My party of 2 spent $210 to decorate a Mickey Mouse cake at Disney World. It was worth it for the mimosas and desserts alone.
Pouring the correct amount of glaze onto my Mickey Mouse cake was challenging, but enjoying a morning outside of Walt Disney World's theme parks was not.
I've been visiting Walt Disney World Resort regularly for the last 15 years. Recently, I decided to make myself official and become an annual pass holder. Since then, I visit enough to make an annual pass worth the investment, so I'm always on the lookout for something new to do. A big fan of my usual rides, treats and eats, my time in the parks has also taught me there's always something new to do at Walt Disney World (WDW) … and it's nice to change things up now and then. This thirst for Disney adventure is how I ended up at Disney Springs early one morning, attending a cake decorating class.
Before the coronavirus pandemic led to WDW's closure in 2020, I heard about a class called the Amorette's Pastisserie Cake Decorating Experience. Located at Disney Springs, WDW's shopping and dining district, Amorette's Pastisserie is a bakery known for its decadent baked goods and boozy wine slushies.
During this 90-minute class, guests get to decorate a beautiful dome-shaped cake just like the ones displayed in the windows of Amorette's — color me intrigued. I appreciate a good cake as much as the next person, but would I be able to decorate one like a pro?
The pandemic derailed my dreams of studying under the cake-decorating greats, so I was forced to wait and see if the class would ever return. When it was announced that the experience was coming back in Nov. 2022, I knew it was my time to check it out.
The Amorette's Pastisserie Cake Decorating Experience can be booked through the My Disney Experience app, by calling Disney's "Enchanting Extras" phone line or online through the WDW website. The class is offered daily at 9:30 a.m. and costs $199, or just over $210 with tax. Included in that seemingly steep price is the ability to bring one guest to help with the decorating. If that guest wants their own Mickey Mouse cake, they can decorate one for an additional $50 (an extra cake must be ordered at least 48 hours in advance by calling WDW).
The classes fill up quickly, as only 14 guests are allowed each day. Kids under 5 are not permitted to participate, and guests over 21 are offered alcoholic beverages in addition to sips like coffee and tea. Although Amorette's makes many different dome-shaped character cakes, the class is specifically for decorating a classic Mickey Mouse cake.
On the day of my class, I took a friend along both for fun and because I was recovering from an ankle injury that made an extra set of cake-carrying hands welcome. When we met our instructor, Reuben, we could tell he was perfect for the job. He obviously loved his work and was patient and kind with the kitchen full of novices as we attempted to make our cakes look like his.
The character dome cakes must be glazed at least three times for the vibrant colors to stand out. We quickly learned that pouring glaze over a cake without doing it too slowly or too quickly is a true art form.
"Painting" Mickey's ears, tail and buttons were much easier than glazing the cake. My friend and I each attempted a round of layering the cake with the glaze, but I ended up making mine a little too thick at the bottom, which made it goopy instead of flat against the sides. Thank goodness there was a fondant belt for our Mickey cake to wear that covered up my little mistakes.
While Reuben was walking us through each step, he took time to come up to each table and chat with the guests. My friend and I took advantage of the downtime between decorating each piece to enjoy our unlimited coffee and mimosas. We also got to sample a small piece of the same cake we were decorating, which was a great morning pick-me-up to go with those drinks.
When we finished decorating our cake, we were able to leave it at the store until the close of business (or whenever we wanted to come back for it that day). My friend and I were headed to the parks, so we took advantage of the refrigeration they offered to keep our cake cool, heading back at the end of the day to take our mouse cake back to our resort with us.
In addition to taking home an adorable Mickey Mouse cake and feeling a sense of pride at our accomplishments, we were given a pin to signify our participation in the class. The cute Mickey pin is made in the style of Disney’s pin-trading pins, an ongoing tradition among Disney guests where pins emblazoned with Disney characters and nods to Disney Parks are exchanged between guests and employees. I must admit, however, that I won’t be trading that particular pin any time soon.
Although I had sticker shock when first signing up for this $200 Disney extra, I was thrilled with my experience at Amorette’s Patisserie. It was a unique experience I’d be happy to repeat, especially if they offer different character choices in the future.
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