Cakes to Inspire and Desire (Paperback)

by Lindy Smith (Author)
Key Phrases: hardboard cake boards, spacers using icing sugar, sugar shaper, Fluting Tool (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
*Written by a popular and experienced cake designer

*Range of techniques and skill levels ensures broad appeal

*Lindy's other best-selling titles include Celebrate with a Cake (28,000 copies sold) and Party Animal Cakes (20,000 copies sold)

Readers will discover a collection of 15 truly inspirational and deceptively simple celebratory cakes, each with a modern and distinctive finish. Lavish colour photographs display a unique variety of traditional and contemporary styles from florals and frills to stripes and beadwork. Each cake is accompanied by exquisite mini-cakes to put a creative twist on the main theme, or to make as an alternative when time is short. Chapters are divided by shape, showing how a simple square or round design can be the basis for the most desirable of cakes.

About the Author
Lindy Smith is the author of three other D&C titles, including Celebrate with a Cake. She runs a successful business making celebration cakes. Lindy is a British Sugarcraft Guild accredited demonstrator and holds workshops to share her techniques and experience.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: David & Charles; illustrated edition edition (August 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0715324977
• ISBN-13: 978-0715324974
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #17,329 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #12 in	Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Baking > Cakes
  #48 in	Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Baking > Desserts
  #52 in	Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Meals > Sweets

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wow, these cakes are gorgeous!!, September 13, 2007

By	Janet Lee Wolfson (Woodstock, GA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I purchased this book with very high hopes, because Lindy's cakes are so spectacular. However, I was a little disappointed. Her specialty is the wonky cakes like the one on the cover, but I found her instructions were pretty sparse. I have learned more about how to put together wonky cakes from free online tutorials than from the info in this book. I also think the photography was insufficient. All of the photos of the wonky cake construction are shown from the top, looking down on the top of the cake. This isn't helpful in seeing how the wonky cake is supposed to look from the side.

There are only 2 recipes included, one for chocolate cake and one for madeira. Both recipes are presented in chart form (use this amount of ingredients for this size cake) with another chart for fruit additions.

There are lots of instructions for using "cake jewelry" (wire and beading to decorate the cakes) and specialty cookie cutters that look great but are also an unbelievable amount of work.

There are complete decorating instructions for 15 different cakes in 3 categories: round, square and creative (odd shapes).

All of the cakes are gorgeous, but most look extremely intimidating to try to make. But the title of this book is "Cakes to Inspire and Desire", not "Cakes to Whip Up in a Few Minutes". And they certainly do inspire!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars They can inspire but not really instruct, September 15, 2007

By	Jane Austen Fan from VA "John & Mary Catherin... (NOVA) - See all my reviews

I bought this book primarily because I also wanted to learn about how to make the "wonky cake or topsy turvy cake". I was also disappointed in the instructions for this particular cake. However, she can give great instructions as evidenced by the section on how to make cake jewelry & how to decorate the cakes, as was also noted by another reviewer. Additionally, her stands that she shows in this book are available on her website which is fine as I couldn't find them anywhere else.
I was disappointed especially since it was such a long wait for the book but the pictures are pretty and there are some great instructions on how to do some of the decorations, just not the instructions I was looking for.
Here's hoping Toba Garrett will come out with a book discussing how to do these cakes.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous cakes, spotty instructions, May 9, 2008

By	C. Weaver "CrissyLuvsCakes" (Ohio) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I love the cakes in the books they're gorgeous and creative, but the instructions are difficult to follow. They seen to leave parts out and the illustrations aren't always helpful. Overall it's a good book and the cakes are definitely worth trying.