Bake & Decorate: Charming Cakes, Cupcakes & Cookies for Every Occasion [Hardcover]

Fiona Cairns (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 26, 2010

Cake decorating has always been popular, and with the success of TV shows such as Cake Boss and Ace of Cakes, its appeal is stronger than ever.  Bakers and crafters looking to create standout desserts for every occasion will find a treasure trove of ideas and inspiration, along with delicious recipes and complete step-by-step instructions in Bake & Decorate. 

People who think cake decorating requires advanced baking skills and expensive equipment will be surprised how easy it is to create the beautiful and clever cakes, cupcakes and cookies presented in Bake & Decorate. Whether for a child’s birthday party, an elegant afternoon tea or a holiday buffet, these recipes and decorating schemes are surprisingly doable, even for novice bakers.  Fiona Cairns, a pastry chef well-known in the UK for her cakes shares her secrets and “easy cheats” for creating these stunning desserts.  All too often beautiful cakes look better than they taste. These cakes not only look amazing, they taste delicious.

Choose from more than 30 recipes for cakes, cupcakes and cookies in the first part of the book—Bake—and over 50 decorating schemes in the second part of the book—Decorate.  Top an orange and pistachio flavored cake with fresh flowers and you have the perfect dessert for a summer celebration.  Celebrate Easter with a chocolate truffle cake adorned with sugar eggs and fresh spring greenery.  Delight the birthday girl or boy with adorable ice cream cone cakes that look just like the real thing!  The author also provides an additional 25 simple ideas to help you to create a fabulous cake with a minimum of fuss, cost or effort.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'She's the original grande dame of cakes' - foodepedia.co.uk 'Cairn's cakes are undeniably pretty' - Telegraph

About the Author

Fiona Cairns trained as a pastry chef at the Michelin-starred Hambleton Hall and then began baking at home and supplying local businesses. Her company now bakes 220,000 cakes a year for clients such as Harrods, The Conran Shop, The Ritz Hotel, just to name a few. She has made cakes for Bono and  Pink Floyd, supplies Sir Paul McCartney with a Christmas cake every year, and recently crafted a multi-tiered fruit cake for the Royal Wedding of HRH Prince William and Kate Middleton. Despite her success, she has never lost her passion for home baking and still makes cakes at home for family and friends.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (October 26, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1605292044
• ISBN-13: 978-1605292045
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #969,276 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars not a cake decorating book November 4, 2011

By Martina

Format:Hardcover

I have to agree with other reviewers a 100%. This is not a "cake decorating" book.
I had this title on my wishlist until I had the chance to go through it at the bookstore. I was surprised that those cakes made it into a book. I guess that it never occurred to me that if the cake on the cover was "the best" from the book, well, you shouldn't expect much from the rest. This is truly one of the worst cake decorating books I've ever seen. I don't think this is even worth buying just to try the recipes, at least I know I wouldn't, because there are other excellent baking books like "Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours" that will give you great recipes that work every time.

I recently bought "Contemporary Cake Decorator's Bible: Creative techniques, Fresh inspiration, Stylish designs" and found it to be what a cake decorating book should be: really detailed oriented, with step by step instruction and recipes, besides having amazing pictures. In other words "inspiring."

Maybe it all has to do with the title, this book shouldn't be advertised as a "bake and decorate" and the cakes aren't "charming" either. The title should be something like "Free spirit Confections: Cakes anyone can bake and decorate" or something like that.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What Homemade Cakes Should Be July 4, 2011

By Design with Heart

Format:Hardcover

Like a previous reviewer, I admit that I too have never baked a cake from Ms. Cairn's book - though I have spent many hours reading the well-written recipes and admiring the beautiful pictures.

What I believe gives me the authority to write a review of this fine book is that I have had the pleasure of tasting many of the cakes whose recipes are contained within said book. And, having tasted literally hundreds of cakes that my mother has baked throughout her life, in addition to those found in fine bakeries and restaurants, the cakes baked using Ms. Cairn's recipes are the best I have ever eaten in my life.

Without fail, the cakes baked from this book are light, moist and decadent; their flavours and layered an nuanced; and they look like homemade cakes should look - beautiful and full of character.

This book could simply be a gracious addition to any coffee table, but the real magic happens when butter meets sugar, flour meets eggs - and little handmade masterpieces emerge from the oven to delight even the most discerning of palettes.

I dare you to try one of her cakes an not be immediately hooked. This is the cake book to end all cake books. Period.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous cakes, work each time and taste amazing July 4, 2011

By Bake me happy !

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Glorious! Glorious! This book is for the HOME BAKER, and as such it is approachable, very clear in directions, the steps are uncomplicated and the flavours AMAZING!!! I have baked 9 of the cakes so far in this book. I have been baking for years (20+) and this is the FIRST cake baking book that has delivered on all levels.

My panel of tasters (6 friends, 4 women 2 men, phone now to see when I plan to bake) all agree that Fiona's delicate combinations of proportions and flavours are refined, yet joyful to the taste buds.

This is not a book for those who have spent years in a professional kitchen and wish to reproduce work suitable for William and Kate. The photo on the cover captures the expectations the baker will find in the pages of this generous book.

Fiona Cairns has shown she is capable of both styles, and personally I love her "hand made" style, I love the colours she has chosen for the icing (these taste as fabulous as they look - better!) These cakes represent honestly what they are.....cakes made by real people in a real home kitchen.

For those who want to bake delicious cakes, which work every time, for their family, friends and children this is a must, buy several as gifts, your friends will thank you.