Lindy Smith - Celebrate with a Cake!

Celebrate with a

Cake!

A step-by-step guide to creating 15 memorable cakes

LINDY SMITH

A DAVID & CHARLES BOOK

Copyright David & Charles Limited 2004, 2005

David & Charles is an F+W Media Inc. company 4700 East Galbraith Road Cincinnati, OH 45236

First published in the UK in 2004

This paperback edition first published in the UK in 2005

Reprinted in 2005 (twice), 2006 (three times), 2007, 2008, 2009 (twice), 2010

Copyright Lindy Smith 2004, 2005

Lindy Smith has asserted her right to be identified as author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, by photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission in writing from the publisher

The designs in this book are copyright and must not be made for resale.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN-1 3: 978-0-7153-1845-4 paperback

ISBN-10: 0-7153-1845-4 paperback

Printed in China by Toppan Leefung Printing Limited for David & Charles

Brunei House Newton Abbot Devon

Commissioning Editor Fiona Eaton

Editor Jennifer Proverbs

Senior Designer Lisa Wyman

Production Controller Jen Campbell

Project Editor Jan Cutler

Photographer Karl Adamson

David & Charles publish high quality books on a wide range of subjects. For more great book ideas visit: www.rucraft.co.uk

CONTENTS

Introduction

D esigning and creating cakes is my passion, and one that I hope to share with you in the following pages. This book is a response to the many requests I have received from readers over the last few years. As well as weddings, birthdays and christenings, there are cakes for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, a golden wedding anniversary and other celebrations, and they can all be adapted to suit other occasions. There is no limit to the inspirational ideas that you can copy and adapt.

Those of you who are familiar with my work will know that I love to be creative, and to break away from convention and try something new. I have included a wide range of cake shapes, including heart-shaped cakes, and even one that is shaped as a handbag and another as a teapot. Also included are column cakes and stacked columns, giving grand, sculptural shapes, which are perfect for celebrations. Some stunning cake separators have been used for the elegant display of multi-tiered cakes.

Various techniques can be found in the book, giving you the opportunity to achieve such effects as the gentle folds of fine fabric, delicate rose petals, soft, liquid swirls for decorative icing as well as modelling a gift-wrapped present, flowers, a baby, and a butterfly. You will also find exuberant ways of topping a celebration cake using feathers, hearts and flowers on fine wires.

To accompany the innovative cakes in the book there are also dress up and dress down ideas so that you can adapt the cakes according to your particular occasion, or make the designs simpler if you are new to cake decorating or more advanced if you are more experienced, or you may simply need a quicker version There are also matching cup cake designs or variation ideas to go with each project. Most of the cakes are covered with sugarpaste (rolled fondant), but there are also buttercream-covered cakes, Exquisite Bouquet and Birthday Butterfly, for those who prefer them.

The cakes exhibit a variety of colours, and this is an area that can be particularly complex for the novice cake decorator. To help you to understand the way that colours work together I have included a detailed section on colour, which I hope will give you confidence to approach new colour schemes in your own designs.

If you're wondering where to gain inspiration for your cake designs, my own comes from the decorative paintings of Gustav Klimt (18621918), the colours used by the architect and designer, Charles Rennie Mackintosh (18681928), and the use of the scroll pattern in all decorative art forms. Observation and perception also play a large part in my designs everything from the elegant to the quirky can provide creative inspiration.

How to use this book

Please read the reference section at the front of the book thoroughly; it explains how to begin tackling the cakes as well as some basic techniques. The projects use a variety of implements, and the most frequently used are listed in the list with the Suppliers.

Recipes for the cakes, including baking times and quantities for various shapes, as well as all the different types of icing used in the book are provided. will give you all the information you need to ensure that your cake will be large enough for the number of people you are providing for you can add a tier to many of the cakes if you need to. To help you create the cakes, I have provided templates at the back of the book for projects where you will need to cut out a complicated shape. You will also find carving sketches for cakes that need to be intricately carved.