[Sunday Slow Time]Zakka zoo & Button Button Workshop, Baking Classes in a Grocery Store

On a warm afternoon, we joined Instructor Tony for a fun-filled tiramisu class. With his humorous explanations, making desserts didn’t seem difficult at all. Before the class, the instructor had already prepared the gelatin for the students. Two wooden tables pushed together served as the workspace, covered with essential baking tools such as whisks, spatulas, mixing bowls, digital scales, and Mascarpone cheese that had returned to room temperature.

 

Today’s dessert class was fully booked. Due to limited space, the eight students were divided into two groups, working in pairs. Instructor Tony started with making the ladyfingers. “Do you know why ladyfingers are called Lady Finger? Because their shape resembles the slender fingers of a lady.” Unlike the crispy texture of store-bought versions, his method doesn’t use cornstarch, resulting in a softer, cake-like bite that absorbs coffee liqueur more easily.

 

This recipe uses the separated egg method, dividing the egg whites and yolks from two whole eggs. Caster sugar is added to the yolks in batches and whipped quickly until they turn pale yellow. As he demonstrated, the instructor shared the “tricks of the trade” for each step. For example, “When making tiramisu, start with the yolk mixture because whipped yolks can sit, but egg whites can’t (they’ll deflate).” Or, “Don’t add too much sugar at once, or the foam volume will be reduced.”

The instructor explained each step in detail, while students gathered around the wooden table, occasionally jotting down notes in their recipes. But while the instructor made everything look effortless, when it came time for the students to try, there were always a few “accidents.” Still, that’s what makes baking cakes so fun. You hold the mixer, I carefully sift the flour into the bowl—we work together to create a cake whose sweet taste is paired with the wonderful memories of the class.

 

Although the instructor simplified the steps, each class still took about four hours, but the students didn’t seem to mind—they were already eager to sign up for next week’s truffle pizza workshop. Yi?, who has attended five of Tony’s baking classes, said Tony’s dessert recipes are simple and the results delicious. After trying them at home, she uploads photos to the class’s exclusive Facebook group, where she can also ask the instructor any questions directly. So far, she has learned how to make lemon yogurt, pine nut cake, bread pudding, and English scones. The praise from friends has given her a great sense of accomplishment, which is why she keeps coming back for more classes.

“I see this place as a sharing platform,” Tony said. While working at a cake shop in Japan, he noticed that the chefs there were very open, freely sharing their dessert recipes. “They weren’t afraid for you to learn.” Tony shares this philosophy—he believes the “tricks of the trade” in making great desserts rely entirely on experience and personal insight, things that can’t be taught.

 

Due to the strict standards of dessert preparation in hotels, which differ greatly from the fun approach of homemade baking, Tony always practices his recipes several times before class to develop simplified methods that are “easy for students to replicate at home,” while avoiding reliance on machines and doing as much as possible by hand. For example, the five jars of handmade cookies on the kitchen counter on the second floor were all mixed using a whisk—and these cookies have been featured in past baking classes.