I recently signed up for a cake decorating class. I was only able to attend the first night since my son fell last week and fractured his femur. Anywayyyyy, the first class was more of a demo than anything else and the instructor proceeded to ice a cake using a non-dairy topping. I was surprised that she wasn't using some type of BC icing. When I asked "Isn't using this topping much easier than icing with a BC?", the answer "Well, yes". Am I wrong to be disappointed that an instructor would use topping instead of icing?
As I said, I was unable to attend the subsequent classes so I don't know how it went for the other students. Oh yeah, we got to sample the cake she iced. Delicious cake but, for me, topping=ewwwww...

I wouldn't hold it against her...the first night of class is always a kind of waste. They just basically go over the supplies you'll need for class, take you to look at the baking supplies, make sure you have your coarse material, she was probably just pressed for time.

I had been playing around for a few months before I went to class, but I can honestly say I did learn some stuff in my class. My instructor June was very patient, I did finally learn to make a rose.

Thanks for your reply. I try to always give someone the benefit of the doubt but she was quite clear that this is what she always used. She listed the Wilton icing recipe if that's what we wanted to decorate with but of course suggested we stick to the non-dairy topping. Which one did she recommend? The one in their store of course! That was to be expected but I just can't believe that decorating with topping is the same as decorating with icing.

That is a little strange...however, she will still teach you techniques on how to do various piping skill sets, so I'm sure it will still have some value in attending the rest of the sessions.

Was it a Wilton class? That certainly would be a no, no!
I definately would be dissapointed. However.........many Hispanics prefere non dairy topping instead of bc saying it is not as sweet. I totally disagree w/that! To me it is just as sweet or more so just has a different mouth feel. There are some tricks to using ndwp like knowing how much to beat it w/o over beating.
Maybe most of her students have been (are) Hispanic?

I thought if it was a Wilton class, they want the instructors to push their product, not the store's. Anyway, I hope you son is okay and you get a chance to get back to class cause most of them were really fun and informative for me.

Uhmm....the Wilton icing is non dairy anyway...it's powdered sugar, shortening, flavorings...water...and Meringue powder. The Meringue Powder can be omitted if needed..

I wouldn't consider Wilton Class frosting to be "dairy".


Of course, there are many classes that are not Wilton.
It doesn't sound like a Wilton class.

I'm surprised and not surprised at the same time. I've worked with both topping and icing and they are very different to me. I can see why the instructor used whipped topping because it's softer, therefore easier on the hands. But if those people learn with whipped, they are going to be thrown for a loop when they go to use buttercream. Yes, you would use the same decorating techniques, but since the consistencies are different, you use different degrees of pressure. If a cake newbie is used to making shells with whipped, they are going to have a little difficulty making them with buttercream.

EDIT:
kakeladi: interesting that you say Hispanic people prefer whipped topping, because where I'm from, it's mostly Middle Eastern people that order whipped topping. Good to know!

I think Wilton instructors are pretty much supposed to teach "Wilton method" which would include making their icing and doing the three different consistencies (which I think is crazy and hard to do but I taught it anyway and then just eased off as the students experimented with what was easier for them.

If it was a Wilton class it could be that cake was being left for someone at the store and they asked for that as a frosting.

Her mixer could have died and that was all she had the time to get at the market on the way... plus 1,000 other reasons.

This is not a Wilton class. It's at a private cake and cake supply store. And I still will have to decorate a clown. Arghhhh clowns But I digress...
I called the store and they've allowed me to reschedule next year. Thank goodness for understanding people.
And regardless of what she uses, I will be using BC!