Cakes in Bloom

For others to make such harsh & negative reviews one can only conclude that Cakes in Bloom may very well be on to something special, and could very well be a threat to the other gateau makers. Actually, having sampled cake from one of the many frou frou cake makers, my taste buds clearly smacked of Betty Crocker, except it was far from the moist. Personally what a cake looks like outside and how it tastes makes all the difference in the world. The many cake designers using typical, decorative hard paste icing cakes for me has become a bit passe, not to forget, unpleasing to the palate. Anna von Marburg must have something that no one else has...could it be originality and taste!? Mais oui!

I'm surprised at the aggressively negative reviews I find of this book! Why fans of traditional cake decorating find a book like this creative gem so threatening, I don't know. Meanwhile, back to the book: one of the stars in my cake decorating collection for its creativity and passion and its distinct LACK of traditional, predictable work. The color-by-numbers type of decorators might find Von Marburg's style impossible to emulate (is that the threat?) but some of us welcome her addition to this genre with open arms since she alone swings the average of this art decidedly in a free-er, looser direction. She's the one extreme and Lesley Herbert is the other and we're all free to find the point on that continuum which suits us the most... Von Marburg is not for decorators who feel that perfect piping and stringwork is the end-all, be-all. She is what French country cooking is to haute cuisine -- a whole different world and far, far more fun.

I have a large collection of cake decorating books and I like this one very much. The author has created a number of cakes easy to make for a fairly experienced cake maker which are extraordinarily artistic. I like her book and those by Colette more than any others. People who like perfectly crafted traditional cakes may disagree but I think these two authors are in a class by themselves.

I have always enjoyed cake decorating but most of the books I looked at seem to lack interests and seem to repeat much of the same (Pretty) cakes. But Anna Von Marbug's Cakes in Bloom is in a class by itself. It is pure art. These cakes should be in galleries. The color photos are very well taken showing these lovely and quite unique decorated cakes. Also this book offers guidance on what equipments is used to decorate, including step by step illustration in B/W photographs, cakes and frosting recipes, plus advice on which cakes works well with what style of frosting for decorating. The only problem I have with this book is that I wanted to see more. I hope she comes out with a nice chunky cake decorating book with new design soon.

If you have to have a book in your personal library that can be used as both a reference and a motivator, then search no more. Anna's talent is phenomenal! The visual beauty, the fluid structure of her creations need to be seen in order to be appreciated. She is truly a talented and gifted artist. If for no other reason, the photography is fabulous (even a hesitant baker would be inspired to make her creations!) This is one of my most prized cake decorating books and I refer to it constantly. To achieve her level of talent may seem overwhelming at first but with patience and practice, you will be able to create the fantasies in the book. Another great piece of news is that she will be coming out with a new book entitled "Birthday Cakes" some time this year. This will definitely need to be another addition into your reference library!