Cake decorating / sugar craft book advice

[Cashew]

I'd like to get my sister a book on cake decorating (for Christmas), she is a beginner and really talented. (she has just made a fantastic cake for my son's dedication, with the help of my mum). She is working up to doing her own wedding cake!

Can anyone recommend a modern book that I could get for her?

Thank you

I've got one of children's cakes by Debbie Brown called 20 easy party cakes. I haven't actually made any of them straight but I used it for inspiration and clues for my son's first birthday cake. If you want something with wedding cakes in mind, have a look at Squires Kitchen online. I have got a few decorating supplies there and I think they have books online.

I'll look there now, thank you.

No time party cakes by Carol Deacon is good to start off with, so are Debbie brown books, but they are a bit more complicated. If you want something that tells all about different techniques the Internationional School of Sugar Craft ones are good, altough the designs are a bit old fashioned and a bit daunting, there is some good info in there about techniques. Also a good wedding cake book is Romantic cakes by Peggy Porshen.
hth
also if you wanted to get her equipment, a turntable, non stick rolling pin, piping kit, alphabet/number/circle/square cutters, daisy and blossom plunger cutters or a set of paste colours would all be great!

This Is a good book, as is this

Geraldine I agree the international book 1 and 2 are quite old fashioned, however the one I've listed (book 3) is very modern.

Peggy Porschen books are fab, also confetti cakes, and also Lindy Smith.

Oh, I didn't realise that there was a third book, that's exciting! I found books one and two quite intimidating at first as there were some quite complicated techniques in there, but actually, they have both been quite useful as Im a beginner and they do go right from the basics. Find the collar work TERRIFYING in one of the books!! I really love your christmas cake, COV what have you planned for this year?
(sorry for hijack, Cashew)

Third one is fab, I used the African inspired one for the ideas for the charity do I did in Covent Garden earlier this year (2 tiered cutting cake draped in animal print swathes, porcupine quills and an african mask, then 150 cupcakes topped with sugarpaste masks, lizards, spears and sheilds, and handpainted animal print)

sounds great!

It also has a lovely sewing box one full of cotton reel, buttons etc, which I am planning on making for my mum next year. You should get it it really is a great book.

Wow, ComeOVeneer, that mas cake is fab! Definitely won't be posting a picture of mine now!
Slight hijack, but when can I ice my Xmas cake? Am using ready roll white icing.

Provied you feel it has "drunk" enough you can do it now. Marzipan first then give it a couple of days then ice and decorate it.

Oh, can I ask a decorating time question, COV, how far in advance is it ok to make and decorate non fruit cakes? I usually do either chocolate sponges or medeira? Everything Ive read says something different....

Also depends on what filling/crumbcoating you use. Obviously cream based ones need to be as freshas poss. If I am doing a cake/cakes for a saturday, I will start the flowers/sugarpaste/mexican paste decorations Monday/tuesday, bake the Wednesday afternoon, once cooled, cover and leave until the morning. Prepare filling Thursday am, fill and crumb coat cakes Thursday afternoon, leave to settle until the morning in the fridge to prevent bulging, then cover Friday morning and spend the rest of the day stacking/assembling/decorsting the finished cake.

Ohhhhh, that's interesting, didn't know you needed to leave to settle. I made a tardis this week and I filled and covered it on the same day, the next day it looked uneaven and had leaned.........partly because I am not very good at getting things looking even, but also maybe because Id done it in several layers, so maybe it settled wonky......
Please tell me you made these kinds of mistakes when you started!

Loads of mistakes. The best advice I can give is patience. The trouble is the cake making/filing making, assembling the cake is the boring bit the fun is geting it decorated. Don't be tempted to rush o that point, always make sure cakes are thoroughly cooled before cutting etc. Like with most jobs, a good fondation will produce a good result.

thanks for the advice, and totally agree, I always want to rush on to the fun bit, will aim to be more measured in my approach, lol!

Thanks for the advice COV
I am going to try this idea for decoration. Any other tips that might help having seen the design? TIA

This is brilliant! I've really enjoyed the hijacking. Thank you all, it has been really useful (the book stuff) and interesting (the rest of it!) lol ;)

No probs