In our active, quick paced lives, the holidays give us a period to stop and relish some of the simpler pleasures of living. One of those pleasures can be holiday baking. So,why not treat yourself to cake baking classes in Los Angeles? You'll have fun learning this pleasurably enterprising skill, and your friends and family will have fun enjoying the benefits!

Below are just three ways a cake baking class in Los Angeles can perk up your holiday season:

1. Learn to construct stunning and yummy gifts. Everybody loves receiving those handmade goodies, and this year your contributions will treat and amaze! Envision the joy of gifting a beautifully wrapped container of delectable little cakes, manually ornamented and customized for everyone on your list.

During these multi-part cake baking classes in Los Angeles, you'll learn the secrets of baking the moist cake base, forming it into the delicate tiny cake pieces, and next icing and decorating them. Learn to work with buttercream, fondant, marzipan and chocolate together to invent striking motifs.

Learn the fundamentals, and after that get ready to set free your creative side as you come up with your own designs and trimming ideas. You'll depart with a box filled of finished small cakes, made to enjoy or give as a gift.

2. Make an impressive festive centerpiece. Your holiday table will gleam with your one-of-a-kind 3D holiday cookie centerpiece. What could be cuter than Santa and his reindeer flying over your tablecloth, drenched in colorful icing and decorations?

Completed from sugar and gingerbread cookies, then iced to perfection, these cookies are the greatest version of edible art! The two-day cake baking classes in Los Angeles will address demonstrations of the basic skills, then hands-on construction and finishing of your very own work of art. You'll even learn how to protect and store your creation for years to come; that is, if you can keep the family from devouring the delightful concoctions.

3. Conquer your beginner worries of cake baking! They make it seem so easy; a little dab here, a little swoosh there, but one way or another your own cake creations rarely come out looking anything like the professional ones. If this sounds like you, you'll want to sign-up and take cake baking classes in Los Angeles that cover the essentials.

You'll begin by learning the baking secrets that make decorating easier, followed by how to fill and ice your cakes. You'll try your hand at using a decorator bag and tips, experience piping, and discover how to space and write messages. Perfect for the beginner cake decorator, these cake baking classes in Los Angeles will give you the basics you'll require before you progress to more complex decorating techniques.

Do something a bit special this year to celebrate the holidays, with cake baking classes in Los Angeles. You'll enjoy the time you spent focusing on learning this very amusing activity. And your friends and family will without doubt love trying out all the fresh creations!

Chef Susan Holtz has taught professional cake art and baking for over 30 years. She has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Home and Garden magazine, and on Fox News Television. If you want to learn more about cake art visit: www.BakingandCakeArt.com/cake-baking-classes-los-angeles