Giovanna Torrico - Creative Cake Decorating: A Step-by-Step Guide to Baking Decorating Gorgeous Cakes, Cupcakes, Cookies More

Copyright Hachette Livre (Marabout) 2014 First published in French by Hachette Livre (Marabout) in 2014 First published in English by Murdoch Books 2016 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of The Licensee. Copyright 2020 by Skyhorse Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018. Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes.

Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or . Skyhorse and Skyhorse Publishing are registered trademarks of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., a Delaware corporation. Visit our website at www.skyhorsepublishing.com. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file. Cover design by Daniel Brount Cover photography by Deirdre Rooney Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-5959-6 Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-5960-2 Printed in China Publisher: Corinne Roberts Editors: Kathy Steer and Claire Musters Design and illustration: Alice Chadwick Photography: Deirdre Rooney Translator: Melissa McMahon Production Manager: Alexandra Gonzalez Text and design copyright Hachette Livre (Marabout) 2014 The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

IMPORTANT: Those who might be at risk from the effects of salmonella poisoning (the elderly, pregnant women, young children, and those suffering from immune deficiency diseases) should consult their doctor with any concerns about eating raw eggs. CONTENTS Introduction After I became a mother, I started using my own mothers age-old recipes to make my childrens birthday cakes. Each year I made them more and more elaborate and friends started asking me to make cakes for them, too. As I enjoyed creating new designs I realized that baking was where my passion lay. I hope that this book will birth, or help develop, such a passion in you, too! In it I have provided you with all the baking and decorating techniques and tips you need to get creative with your own cakes and cookies. Everything has been organized to make it easy for both beginners and experienced cake makers alike to master all the methods and recipes.

Throughout the book practical, accessible text is accompanied by clear photography so that you are able to follow all the techniques closely as you try them out for yourself. The book starts with the preparation and planning of a cakefrom the list of the tools you need to the way to line a cake tin. The basic cake and cookie recipes are then described, followed by recipes for covering and filling them. In layering, covering, and stacking you will learn how to get the perfect cake ready for all the decorations you may wish to include. The next chapters then explain the following decorating techniques and methods in detail: hand piping, hand molding, and the use of different cutters and silicone molds. The book ends with some of my favorite cake and cookie projects, which amalgamate much of the expertise you will have perfected by this point into specific designs.

These are totally interchangeable so feel free to experiment and create your own cakes, simply using the designs as inspiration for your own imagination. Enjoy! Tools & Equipment Before you begin baking, ensure you have all the tools and equipment that youll need on hand. Here is a summary of the things needed for baking and decorating cakes and cookies. BAKING TRAY: a rimless, flat, metal sheet, designed for baking rows of cookies. CAKE BOARDS: of various sizes and thicknesses. CAKE DOWELS: use to create a strong internal support system for tiered cakes.

CAKE STANDS AND PLATES: many pretty, stylish stands and plates are available. CAKE TINS: traditional shapes are round, square, and rectangular. COOKIE CUTTERS: use to cut decorative shapes from rolled-out dough. CUPCAKE TINS: metal baking tins with usually 6 or 12 cups used to bake muffins and cupcakes. FOAM PAD: useful for working on to add veins to flowers and leaves, for softening the edges of flower petals, and for frilling. FREESTANDING OR STANDMIXER: takes all the effort out of beating cake mixtures or mixing frosting ingredients together.

GRATER: use to remove the zest from citrus fruit or to grate chocolate. MEASURING SPOONS: use for measuring small amounts of ingredients like natural vanilla extract, salt, or baking powder. METAL SPOONS: have many uses in the kitchen. MIXING BOWLS: at least one or two large and small bowls are a must. MODELING TOOL SET: a starter kit has a variety of ball tools, a scallop tool, a tool with a cone at the end, a veining tool, and a dog bone tool. NON-STICK BAKING PAPER: use to line baking trays and cake tins, and for folding into paper cones to create piping (icing) bags.

PAPER CASES: cupcake liners are convenient, save on cleaning, and are very easy to use. PASTRY BRUSHES: use to spread glazes and egg wash, to grease tins, or to brush excess flour and icing (confectioners) sugar from dough and sugarpaste (fondant). PIPING (ICING) BAGS AND NOZZLES: use for cake and cookie decorating; piping bags can also be fitted with decorative nozzles for piping frosting and cream. PIZZA CUTTER: handy for trimming excess rolled sugarpaste (fondant) after covering cakes or cutting strips of sugarpaste. PLUNGER CUTTERS: use to add details to your cake, cupcakes, and cookies. ROLLING PINS: useful for rolling sugarpaste (fondant), pastry, and cookie doughs.

SIEVE: use to sift and eliminate or separate clumps from flour, cocoa powder, and icing (confectioners) sugar. SILICONE MOLDS: easy to use, flexible, and highly detailed molds. SPATULAS: these have many uses including scraping batters from the sides and bottoms of bowls, as well as spreading, filling, folding, and stirring. SUGARPASTE (FONDANT) SMOOTHER: ingenious tool that gives a sugarpaste-covered cake a satiny, smooth, even finish. THERMOMETER: useful for Italian meringue or when mixing butter into chocolate ganache. WHISKS: use to whisk dry ingredients together, beat eggs, or whip cream.

WIRE RACKS: use to cool cakes after baking. Also useful to place a cake on when pouring a ganache over it. WOODEN SPOONS: use for beating cake mixtures and frostings.