Image via Butter Lane
You don’t know what it’s like to be me! The decisions I have to make on a day to day basis. Every time I open the refrigerator door… having to make a choice. Do I take the chocolate with cream cheese frosting? What about that sad little banana one with cinnamon on top? GOOD GOD I FORGOT ABOUT THE CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER!?!
You would think life gets easier with eleven cupcakes in your kitchen, waiting to be eaten. Well, let me tell you something– it does not. Not at all. Because A) I want to eat all of them, and B) I want to eat all of them now.
Cupcake class at Butter Lane started in much the same way– when our little group of 12 walked in the door, we were greeted by a platter of a dozen different cupcakes. “Dig in!” we were instructed. But how to choose just one?!
For the next hour, we mixed our little hearts out. Pounds of butter and sugar were blended to creamy perfection. In three teams (chocolate, vanilla, and banana), we followed the laminated recipes in front of us, scraping batter off the sides of the mixing bowl, sometimes snagging a pinky-full to, you know, make sure it was safe to be consumed, or whatever.
We learned a few new things, like how eggs should be added one at a time when mixing, with fifteen seconds in between, and how– when adding flour and dairy– the baker should not stir longer than two minutes so that the batter doesn’t get rough. In general, however, it was a fairly basic follow-the-recipe-type class.
Image via Butter Lane
After the batter was scooped into the cupcake trays, we got to work on the frosting (chocolate, vanilla and cream cheese). The same rules applied– butter, sugar (cream cheese for some), follow the recipe. The instructor was talkative and helpful when asked, but this class is not for the wanna-be bakers who want to learn the secrets behind-the-scenes. It was simple and fun, a good night out with friends.
Really, it was all about the frosting. Towards the end, we sat down together on a picnic bench, prepared to frost all one hundred thirty odd cupcakes we had prepared. We added raspberry preserves to a vanilla, peanut butter to a chocolate, cinnamon to a cream cheese– minds were blown. Most cupcakes ended up looking like the dyslexic baby brother of what a real frosted treat should be, but who cared. It would all end up in the same place anyway, right? My refrigerator. Mine, all mine!
Walking home that night, I felt the five pounds I would be gaining over the next week, but I also felt a sense of satisfaction. Cupcake baking (and frosting) had proven itself to be pretty easy, something I could definitely do at home. And with the recipes downloadable straight off of Butter Lane’s Facebook page, I could have even more friends join in on the fun! Except when that happens, I keep all the leftovers.
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For more information about cupcake baking classes at Butter Lane, email: hello@butterlane.com or visit the store at 123 East Seventh Street, New York, New York 10009. Classes are $50/pp– book in advance!!
Nice! I took the class in July myself and had a very similar experience. Another tip: if you live in/near the city and can attend a class on the fly, they often have same-day class rates of $25 a person (whenever they have an empty slot or two). If you “like” Butter Lane on Facebook, you’ll see those updates.