Kaye Hansen

I don't remember buying this, but I know why I would have. I love making cakes for my kids' birthdays, and now I get a double dose in December that lasts me the rest of the year. I like the looks of it for the whimsical looking cakes (a 3 layer tilted cake, for example), but as yet I haven't got around to trying the decorations. I have baked two of the cup-cake recipes and two of the cake recipes, and my husband commented they were really good (and he's a foodie, so he should know). They use more liquid (at which point I decided to invest in a stand mixer, as my hand held electric beater was getting swamped) than my usual recipes and come out very moist. I'm looking forward to trying out the cheesecake recipes and the banana chocolate cake, too!

This book has tips on tools, recipes for cakes, fillings and cake coverings, techniques for tiered and tilted cakes, methods of making chocolate decorations … it looks yummy! And as far as I've tried it out, the cakes are really tasty.

ETA : actually, I think I do remember; I bought it with a voucher I won for second place in an edible book contest. I love the look of the cakes, being rather whimsical myself, and can't wait to try out the 3-tiered tilted cakes (as soon as I muster the courage) and the chocolate dragonflies and butterflies.

4.5 stars… (altro)

I don't think I've actually made anything from this book, but everything in here is adorable, the pictures are great, and it's one of my favorite places to turn for inspiration. Unfortunately, many of the cakes require specialty pans or other equipment, and some appear to be very fussy and difficult (and I'm speaking as someone who regularly makes multiple-page recipes that use every pan in the house just for fun). There are some valuable techniques explained in these pages, though - the section with instructions on how to make white chocolate decorations is especially useful.… (altro)