Cake Decorating Step by Step

This book came out in 1986 but Elaine MacGregor's teaching style is ageless and it is no wonder this woman has also done a comprehensive video series as well that is found in educational supply stores. This book is also known as the all-colour step-by-step guide to making traditional and fantasy cakes. I feel there is a good amount of attractive cakes shown in this book to inspire new and experienced cake decorators alike. Some of the best cake designs I liked was the Water Lily and Dragonfly, the birthday cakes for 18 and 21 year olds, and the religious themed cakes. This book is from a british author so do expect a lot of fondant here and that is fairly traditional for the folks in England. The best feature of this book is the quality of the instructions. The photo quality is good and there are many techniques covered here. The only flaws in this book is that some of the fantasy cakes are more like centerpieces and therefore impractical for serving at a party. I didn't mind it being a bit dated because the overall quality of the book is so good, but some readers may feel differently. Definitely could of included more information on buttercream-iced cakes and a bit more on painting techniques, however these omissions was not unusual for the time period it was produced in.

The book covers all kinds of icing and has pictures to instruct the reader. The pictures are wonderful. Nice book for a collector and beginner.