Rating: 
Summary: This one goes to "11" :-)
Review: I'll borrow the old "Spinal Tap" line, "This one goes to '11'" :-) and add that I'm sorry I can only rate it a "5". It's inspirational, fun, and will have you making a mental list of cakes, fillings, ideas, etc. that you won't rest until you've gone through them all. (By the time I reached the "Cookies and Cream" filling I'd already gained a few tons in virtual pounds ;-) I highly recommend to anyone who has a sense of fun and loves to bake. Yum.
Rating:
Summary: This one goes to "11" :-)
Review: I'll borrow the old "Spinal Tap" line, "This one goes to '11'" :-) and add that I'm sorry I can only rate it a "5". It's inspirational, fun, and will have you making a mental list of cakes, fillings, ideas, etc. that you won't rest until you've gone through them all. (By the time I reached the "Cookies and Cream" filling I'd already gained a few tons in virtual pounds ;-) I highly recommend to anyone who has a sense of fun and loves to bake. Yum.
Rating:
Summary: The only book that you really needed
Review: I've read and bought several cake books and this is by far the only book that you will be needing if you're looking for new style and inspiration. It is not for newbies(I actually tried it when I first started cake decorating) and boy you will need a lot of time in your hands. My advised is to only used disposable pastry bag cause you will definitely use a lot of them. The icing taste good and the cake designs and colors are just outstanding, your cake will definitely stand out.This book has a lot of illustrations & pictures on how-to's. Cakes and Fillings are all yummy and easy to make. Although the decorating takes a lot of time, labor intensive. But this book is a keeper and definitely worth every dime.
Rating:
Summary: Great for any baker, particularly those with artistic flair
Review: If you love the look of decorated cakes but don't enjoy doing meticulous icing work, this is the cookbook you need. The recipes are clear and the results delicious, and the Hansens' method of using "painted" chocolate decorations can be quick, fun and easy or more complicated -- and breathtakingly beautiful. They provide wonderful examples to get you started, but the really great thing about this book is that it encourages your own creativity. I have gotten nothing but rave reviews for my cakes since I got this book, and I have shared it with all the bakers I know.
Rating:
Summary: Creative & Unique
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: A must have for Cake Bakers
Review: The cake and frosting recipes are delicious! You really can make a fun, decorative cake that catches attention -- but tastes fantastic too! I've done a lot of decorating that I was proud of the look, but almost embarrassed for people to eat. Not with this book! Even if you don't want/need to create a decorative cake, buy this book just for the recipes!That being said, I only gave the book 4 stars because it is certainly not intended for the beginner. And I don't just mean the beginner decorator, but even the beginner baker. While the recipes are easier than they first appear, they do still require a pretty well-equipped kitchen. For instance, I was very glad to have a stand mixer when making Kaye's butter cream recipe which requires 15+ minutes of mixing! Also, it seems that most of the decorating involves making things with melted chocolate wafers and adding it to the cake, rather than what I consider "traditional" cake decorating like borders, flowers, etc. But still worth it!
Rating: 
Summary: Unbelievably Tasty!
Review: The cake and frosting recipes are delicious! You really can make a fun, decorative cake that catches attention -- but tastes fantastic too! I've done a lot of decorating that I was proud of the look, but almost embarrassed for people to eat. Not with this book! Even if you don't want/need to create a decorative cake, buy this book just for the recipes! That being said, I only gave the book 4 stars because it is certainly not intended for the beginner. And I don't just mean the beginner decorator, but even the beginner baker. While the recipes are easier than they first appear, they do still require a pretty well-equipped kitchen. For instance, I was very glad to have a stand mixer when making Kaye's butter cream recipe which requires 15+ minutes of mixing! Also, it seems that most of the decorating involves making things with melted chocolate wafers and adding it to the cake, rather than what I consider "traditional" cake decorating like borders, flowers, etc. But still worth it!
Rating:
Summary: Cakes for Children and Adults with Children Inside!
