It's party time again and whether the celebration is a child's or grown
up's birthday, a seasonal family get-together, an anniversary or
christening, the stunning projects featured will provide fun ideas for
that special centrepiece. There are designs to delight children of all
ages: animal lovers will adore the exotic tropical parrot, Indian
elephant in full regalia or chocolate porcupine; older children will be
delighted with the glamorous mermaid, the sleek sailboat or the "cheese
and tomato" pizza. For adults, there are original ideas for men and
women of all ages; a mobile phone as a retro nod for the businessman or
woman, a chocolate-iced basket filled with strawberries for Valentine's
Day and a cake wrapped and beribboned in sugarpaste - literally the
perfect present. For people with special hobbies, choose from the
terracotta flower pot complete with seed packets, the artist's box and
palette, the fun racing ring or the vegetable stand; and for festive
occasions there are bright and unusual designs for Christmas, Easter and
Halloween. The cakes vary in complexity and use a variety of decorating
techniques, but with precise instructions and clear step-by-step
photographs all are within the capabilities of even the novice cake
decorator. Each project features a full ingredients list and details
equipment and materials needed; in addition, there is invaluable advice
on storing and freezing the cakes at various stages of preparation. A
handy back-up section features recipes for the classic sponge and fruit
cake bases and delicious icings, frostings and popular cake coverings,
including buttercream, marzipan, sugarpaste and royal icing, used
throughout the book.
