The Whimsical Bakehouse: Fun-To-Make Cakes That Taste as Good as They Look

I just have to agree with reviewer Ruth Edlund that there isn't enough in this book! (Bare in mind, there are already 20 cakes in it) I want more! I kinda wish they had included the princess cake that Meredith Vieira mentioned in the Foreword where Liv transform a doll into a princess! There aren't many cake decorating books using butter cream and I am not talking about those cupcake books. The cakes in this book are either covered with butter cream, or chocolate glaze, and decorated with either butter cream flowers, simple piping designs, and / or melted chocolate decorations. Don't get intimidated by the chocolate decorations as the authors use chocolate wafers, better known as candy coating or confectioners' chocolate, which doesn't require any tempering, simply melt and use. Unlike other cake decorating books that usually slap you with the basic cake recipes, and butter cream icing that uses tons of butter, makes me feel doubtful as to how tasty they are! This book on the other hand have so many delicious and interesting cake recipes, example: chocolate chip pound cake, lemon ginger cream cheese pound cake, orange butter cake, banana cake (I did have some trouble with this one, the cake didn't rise as much as I thought it should, but it's very tasty, would try and experiment again), hazelnut cake, walnut caramel cake and freckled mocha cake. There are also some cheesecake recipes like mocha chocolate chip cheese cake, Grand Marnier cheese cake, and Julie's chocolate Peanut Butter swirl cheese cake. The fillings that goes with the cakes (usually suggested by the authors in the beginning of each cake) includes whipped chocolate ganache, lemon mousses, chocolate-hazelnut mousse, orange mousses, French custard, cookies n' cream, just to name a few. Can you imagine what you could do with all these recipes? I just can't believe but very glad that the authors aren't keeping all these great recipes to themselves. Thanks Kaye and Liv! Back to the book, the icing includes a recipe of the house butter cream which has been used in the bakery for more than forty years, Kaye's butter cream which uses egg whites and real butter (I use powdered egg whites), it taste light yet buttery, and the nice thing is that they have included a bunch of variations for the butter cream recipe like chocolate, lemon, raspberry, chocolate hazelnut and coffee. Some of the cakes are covered with chocolate glaze, and I have to agree with the other reviewer that this recipe yields way too much for those of us that are just making A cake. Though the remaining glaze can be used on ice-cream (add more heavy cream), I'd still half the recipe or quarter the recipe the next time I make it, depending on the size of the cake you're making. There¡¦s also the whipped cream icing recipe. I recommend that if you use this icing to cover your cake, try to get the whipped cream stabilizer from any cake decorating supply stores near you, or thru internet, it just works wonde

Of the many cake decorating books on my shelves, this is a favorite! The writing style is personable and accessible, and the directions are easy to follow. I buy books to learn about decorating, not to collect recipes, but I will say that I have tried a few of the cake recipes in this book, and they're too crumbly for me. The fillings and icings recipes are absolutely impossible to beat, though--especially cookies & cream and raspberry or hazelnut mousse. I especially appreciate the decorating style--the emphasis on edible decoration (I love how fondant looks, hate how it tastes, and even though marshmallow fondant is better, it's still a lot of work for something that basically tastes like circus peanuts, which not everyone goes for). The designs in this book are charming, with great photographs and chocolate techniques. If you like very neat, uncluttered cakes, this might not be for you. These designs are exuberant, colorful, and maybe even a bit messy. I recommend you thumb through the pages in your bookstore before ordering, to be sure it's a style you're interested in, since it is so distinctive. I am just relieved to find something out there beyond Wilton and fondant, and this book is it.

Although the photos of cartoon-like full-color images translated into white chocolate that festoon many of the cakes featured in this book intimidated me, I decided to give the technique a try. I found the necessary supplies at my local hobby store, and by following the instructions in the book I produced a white-chocolate replica of my church in about an hour. The techniques featured in this book are fun, absolutely unique, relatively simple to master and even taste good. I can't believe more people don't copy this style. I have several cake books and bought this one to learn the decorating techniques, so discovering it has great cake recipes on top of the decorating instructions made this book a real find for me. Lots of books teach you how to decorate with fondant, gum paste and royal icing--all of which look great but taste like sugary concrete. These decorations aren't just edible; they're delicious. If you are looking to make very special family cakes and willing to invest a little money in decorating supplies to get started, this is the right book for you.

This book's ONLY lack is its shortness. I wanted a few hundred more pages of ideas. However, despite its brevity the book is absolutely chock-full of ideas most of which seem obvious in retrospect but I would never have thought of (a deliberately tilted cake?).Its strengths: (1) the recipes are really, really good. Those who remember the old Wilton cake decorating books will understand why I say that this is not always common in books about decorating cakes.(2) the photos illustrate creative use of color and the text contains charts to explain how to reproduce the effects and generate similar ones on one's own, using the different types of food coloring available, the pros and cons of which are clearly explained.(3) the text explains clearly how to use "wafer chocolate," which is really a malleable and dyeable form of white chocolate, for truly stunning effects.(4) children _love_ the cakes. My five-old-daughter grabbed this book, studied it cover-to-cover, and then asked me to read it out loud to her. She will actually sit for fifteen minutes listening intently to a description of how to construct the cakes that she likes.This really is a generous book. The cakes are spectacular enough that the authors probably could have found some way to franchise or trademark their designs and thereby made a lot of money. Perhaps they will make a lot of money selling copies of this book (I hope so) but the information is free if you check the book out of the library. They explain enough of their methods that we all can make cakes in our kitchens that make us laugh out loud. And that is a Good Thing.

Finally, a cake decorating book which shows great cakes which do not require intricate sugardough cut outs and fancy floral sprays. I just got into cake decorating and I can see myself being able to make many of these cakes which look great without tons of hours spent fussing with flowers and such. I really liked this book. Excellent choice for someone who is just starting out and for cake decorating ideas.