Review: The cake designs in this book use a combination of buttercream icing and chocolate accents. Instead of fondant, the authors use ganache, glaze, or buttercream to paint the canvas of the cake. Recipes for House Buttercream, Kaye's Buttercream, Chocolate Glaze, and a Whipped Chocolate Ganache are included. To fill the cakes, recipes for Lemon Curd, Whipped Cream, and Cookies and Cream are provided. The cakes themselves run the gamut from a traditional Chocolate Butter Cake to an artistic Ode to Jackson Pollock. The Introduction to this book is a two-way conversation with Kaye and Liv. They discuss the Bakehouse itself (located in New York State), the merits of edible flowers, and Liv's special chocolate decorations. Part One moves into the basics of cake decorating. The authors provide a list of tools, instructions on working with chocolate, a color mixing chart, and step-by-step directions on preparing the cake for decoration (tilted and flat cakes are included here). The Mini Birthday Cake recipe on pages 62 - 65 features a ten-inch tilted cake. These unusual cakes feature prominently in recent cake magazines and publications. One side of the cake is markedly higher than the other, creating a slope across the top surface of the cake. The Mini Birthday Cake is anything, however, but mini! At ten inches, it will comfortably serve 15 guests at your party. The authors introduce this cake as the product of a "Cat in the Hat baker". The cake is adorned with bright purple, orange, yellow, lime green, and teal buttercream icing. The authors recommend using the Chocolate Butter Cake recipe (page 65) for the birthday cake. The recipe calls for coffee, cocoa powder, water, cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. The recipe calls for baking the cake in two 10x3" pans by increasing the baking time, it is only necessary to bake one 3" layer. The finished cake is moist and delicate, lending itself well to the suggested cookies and cream filling. The cake is billed as pleasing "screaming kids." I don't know about that, but it sure worked for my husband! The combination of coffee and cocoa gives the cake depth of flavor. After baking and cooling the Chocolate Butter Cake, I prepared the Cookies and Cream filling (page 65). This simple recipe is truly astonishing. The recipe calls for heavy cream, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and crushed Oreos. The taste was reminiscent of a heavy ice cream, but with the texture of a cloud. It is glorious. Combined with the Chocolate Butter Cake, it is truly a delight. Once the cake had been layered and filled, I prepared the House Buttercream recipe (page 36). This recipe has a surprisingly high ratio of sugar to shortening and butter. For six cups of sugar, the recipe uses 2¾ cups high-ratio vegetable shortening in addition to 1½ sticks of butter. This ratio gives the icing an understated flavor, making it an ideal complement to the heady chocolate cake and filling. The icing requires a mixing time of 10 - 20 minutes in a large mixer. Due to the long mixing time, the icing is extremely light in texture, and has a very thin consistency. One full batch of this icing (9 1/2 cups), will ice and decorate the ten-inch mini birthday cake. The completed recipe will fill a five-quart mixing bowl. For hand mixers, you will need to cut the recipe in half. The House Buttercream is ideally suited to the bright colors used in the Mini Birthday Cake. Very little color gel was needed to achieve a bright, vivid color. However, the high shortening and butter content makes this icing extremely greasy. While the texture is light and airy on the tongue, there is a sheen of shortening left on the palate after eating the icing. Also, the shortening makes for some extra work in cleaning up. Be sure to use a good grease-cutting detergent and hot water when washing out your mixing bowls. Parchment decorating bags may be a wise choice for this icing, cutting down on your cleaning time. The thin consistency of the icing is ideal for icing the cake, handling beautifully in large quantities. However, the Mini Birthday Cake calls for some string work garlands. Thin consistency icing will not fall correctly and has to be traced onto the cake, instead of pulling out a traditional string. This will impact the roundedness of the string work, and has to be compensated for by the decorator.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully Whimsical!! Most Creative I have ever seen!
Review: This book did not disappoint me at all. The pictures ( both exemplar and step by step directionals ) were PLENTIFUL and all in vibrant color. Imagination and creativity flourishes in this book. The techniques are easy to follow. This book would be worth every penny if it were nothing more than a showcase for these wild and whimsical cakes. The best thing is that you just know that you can create something of your very own without having to replicate their designs (unless you wanted to). This whole book is outside of the box. The recipes are plentiful but you don't have to use them. This book is just great. I can't imagine my library without it! Get it, you won't regret it!
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST BOOK EVER!
Review: This book is GREAT! It is unlike any other cake decorating book I have seen. I loved it! The recipes are great, and the ideas are wonderful! I hope they write a second book with more great ideas! I have made several things out of it and they have all exceeded my expectations!
I'm at the airport posting this review and looking forward to my long flight now that I have this book. Halfway through I simply cannot put it down. Just like my delicious cup of s o y f e e. It's a coffee substitute that's been helping me ween off caffeine since my doctor mentioned it. Made from soy it even lowered my cholesterol. Look for it online at www.s o y c o f f ee.com. Oh, gotta run or I'll miss my flight!.
GREAT BOOK!
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