About this class:

Ready to strengthen your buttercream skills and pipe with more confidence?

Buttercream Masterclass: Just Piping is a hands-on decorating class devoted to the art of buttercream and the techniques that turn simple desserts into beautifully finished creations.

Join Celebrity Pastry Chef Dawn of Ravy Cakes, LLC for a fun and informative hands on experience. During class, students will learn how to prepare two essential buttercreams: silky Italian meringue buttercream and classic American buttercream.

We will compare their texture, sweetness, consistency, and best decorating uses, helping students understand when and how to work with each style. Students will also learn how to tint buttercream using both natural food colors and traditional gel food colors. We will discuss how to build beautiful shades while maintaining the buttercream’s consistency and how the two coloring methods can affect the finished color and appearance.

After the buttercream demonstration, students will move into guided piping practice. We will focus on properly filling and holding a piping bag, controlling pressure, working at the correct angle, and creating clean, consistent shapes. Students will practice a selection of foundational and decorative techniques, including stars, shells, swirls, rosettes, ruffles, borders, and leaves.

For the final project, each student will apply their new skills by decorating cupcakes and a small buttercream mini cake. This class is ideal for anyone who wants focused practice, a stronger piping foundation, and the confidence to create polished buttercream designs.

Come ready to pipe, practice, and create.

What Students Will Learn

• How to prepare Italian meringue buttercream and American buttercream
• How the two buttercreams differ in texture, sweetness, consistency, and use
• How to tint buttercream with natural food colors and traditional gel food colors
• How to build beautiful shades while maintaining the proper buttercream consistency
• How to fill, hold, and control a piping bag
• How piping pressure, angle, and movement affect the finished design
• How to create stars, shells, swirls, rosettes, ruffles, borders, leaves, & more
• How to combine piping techniques on cupcakes and a buttercream mini cake

Register for this class and receive:

• Expert instruction from Celebrity Pastry Chef Dawn Alston of Ravy Cakes
• In-person, step-by-step instruction
• A delicious mini-cake to share with your family and friends
• A 5% discount on purchases of supplies and tools at Fran's Cake and Candy on the day of class.

Meet Your Instructor:

Dawn Alston of Ravy Cakes, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native, grew up in Northern Virginia where she started baking at the age of six. Dawn holds an Associates Degree in Culinary Arts and has competed in many local baking events and in 2018 she competed on Food Network’s Wedding Cake Championship. Chef Dawn strives to share her love of baking and decorating through teaching both adult and childrens classes. Follow Dawn on FB or IG to see her work and upcoming classes:

FB: https://www.facebook.com/ravycakes

IG: @myravycakes

All The Details:

• Age Level: 13+
• Skill Level: Beginner
• All supplies and tools are provided for use during class.
• We will provide a box for you to take your cake home in
• The class may be a little messy so we recommend bringing an apron.
• If you have long hair, you may want to tie it back.
• Class requires a minimum of 4 students and there is a maxiumum of 12. In the event of insufficient enrollment, you will receive a full refund.
• Class will run approximately 3 hours. Please note that the class is hands-on and may run over or under schedule.

Cancellation Policy:

Changes and cancellations...we know life happens so we try our best to be flexible while being fair to our instructors who purchase supplies and bake for each student. Full refunds or credits are available for cancellations made at least 5 days prior to the class. If you need to cancel after 5 days but at least 48 hours in advance, we can offer you a credit for a future class. We cannot offer any credits for cancellations within 48 hours of the scheduled class.