If you know Zingerman's, you know we love finding out where our food came from. The story behind where it got its name, for instance, is often a forgotten tale. Did you know cupcakes have a history? These precious little pastries date back to a published recipe in 1796 calling for a light cake batter to be baked into small cups. Often times small clay pottery or ceramic ramekins were used, as the metal muffin tins and paper liners we use today were not yet available. Later recipes called for measuring all the ingredients in even cups to make cup cakes. Also known as 1234 cakes or quarter cakes, the cake recipe was comprised of 1 cup of butter, 2 cups of sugar, 3 cups of flour, and 4 eggs. A baker would call this a cup cake, whereas, for a pound cake the ingredients were weighed. Fascinating right?!(Can you tell that we really love this stuff?!)

And who doesn't love a cupcake?! It seems everyone does, probably because they're like a party in the palm of your hand. They can be passed around at parties, no knife required. Plus, one cupcake is the perfect gift to lift someone's spirits. The English refer to them as fairy cakes. Pretty accurate and sweet, we think, and we love having fun with our food. And we know how people somehow get really excited at the sight of miniature food.

Join in our little cupcake making party where you'll learn from the baking pros and go home with our Zingerman's Bakehouse cake, buttercream,and fondant recipes. Together we'll do a little baking and a lot of decorating, as you create your own tasty and cute-as-a-button cakes. First, you'll bake our moist and scrumptious recipe for vanilla buttermilk cake. Next, we'll demonstrate how we make our fluffy vanilla Swiss buttercream with a whipped egg white and sugar meringue. Then, we'll show you different ways to use both vanilla Swiss buttercream and chocolate buttercream for piping on top to cover your freshly baked cupcakes.

And the fun really starts when you use our made-from-scratch fondant (ours is really delicious—we promise!) to decorate what you've made. This fondant tastes like sweet vanilla, melts in your mouth, and opens up a world of decorating possibilities. You'll have plenty of time to let the creativity flow onto your cupcakes as you create your own designs and make your own shapes. We think you'll be eager to show off your cake art to your friends, family, or coworkers when you're done with class. Watch as everyone gobbles them up like kids in a candy store or a cupcake shop as it were. Like all our cakes at Zingerman's Bakehouse, we believe in cupcakes that taste as good as they look. So be sure to enjoy your cakes responsibly, at room temperature for maximum flavor and ideal texture.

You'll leave BAKE! with Zingerman's Bakehouse cake, buttercream, and fondant recipes;the knowledge to recreate them at home;one dozen cupcakes you made in class; and great coupons.

What our guests have to say about this class:

I usually prefer to cook, but baking was so much fun. —Casey S.

Lots to learn for experienced or inexperienced attendees. —Lynn L.

This class validated some things I'm doing correctly and taught me new skills. —Robyn S.

We created this class years ago to celebrate Zingerman's Delicatessen's anniversary (they opened way back in 1982!). Learn to make our Jewish rye bread and black magic brownies, old-time favorites; and ourhummingbird cake recipe, a new favorite with pineapple, pecan, coconut, banana, and cream cheese frosting. Find out what a rye sour is and the secrets behind our rye bread's flavor. We’ll serve our deli meats and sandwich fixingsto go with your bread and end the class with iconic Zingerman’s treats: a sandwich, pickle, brownie, and a toast to many years of great customers.

You'll leave BAKE! with our recipes, the knowledge to recreate them at home, a satisfied tummy, great coupons, and everything you made in class: a loaf of rye bread, rye sour, hummingbird cake, and black magic brownies.

What our guests have to say about this class:

I have better sweet treats in my repertoire now. —Alia A.

I will for sure move from Betty Crocker to real brownies. —Alison H.

Fun, informative, educational, and I learned new and improved methods. —Joe S.

Experience three classics from Detroit institutions that have been around since the 1920s and 1940s. Together we'll bake Detroit-style deep dish pizza with caramelized cheese edges baked in a blue steel pan, spiced almond cookies in the traditional windmill shape, and a long john coffee cake with a butter, brown sugar, and walnut streusel. Get a little piece of history and a big bite of flavor, along with plenty of hands-on practice, and tips for mastering these new recipes.

You'll leave BAKE! with our recipes, the knowledge to recreate them at home, one pizza, one coffee cake, cookies, and great coupons.

What our guests have to say about this class:

This class helped me realize that baking isn't as intimidating as I had feared, and can be fun (and not just a chore). —Remy D.

These classes make home baking seem much more doable. —Margaret B.

I never wanted to make pizza at home but now I definitely will. —Arielle J.

