Customer Reviews

First Steps in Cake Decorating: Over 100 Step-by-Step Cake Decorating Techniques and Recipes

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

 

 

This book does not illustrate any techniques used with piped icing.There are some beautiful cakes but they are decorated with either poured or rolled fondant.

The book is beautifully photographed and written, however the tools and ingredients are not for beginners. Ribbons and marzipan are used frequently, rather than plain icing, and the cakes are elaborate.

Like many cake decorating books published in the UK, this book's cakes are not apt to have broad appeal to the US home baker. People who grew up with Aunt Betty's buttercream icing and Mom's frosted cupcakes after school may find the taste of the sugarpaste (rolled fondant) covering used on nearly all these cakes unfamiliar, too sweet, and with a stange texture. Most of the cakes are lovely to look at, but there is not a single one in here that I would actually make.

The best feature of this book is the layout. As the title suggests, instructions are given out in a most logical sequence. Directions start off with information on sculpting, then covering with fondant, onto to using color, then instant decorations and so on.
The techniques offered here were modern for its time, but now seem a bit dated. The sculpting ideas are good. I like the way she showed how a # 3 cake could be made, and there is some interesting information in the instant decoration section. Using jimmies as a board covering is a neat idea as was the caramel decoration-they looked like little butterflies. Other techniques new to me were the fondant ribbon insertions and modeling applications similiar to the polymer clay Fimo (the striped fondant on the circus cake is a good example).

However most of the other techniques have been better represented in other works.The cake designs shown in the book didn't appeal to me and I was not inspired by her book as it read like a text book. She should of shown a different cake to illustrate painting; a toy top would of been a much better choice, as the example she offered looked amateurish.
Other complaints include having too much information in this book to fit the title listed and the piping techniques being too difficult for a beginner to do. Overall not a great book.

I have enjoyed reading this book, and learning all the techniques described inside. The recipes, and guidelines to follow are easy for the first time decorator. I will definitly recommend this book to all my friends, who wish to learn the basics about the art of cake decorating. Thank you Janice Murfitt

this book exp;lain how to decorate cakes regurlaly or profecionally or any kind of activities cakes. its a great book to have and own.