Maybe I'll start making sensible cute cupcakes for birthdays now instead of epic 3D ones? (Although I do have a 3D one in the pipline for Windor's birthday that is going to be quite special...think Lionel Richie's 'Hello' video. Pics will be up for that one early August!)