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Last week, I had the opportunity to take a private lesson with Chelsey White, owner, and founder of Chelsweets.
If you don’t know Chelsey, she is an amazing baker and content creator for the Food Network, Cosmopolitan, and House Beautiful Magazine. With over 900k Instagram followers, her work has been shared across many social media platforms.
How we discover Chelsey?
Rodney and I first found out about this phenom, back in 2017 when I was looking for cake inspiration and stumbled onto her YouTube page. Her cakes were clean and had the sharp edges I desired for my own cakes.
We were totally hooked and started following her progress through her blog and YouTube channel. To see her continuous progress has truly been inspirational.
Spending years building Chelsweets to where it is now, Chelsey recently transitioned from baking being a part-time passion to her new full-time gig.
Taking the cake and sweet world by full storm, her creations will astound you as she takes gentle care with each cake she bakes and decorates. With a new schedule in hand, Chelsey decided to open her doors to private lessons.
Taking a leap of faith
When I heard about this opportunity, after reading her featured article on amny.com, I knew I had to take a leap of faith and contact her. I was ready to jump on board, no matter the cost.
Chelsey niche is buttercream and perfecting my own buttercream techniques was something I was looking to invest in for a while. Plus she is located in Midtown New York, which is the perfect match as most of my cake idols are located far away.
What people don’t see
People don’t see all the hard work and endless hours that goes on behind the scenes to make an amazing cake. They only see what you post on social media or the actual cake at the party.
Little do they know about what it takes to be a great baker and this was an experience I could not pass up and believe me guys, it was well worth it.
Photo Credit: Chelsey White
Private lesson with Chelsey
The one on one training I received that day was priceless. We went over decorating techniques such as perfecting drip cakes, consistency for melting chocolate for drip cakes.
A great tip Chelsey taught me with this technique is to be your cake is chilled before you start and you test you drip before starting. I also learned new skills for making American Buttercream and pointers on how to execute smooth shape edges. I am not there just yet but have definitely learned the skills need to perfect it.
Chelsweets American Buttercream
The Best American Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- – 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature (434 grams)
- – 8 cups powdered sugar (907 grams)
- – 1/2 tsp salt (3 grams)
- – 2 Tbsp heavy cream (or whipping cream) (30 grams)
- – 1 Tbsp vanilla extract (12 grams)
Instructions
- Beat the butter on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a paddle attachment, until smooth. Slowly add in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Alternate with small splashes of cream.
- Once fully mixed, add in the vanilla and salt, and beat on low until the ingredients are fully incorporated, and the desired consistency is reached.
- If the frosting is too thick, add in additional cream (1 teaspoon at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (quarter of a cup at a time).
- If you plan to color the buttercream, add in the gel food coloring once the frosting is fully made, and beat on low until it reach the desired colored
Notes
If you are making frosting for a cake, it is important to mix the buttercream on the lowest speed at the end of the process for a couple of minutes, to get out any extra air that might have been incorporated during the mixing process. You can also stir the frosting in a bowl with a rubber spatula, pushing it from side to side, to get rid of any air bubbles. This will make it easier to get super smooth sides on your cake! I usually make 1 1/2 batches of frosting to stack and frost a seven or eight-inch cake.
Chelsey went the extra mile during our lesson as she gave me tips and idea for video content and editing.
Photo Credit: Chelsey White
Final Note
I am super excited for what’s to come as this is only the beginning, this class has already inspired me to make my first tutorial video and I hope more will come as I refine my baking skills and techniques.
This is just an introduction for what’s to come, I hope you will join me on this journey.
If you haven’t subscribed take a few minutes and do so, if you like what you see, leave me a quick comment or feedback. If you are interested in taking a buttercream focused private lessons with Chelsweet, click here.
Related Article:
- Michael’s Basic Wilton Cake Decorating Course 101 – Part 1 Review
- The Wilton Method of Cake Decorating Course 1: Certificate Day
Until next time, Happy Caking!!
I am truly driven by what I create and bring the knowledge of what I have learned throughout the years to help other bakers turn a hobby into a new venture. I hope you find this blog warm and inviting as my goal is to fill it with delicious treats and awesome recipes.
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