The Complete Photo Guide to Cake Decorating - Softcover

Carpenter, Autumn

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1589236696 ISBN 13: 9781589236691

Publisher: Creative Publishing int'l, 2012

Synopsis

Cake decorating has never been more fun—or easier! The Complete Photo Guide to Cake Decorating has all the instruction you need to create beautiful cakes for any occasion.

This clearly organized resource for all levels is like having a cake decorating workshop in a book. Discover useful tips for embellishing with buttercream, royal icing, fondant, gum paste, and more. The easy-to-follow instructions and 1,000-plus photos include techniques for piping, string work, creating and shaping a variety of flowers, molding chocolate, and adding patterns with stencils.

Learn every facet of baking and embellishing with clear photos on almost every page. Let cake pro Autumn Carpenter show you how to create striking florals, borders, and accents with silicone molds, hand modeling, pastry tips, cookie cutters, and more. Take your skills up a notch and wrap a cake in chocolate, make decorations with isomalt, and use gum paste for quilling. Try new techniques with confidence, and get inspired by a gallery of colorful ideas for holiday cakes, birthday cakes, children’s cakes, wedding cakes, and special occasion cakes.

This detailed book includes:

• Cake preparation and baking basics
• Recipes for fillings and icings
• Ideas and instruction for decorating cupcakes
• Piping techniques for making lifelike and fantasy flowers, eye-catching borders, distinctive lettering, and more
• Instructions for creating appealing accents like beading, ropes, and lace using fondant and gum paste
• Key decorating tools and how to use them
• Techniques for incorporating airbrushing, edible frosting, and chocolate molding for one-of-a-kind designs

With this comprehensive guide you can get started today making your own unique cakes!

The Complete Photo Guide series includes all the instruction you need to pursue your creative passion. With hundreds of clear photos, detailed step-by-step directions, handy tips and inspirational ideas, it’s easy and fun to try new projects and techniques and take your skills to the next level.

About this title

About the Author

Autumn Carpenter is a nationally known confectionary artist, author, and demonstrator. She has published several books, including the best selling cake book: The Complete Photo Guide to Cake Decorating and The Complete Photo Guide to Cookie Decorating, and Decorating Cakes, Cupcake, and Cookies with Kids. Autumn book Let's Bake Angry Birds Cakes will be published in October 2014. She demonstrates annually at the I.C.E.S. (International Cake Exploration Societé ) and travels across the United States, sharing the craft of cake decorating and other confectionary arts. 

Autumn is co-owner of Country Kitchen SweetArt, a retail cake and candy supply store that has been in her family for over 45 years. The business caters to walk-in store sales, catalog sales, and an online store, shopcountrykitchen.com.

Autumn has developed her own line of useful tools and equipment for cake decorating and cookie decorating, and sells them online and in many cake and candy supply stores throughout the United States and in several other countries. Her cakes and products have been featured in numerous publications and magazines including American Cake Decorating and Cake Central. Visit her website, autumncarpenter.com and her blog, autumncarpenter.wordpress.com/

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Ganache

Ganache is made by mixing heavy cream with chocolate to make a glaze that is satiny and rich. Ganache can be poured over a cake or whipped to spread on a cake. It also makes a delicious filling. This recipe calls for dark chocolate, but ganache can also be made with white, milk, semi-sweet, or bittersweet chocolate. White chocolate is not technically chocolate because it lacks cocoa powder, but the presence of cocoa butter allows it to work similarly to milk, semi-sweet, or bittersweet chocolate. White chocolate can be colored. Use an oil-based coloring to color white chocolate. The cocoa butter content in the chocolate will affect the thickness of the ganache. A couverture chocolate, or a chocolate with a high amount of cocoa butter, is best for ganache recipes. If using a chocolate with a lower cocoa butter content, the amount of cream can be increased. For the richest, best ganache, use real chocolate with cocoa butter, not candy coating, which has various oils. Candy coating is an affordable alternative and may be used, although the quality of the ganache will not be as good.

Ganache Recipe

- 3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter

- 1/3 cup (80 g) whipping cream

- 8 ounces (227 g) dark chocolate

In a heavy duty saucepan, combine cream and butter. Cook on medium heat until it boils. Remove from heat. Add the chocolate and stir until almost all the chocolate is melted. Whisk the ganache until it is thoroughly melted and the icing is glossy. If chocolate has not completely melted, place the saucepan back on the stove. Heat on warm or very low until the chocolate is melted. Pour or spoon over cake.

Yields: 1 1/2 cups (375 mL)

Quality Counts: Chocolate will differ tremendously in flavor, texture, and thickness. The taste and quality of the ganache will depend on the chocolate used. Choose chocolate that is delicious and melts in your mouth when eaten out of the package, and it will make a fantastic ganache.

Storing Ganache

A cake covered in ganache can be kept at room temperature for one to two days. Unused ganache should be kept in the refrigerator. Ganache can be reheated by placing the ganache in the top pan of a double boiler over warm water. If a whipped ganache is desired, allow ganache to come to room temperature before whipping. Ganache may be reheated in the microwave for 5–10 seconds. Stir, then heat again if necessary, until ganache is desired thickness.

Edition details

• Publisher: Creative Publishing int'l
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1589236696
• ISBN 13: 9781589236691
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 328