You can make your own fresh pasta at home! We’ll teach you how to make egg pasta and how to shape, as well as how to make and fill ravioli. We’ll demonstrate making a freshly milled rye pasta,using a Mockmill, a tabletop stone grain mill, and a simple marinara sauce.These can be the inspiration for all the pasta creations you can dream up at home.

You'll leave BAKE! with our recipes, the knowledge to recreate them at home, pasta that you made in class, and great coupons.

What our guests have to say about this class:

It was nice to see just how easy it can be to make pasta. —Andy G.

I'll certainly be making pasta at home now. Needed to take this class so I knew what pasta dough should feel and look like. — Helen P.

Informative, hands-on, just really fun! I can't wait to do this with my grandkids! My favorite class to date! —Claudia D.

Authentic—love the history and background presented
Thorough—ingredients and methods well-taught
Variety—different ways to prepare and customize
I am going to pull out my long-dormant pasta machine and have a pasta party. —Leigh H.

We'll be using the power of bacon to flavor three amazing baked goods, all in honor of Zingerman's annual Camp Bacon®andZingerman's Guide to Better Bacon. You'll make rich bacon cheddar scones and sweet-and-salty bacon pecan sandy cookies. Then we'll take you to hog heaven with a demonstration of our potato bacon strudel. Try and contain yourself.

You'll leave BAKE! with our recipes, the knowledge to recreate them at home, all the food you made in class, and great coupons.

The baked goods of the United Kingdom are so different from what most Americans eat every day. In this class, we’ll delve into the techniques behind some of our favorites. You'll make fresh English muffins (which are an ocean apart from what you can get at the supermarket), oatcakes, and shortbread. It’ll be no surprise if, after taking this class, you start calling your friends to high tea every day!

You’ll leave BAKE! With our recipes, the knowledge to recreate them at home, all the food you made in class and great coupons.

What our guests have to say about this class:

Real English muffins are so much better than storebought—will probably never purchase them again. —Kim G.

Our BAKE!-cations® are the ultimate experience for the home baker! We guide you through a comprehensive education in baking techniques in a fun, exciting, relaxed, and always hands-on classroom full of good humor and expert instruction. Your BAKE!-cation® includes breakfast and lunch every day, and you'll need an empty suitcase to bring home all the great food you've made!

The world of pie is big, round (usually) and deep (dish)! In this flaky, filling, and fun weekend we’ll bake a whole gambit of pies...chicken pot pie, fried fruit pie, Patti Pocket hand pies, cream pie, double crust Jumbleberry pie, calzones pizza pie with Parmigiano Reggiano®, pasty beef pie, Bakehouse signature pecan pie, hot water crust pie with pancetta, white bean, and swiss chard filling, and Mississippi Mud Pie. Hold onto your rolling pins. This is going to be some weekend.

You’ll leave BAKE! With our recipes, the knowledge to recreate them at home, all the food you made in class and great coupons.

We'll be using the power of bacon to flavor three amazing baked goods, all in honor of Zingerman's annual Camp Bacon®andZingerman's Guide to Better Bacon. You'll make rich bacon cheddar scones and sweet-and-salty bacon pecan sandy cookies. Then we'll take you to hog heaven with a demonstration of our potato bacon strudel. Try and contain yourself.

You'll leave BAKE! with our recipes, the knowledge to recreate them at home, all the food you made in class, and great coupons.

Few beverages have the long, storied history of beer and fewer yet inspire such devotion, but beer’s not just for drinking! In this class we’ll be baking an oats & blonde ale bread, beer cornbread, apricot beer scones and beer crackers that are sure to become some of your favorites to make at home! You'll want to throw a party to impress your friends right away!

You'll leave BAKE! with our recipes, the knowledge to recreate them at home, a loaf of bread, a pan of cornbread, a dozen scones, four dozen crackers and great coupons.

Do you love custards and puddings?Love buttery pie crusts? Eat whipped cream by the spoonful?Yes! Yes! and Yes! Then this class is for you.

Join us to make two of our Bakehouse's best: chocolate cream pie and coconut cream pie. We’ll also demonstrate our popular key lime pie. Since it’s baked it’s not really a “cream” pie, but it’s definitely creamy and delicious.

In this class, you'll learn how to make a buttery and flaky pie crust from scratch (no shortening allowed!), how to roll and bake the crust, and how to make the chocolate cream pie filling and coconut cream pie filling from scratch. For the key lime pie demonstration, we'll show you how to make a buttery graham cracker crust, and the rich, tart filling. We'll also demonstrate fresh whipped cream to top the pies.

You'll leave BAKE! with our recipes, the knowledge to recreate them at home, one 10-inchchocolate cream pie and one 10-inchcoconut cream pie and great coupons.