Colette Peters

I'll admit it...I'm addicted to watching the cooking competition shows on The Food Network. This is particularly true for the often bizarre competitions for creating the most outrageous decorated cakes or pastries. Cakes to Dream On jumped off the new books display at me in the way that some of those bizzare cakes on television do. This is a beautifully illustrated book about how to create surreal cake designs. Want to know how to work with foam core boards and fondant? Are you itching to show more pipe royal icing or carve cake with an exacto knife? If you've ever wondered how much prep and construction time and effort goes into creating wild cakes, you'll appreciate this one. It definitely falls into the category of "fun to read about, but I'll never actually try to do any of these things" -- but it definitely is an enjoyable book to browse through!

Originally reviewed for my local library's website: http://www.lincolnlibraries.org/depts/bookguide/srec/staffrec08-11.htm show less

Seeking inspiration for that really, really special cake? Got either good artistic or icing skills? Then this is the book for you. Although the cakes are divided into several skill levels, the easiest of them is extremely difficult for a beginner, unless you have a fair amount of artistic talent then you can muddle through. The book makes a fantastic gift for someone who really likes cake decorating and would enjoy learning new techniques and being inspired with creative ideas.