Erin Gardner

A mildly interesting set of recipes. I have been known to bake instead of doing something I should be doing - but usually I just want to make something yummy and get on with it, rather than deliberately choosing something complicated to take extra time. The author keeps recommending that...or recommending using store-bought ingredients (canned biscuits, for example) to speed things up. The style is cute, including the little icons for faster, slower, down the rabbit hole... There are several (many) recipes I want to try at least once, and some may enter my repertoire. I'm less interested in the ones designed to take extra time...but Gardner does have a recipe for toffee cookies, including making the toffee, which is something I've been looking for for a long time. Glad I read it, now I have to go back to all my bookmarks and try the recipes.… (más)

Received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Quite simply, this book is the cake decorating book bomb. It's not that it goes into details for hundreds of cakes, but it teaches you, in-depth, all the techniques you need to know to let your imagination roam free so you can go beyond the included cake ideas. From buttercream tips to making different shapes, the caking tools and pan advice, fondant finishes and coloring frostings, dowels, layers, and fondant shapes, it's all there in the first two chapters.

The second part, Decorate like you mean it, is why anyone opens these books in the bookstores to browse - to see the cake designs, of course. Big colorful pictures with decoration direction. The author breaks it into different themes: Nature Inspired (love the bird and topiary cakepop tree); Graphic Designs, with stained glass techniques and different stacking effects; Floral Creations, where most of these cases are multiple layered and fancy fondant; Fabric, Ribbons, and Bows - The Pearl cake is stunning; Special Occasions with monograms and other nifty cake techniques including, yes, Zebra Stripes.



Finally, part three is recipes for various cakes, frostings, marshmallow fondant, etc. I want to try the Devil Food Cake. I buy store bought now and love the Duncan Hines version. If this could mimic it or beat it, I'd be happy, for it's my favorite sort of birthday cake to do. Plus then when someone compliments you, you don't have to say it's store bought mix with that embarrassed pause.

The key to cake decoration is practice, practice, and more practice. Tools and books help but practice makes perfect and patience is key. Still, you have to know where to start and what the techniques actually ARE to start your practicing, and this book is that right guide. It doesn't ignore the buttercreme piping techniques, it includes the fondant recipes and techniques, it has creative cakes for different occasions, the writing is fun and informative, and the publisher wasn't stingy with the large, detailed pictures for the finished products.

Besides, there's just something addicting about cake decorating books...… (más)