I recently taught my cake basics class with Poketo at The Line Hotel! The hotel was such a beautiful place for my class and working with Poketo was a lot of fun. A special thank you to Lisa for all your help!

The class was structured similarly to my previous cake basics classes. We went over how to make a chocolate cake, such as how to know when you've creamed the butter and sugar enough and how to check when a cake is done baking. Next was learning how to make swiss meringue buttercream. Lastly, each student learned to torte and assemble their own naked cake and finished them off by decorating with fresh organic fruit and edible flowers and herbs.

An example of the type of cake we were going to make in class. Students could leave the sides completely exposed or "semi naked", as shown below.

Demonstrating a crumb coat naked cake frosting style. Those small offset spatulas sure come in handy for a 6" cake.

A finished cake by one of my students, Jess. I love the green herb leaves on the sides!

Students concentrating on assembling and frosting their cakes. There were 22 students in my class, and each and every one did an excellent job!

The final product by Lydia, finished off with beautiful edible flowers and fresh fruit from Farm Box LA. We set up a makeshift photoshoot area, which I think all my classes should have from now on!

Fresh berries from Farm Box LA and edible flowers and flowering herbs (not pictured).

Farm Box LA kindly provided fresh fruit for the students to decorate their cakes with. We had a variety of delicious berries fresh from the farmers market, and they also generously gifted everyone with a goodie bag of delicious stone fruit and a coupon for their first order!

All students also went home with a goodie bag filled with treats from some of my favorite companies!

QUIN Candy
Dreams Come Chew - these are so good. They are similar to starbursts except about 100x better, with seriously delicious flavors, only a handful of ingredients, and no artificial colors or flavors. QUIN makes real, classic candy without all the weird stuff.

Cuppow
I purchased my own cuppow several years ago and use it all the time! A simple lid made of recycled (and recyclable!) plastic turns a mason jar into a portable drinking cup. I'm so happy everyone got to take one home and hopefully decrease their reliance of single use cups and straws.

Knot & Bow
It's surprisingly hard to find beautiful, elegant candles for birthday cakes, so when I discovered Knot & Bow offered these slender beeswax candles I knew they would be the perfect pairing with an understated naked cake.

GIR
Hands down my favorite spatula. They are made of one single piece of silicone which means no parts for water to get into, no separate parts to wash, no moldy wooden handles. If you have a spatula that separates the top from the handle, go take it apart and see what's lurking inside. I also love that they come in a variety of fun colors and sizes! The skinny is my favorite for getting the last bits in small jars.

Cotton & Flax
In addition to beautiful home textiles, Cotton & Flax recently released a series of small notebooks screenprinted with their patterns. Its pocket size is perfect to put in your handbag or leave in your car for last minute note taking! I also have a few of tea towels that I love so much.

Ann Shen
A sweet card with Ann's signature illustration style. Each student received the perfectly fitting Happy Cake card. She's also got a lot of other art, prints, and cards in her shop. One of my favorites is her Study of Ice Cream print.

Cali Water
Wild prickly pear cactus water, non GMO, low in sugar, and filled with naturally occuring electrolytes and antioxidants. This was so refreshing to drink while I was teaching the class. I don't like drinking water (I know I should!) but Cali Water has just enough of a light sweetness and flavor that made it enjoyable to drink without resorting to something filled with sugar.

More cake classes are coming soon, and will be traveling across the US (and perhaps the world?) Want me to come to your city? Leave a comment and let me know where I should visit next.

Poketo Cake Basics Class