Cupcakes

It's 11.30 AM...Most of my colleagues are on their way to our cafeteria to eat the sandwiches they have brought along with them from home. I am also on my way out of my office, carrying a tray of plain vanilla cupcakes... Not because it's my birthday, not to share with my colleagues for lunch.... Nope! I've got a different purpose for these delicious cupcakes!

My colleague Kari and I are both passionate bakers - trading recipes for great cakes, sharing tips and tricks, as well as equipment with each other - and avid followers of Passion for Baking, a beautiful and inspirational blog by Manuela Kjeilen. So when we saw that Manuela would be coming to the Norwegian Food Festival in Ålesund to hold a seminar on decorating cupcakes, we knew we just had to sign up for it!

Nearly two hours after we left the office, we are strolling along the different booths at the Food Festival - sampling syrups, cheeses and lots more - as we still had some time left before the seminar....but at 6 PM, the waiting is finally over... the seminar and the fun starts!

After showing us how to make vanilla cupcakes, several types of icing and frosting, Manuela brings out the piping bags and icing tips she prefers to use for decorating the cupcakes. She explains the different techniques for each tip, and continues by showing how to use fondant and silicon molds to create other types of decorations.

Soon after, all participants are having a go at the same techniques - trying to decorate our cupcakes as professionally as Manuela.With a piping bag filled with dark chocolate frosting and a Wilton "1B" tip, I have a go at creating frosting roses on top of my cupcakes... with pretty good result, even though I say so myself.

24 cupcakes, a lot of icing and a couple of sticky fingers later, I show Manuela the final result, have a little chat in Dutch (as Manuela is half Dutch half Norwegian) and say goodbye!

Thank you for a lovely seminar, Manuela! I am already looking forward to your book coming out!