The Ultimate Book of Wedding Cakes

Rating:
Summary: Sugarcraft Wedding Cakes
Review: Attention to detail and perfection in execution are the trademarks of the cakes featured in The Ultimate Book of Wedding Cakes by Lesley Herbert. In this picture-filled book, Herbert features over 30 original wedding cake designs.

Herbert features a variety of wedding cakes in this book. The techniques that she features for decorators are rolled fondant (sugarpaste), royal icing, pattern transfer, piped embroidery, color flow collars (floodwork), and frills. While the majority of cakes are coated in marzipan and sugarpaste, she also includes a cake done in buttercream and a cake covered in a white chocolate ganache. The most valuable part of the book for me was the 14 pages of templates at the back of the book. The embroidery templates are simple, classic, and elegant.

The strengths of this book are in the detailed instructions Herbert provides on how to reproduce these cakes. From the templates to pictures of stages of construction, these instructions are clear and well-written. All of the metrics provided have been converted to inches for decorators outside of the UK. In the Acknowledgements section, Herbert provides a list of suppliers that were used in the creation of this book. Herbert also has included 4 pages on pillars and stands featured in the book.

While Herbert sets the expectations of anyone using this book, it is a good resource for advanced decorators. The step-by-step instructions and detailed photographs will make sense to experienced cake professionals and enthusiasts.

Rating:
Summary: elegant and inspirational
Review: I feel that this book is very good for anybody who has an interest in sugarcraft,wheather they are a beginner or an expert. All the cake designs in the book are rated for ability and each design has clear and concise step-by-step instructions and photographs. The book is full of elegant ideas,non of which are too flouncy and over-the-top. Besides wedding cake designs, the author also dedicates a chapter on cake pillars and stands, which is useful information when constructing the wedding cake. Over-all I am very pleased with this purchase and I find the book to be very inspirational.