Butterboy Baking is debuting NYC’s first flavor-led Filipino cake decorating workshop in Queens, moving beyond the basic dessert flavors of chocolate and vanilla to celebrate the vibrant, nostalgic profiles of ube and pandan.
The class, led by Butterboy Baking founder Carla Rodriguez, offers a creative space for the community to come together, whether guests grew up with the Filipino flavors or they’re exploring them for the first time.
“I feel like people are really leaning in to culture and heritage-they want to feel rooted and grounded,” said Rodriguez. “This class is rooted in Filipino flavors, with fillings like coconut, coconut strings, and ube jam, highlighting homemade and Filipino flavors.”
Rodriguez founded Butterboy Baking in 2021 as a creative outlet while the city continued to deal with the pandemic. While at home with her newborn son, her young daughter, and her husband working remotely, the hobby was a fun way to unwind while staying connected to her roots and sharing her pastries with family and friends. After seeing an influx of Filipino bakery pop-ups, particularly in Brooklyn, she felt inspired to share her desserts with Queens by hosting her own pop-up events and collaborating with other Asian and Filipino creators. Her online bakery boasts cream puffs with flavors like black sesame with pork floss, chocolate, matcha, and ube; signature pastries like mango float, creme brulee, champorado, and ube overload; her signature croquembouche, flan cakes, and cakes for birthdays and other special occasions.
She began hosting classes last year with a croquembouche class, a classic French dessert made of a tower of carefully placed cream-filled pastry puffs, hosted in venues in Queens like Vovain’s and Yant’s Art Space as well as her mother’s living room in her second apartment meant for family who visit from the Philipines, which is where her next class will be held. The cozy space takes the experience beyond a how-to class, letting guests feel like they’re visiting family, connecting with Rodriquez and those joining in a more intimate way, similar to her upbringing in the Philippines.
“Before I left the Philippines, our house was really the ultimate gathering spot,” said Rodriguez. “On Saturday afternoons, all of my friends would be welcome to our house. My mom would have food for everyone, and my friends and I would be in the living room, my brother and his friends would be upstairs, and it’s just a fun memory for me, so I kind of want to bring back that energy, to gather people.”
Initially the class was going to be a cake decorating workshop with flavors like chocolate and vanilla, but when her son, who’s the inspiration for the brand’s name, with his baby photo in the logo, asked if he and his friends could decorate an ube cake for his birthday party, she got the inspiration to change the class to focus on Filipino flavors and highlight her upbringing.
“It’s been our tradition since three or four years old, I make a cake, and they decorate it for their birthday, said Rodriguez. “My son asked for an ube cake to decorate with his friends, but I asked, ‘What if your friends don’t like it?’ and he said, ‘It’s my holiday mama, it’s my birthday, they’re going to have to try it,’ and he’s turning six, so that’s some confidence there. It made me realize I have to lean into this; that’s why I built Butterboy, to help me remember my childhood, the happy and simple times that I had in the Philippines, and how I can incorporate it here with my own family living in the U.S.”
The cake decorating workshop is set for Sunday, March 29, from 2-4 p.m. and costs $85 per person. Each guest will get two 4″ mini cakes, along with all buttercream, fillings/toppings, and cake supplies. The afternoon features a guided demo but guests have the freedom to decorate their cakes as they choose and be creative with it. There will also be cake to share and something sweet to sip on. For this workshop, participants will choose between decorating an olive oil buko-pandan chiffon cake with coconut strings and swiss meringue coconut buttercream and coconut flakes, or an olive oil ube chiffon cake with homemade ube jam, swiss meringue coconut buttercream, and parmesan crisps. Toppings include flowers, metallic pearls, and sprinkles. The class also provides a great way to spend the afternoon, unwinding and creating, enjoying the present moment, and connecting with others.
Those interested need little to no experience, and all the cakes are already made; guests just need to come to the workshop ready to have fun, get creative, and indulge in delicious Filipino flavors. After the workshop, the mini cakes are perfect to take home or share with loved ones, spreading the love from Rodriguez’s kitchen right to guests’ homes.
“My mother’s living room has been a community gathering spot, so it’s really nice,” said Rodriguez. “I’m going to make a whole cake to share, and everyone will take home the cake that they decorated in a box to eat and share.”
To sign up for the workshop or learn more, visit their website or follow @butterboybakingco.
