Baking Mini Chocolate Cakes Class
About This Event
Mini Chocolate Cakes with Chocolate Ganache & Blood Orange Garnish
Join award-winning Pastry Chef Dawn Alston of Ravy Cakes, featured on Food Network's Wedding Cake Championship, for a fun and delicious hands-on baking experience!
In this interactive class, you'll learn how to bake, assemble, and decorate beautiful mini chocolate cakes from scratch using premium Laconiko olive oil. Whether you're a beginner or love baking at home, Chef Dawn will guide you step-by-step through professional techniques that you can recreate in your own kitchen.
Class Details
Skill Level: All experience levels welcome
Format: Hands-on, instructor-led
Duration: Approximately 3 hours
Ages: Adults and children 10+ (children must attend with a parent or guardian, and each participant requires a ticket)
What to Bring: Just yourself and a love for sweets!
What You'll Learn
- Bake a rich and moist chocolate cake from scratch.
Students will prepare a decadent chocolate cake completely from scratch, learning proper mixing methods, batter consistency, and baking techniques that guarantee a tender, flavorful crumb every time. - Assemble and frost mini layered cakes like a pastry chef.
With all components prepared, you will be guided through the professional process of assembling your mini layered cakes — from leveling and filling to stacking and crumb-coating with precision and care. You will learn how to build a structurally sound, beautiful, even mini cake that looks just as impressive on the inside as it does on the outside. - Make smooth chocolate buttercream and learn basic piping techniques.
We will cover the proper technique for creaming butter to the ideal consistency, incorporating rich cocoa, & Laconiko's exclusive products to achieve a complex flavor, and a perfectly smooth, pipeable texture. You will use this luscious buttercream to fill and frost your mini cakes, learning how to apply it evenly and professionally for a polished, bakery-worthy result.
- Create a silky chocolate ganache for the perfect finishing touch.
Students will learn the correct ratios of cream to chocolate, temperature control, and how to achieve the perfect pourable consistency for a flawless, elegant drip finish.
- Decorate your cakes with a beautiful chocolate drip and elegant garnishes.
You will learn professional decorating techniques, applying the ganache drip with confidence and artfully garnishing each cake blood orange slices, candied zest curls, and elegant finishing touches that transform your creation into a true showpiece.
Reserve your seat - maximum of 25 seats.
What's Included
Your Instructor
Chef Dawn Marie Alston
Celebrity Pastry Chef · Ravy Cakes LLC · Food Network Competitor
Celebrity Pastry Chef Dawn Marie Alston of Ravy Cakes, LLC is an award-winning pastry chef, culinary instructor, and cake decorator who enjoys serving her community through baking and pastry classes for both children and adults. A Philadelphia native who grew up in Northern Virginia, Dawn discovered her passion for baking at age six while learning alongside her Uncle David, known for his Southern cuisine and homemade cakes.
Inspired by the joy and togetherness that baking brought to her family, Chef Dawn has dedicated her career to creating memorable desserts and sharing her knowledge with others. She holds an Associate of Science degree in Culinary Arts with a concentration in Baking & Pastry from The Art Institute of Washington and has earned numerous certifications and awards throughout her career.
A highlight of her professional journey was competing on Food Network's The Wedding Cake Championship. Today, Chef Dawn takes great pride in coaching and mentoring aspiring bakers, including students who have gone on to compete on Food Network programs and other baking competitions.
Chef Dawn proudly serves the entire DMV and beyond.
Cancellation Policy
Flexible for life's surprises
✅ Full Refund
Cancel at least 5 days before the event for a 100% refund to your original payment method within 5–10 business days.
🔄 Transfer Your Spot
Can't make it? Transfer your ticket to anyone up to the event start time — just email us their name and contact info.
❌ No Late Refunds
Cancellations within 5 days and no-shows are non-refundable and non-exchangeable.
🌧 Force Majeure
If we must reschedule due to circumstances beyond our control, you'll receive a full refund or option to transfer to a new date.
To cancel or for questions, email events events@laconiko.com with your name and order number.