Le Dolci: Learn to Decorate Cupcakes in Toronto

By Alison J. Stein, About.com Guide

You would have to be living under something of a foodie rock to not know that cupcakes have been very trendy, and for a long time now. In fact, they're so much of a trend that the trend has already been declared over -- a claim that has been hotly disputed by people who love cupcakes, have always loved cupcakes and always will.

Meanwhile, people keep eating cupcakes. They're easy to make, easy to carry to parties, and endlessly customizable for any occasion. This is where Le Dolci comes in.

Le Dolci is primarily a cupcake decorating studio (although there are other classes on offer, more on that later), which owner >Lisa SanguedolciThese two-hour classes focus on the art of cupcake decorating, not cupcake baking. (You'll arrive to find delicious cupcakes already made and awaiting your artistic flare.) Classes most often have a theme -- upcoming holidays, weddings, for example. These themes go beyond the expected -- one of the more unusual classes focus on name brands, for those who like to eat their Chanel or Gucci logos on their cupcakes, another, especially appealing to visitors, focuses on Canadiana, where you'll learn to adorn cupcakes with maple leaves, hockey sticks, or a placard that says "eh?".

Each class teaches two styles of cupcake décor:

• Cupcakes decorated with fondant -- a mixture of sugar, water and light corn syrup that's used to make candy, decorate cakes, and is basically edible Play-Doh. Each class covers basics about how to manipulate fondant, how to color it with food dye (expect to get your hands dirty), and how to mold it with your hands, and how to use templates, cookie cutters and other shaping implements.
• Cupcakes decorated with butter cream frosting, which you learn to pipe through a pastry bag, using various tips. You have less flexibility with the pastry bag -- you're basically making shapes, like roses or carnations. But it tastes super delicious.

Le Dolci offers other classes that focus on other sweets besides cupcakes. There's a tutorial on the creation of chocolate truffles, for instance, and another that teaches you how to make macaron. Getting back to cupcakes, there's also class that focuses on a rather mysterious variety of the pastry, a cupcake that requires no baking.

Most classes are offered on the weekends, for both groups and individuals. There's a maximum of 12 students per class, but groups of seven or more receive a 15% discount. You'll leave all classes with more treats than you could possibly (or at least advisably) eat on your own.