Customer Reviews

Debbie Brown's Magical Cakes

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I made the cake on the cover of the book and was pleased with the outcome. I have dabbled in sugarpaste before so this does help. However, all of Debbie's books are clear and concise. Highly recommended to anyone who is serious about making a unique cake, which requires patience and the will. The book is worth the pictures alone!

Full of great designs to copy - I have made at least 3 already - but the instructions are a bit disjointed so you keep having to go back over them to find out what your supposed to do next and the images are only semi-helpful. Shows a great photo of the end product but not really how to get there.

I have been decorating for years and most my cakes turn out sort of like the picture but not exactly. The icing colours, the modelling and the covering - you really need to have some sort of skill or decorating experience to achieve these designs.

Debbie is very talented and she's got some great ideas for cakes. However, Debbie has a tendency to keep to herself important parts of the assembly and skip some phases. You can use your imagination and talent to fill in the blanks, but it will not come out exactly like the picture.

It's like getting a magician's book that shows you the tricks, but doesn't teach you how to perform them.

the ideas in this book are absolutely worth every penny! The instruction in the book is pretty great, too. So why didn't I give it a full 5 stars? Because it doesn't show you how to do each step. They tell you to make a piece, and while visually you think it should be easy, there are actually tricks to getting the fondant to do what you want. And those visual and verbal steps are not shared.
Only drawback to this book.

However, would I give it back based on that small flaw? Never in a million years!!

This book is not really for beginners, but I didn't want a book for beginners! I love all the ideas I got from it and cannot wait to try them! I have all of Debbi Brown's books now. I don't have one that I cannot use! Some of these cakes are very involved, but there are ways you can simplify them. Debbie Brown is fairly good at explaining things and demonstrating in photos, so you can understand easier. But, buyer beware: it looks easy, but it is difficult to get your cakes to look like hers.

The cakes in this book are as beautiful, fun, and creative as you'd expect from Debbie Brown. The author does assume a certain level of experience in cake decorating when she writes the instructions, however, and it takes some artistic talent to make the cakes look like hers; every little detail of how to create that finished product is not included. I'm pretty new to making novelty cakes like these, and this book is a little beyond my skill level right now. Even so, I'm glad I bought it, as it's inspiring and gives me a goal to shoot for.

I have messed about with fondant, but was new to gumpaste when I attempted a cake in this book. Her descriptions are not quite as helpful as I'd would have liked. Especially the figures. Luckily you can alter as needed and it will still be a good cake. There are plenty more that I will be attempting in time. My mother (in her 50s) loved the fairy/waterfall cake (its included in the image list). I still have a lot to learn.

Patience, practice and adequate prep are much needed. Not easy to do. But worthy challenges for those who want it.

I didn't use her cake mixes or her recipes for fondant/gumpaste etc. I used box cakes (the decoration was enough for me), homemade marshmallow fondant, and wilton's gumpaste mix. Used toothpicks instead of sugar sticks for the figure and some of the mushrooms. Knew they wouldn't be eaten.

As always I love all of Debbie Browns books, this one is no exception. All here books are top of the line in pictures and instruction. She alway does a great job on giving you something to inspire. Will always buy any book she comes out with!

Gorgeous designs and variety. Similar to what others have said, the typical beginner who hasn't had training will be totally lost or toally overwhelmed. I found myself saying, "Where do I find that item?", "When do I prepare that part again?" --- and that level of detail just isn't here. An experienced cake maker could copy the designs and know when to start different things to minimize bake and design time, but for a creative beginner like me, there is no way I can actually do any of these without spending hours of extra time backtracking steps, rereading, and mixing colors and fondant as I realize I need them rather than having a solid plan or recipe for the entire design ahead of time.
5 stars for the designs; 3 stars for the instruction.

This book is awesome. I think it would be hard for a novice, since some of the instructions aren't always very specific...but with a little know how you can create really awesome cakes! I'd recommend it to anyone who loves decorating cakes.