The Whimsical Bakehouse: Fun-to-Make Cakes That Taste as Good as They Look
by Kaye Hansen, Liv Hansen
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Book Summary Information
Author: Kaye Hansen, Liv HansenEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-08-20
ISBN: 0609608967
Number of pages: 160
Publisher: Clarkson Potter
Book Reviews of The Whimsical Bakehouse: Fun-to-Make Cakes That Taste as Good as They Look
Book Review: A true whimsical book
Summary: 5 Stars
I just have to agree with reviewer Ruth Edlund that there isn't enough in this book! (Bare in mind, there are already 20 cakes in it) I want more! I kinda wish they had included the princess cake that Meredith Vieira mentioned in the Foreword where Liv transform a doll into a princess!
There aren't many cake decorating books using butter cream and I am not talking about those cupcake books. The cakes in this book are either covered with butter cream, or chocolate glaze, and decorated with either butter cream flowers, simple piping designs, and / or melted chocolate decorations. Don't get intimidated by the chocolate decorations as the authors use chocolate wafers, better known as candy coating or confectioners' chocolate, which doesn't require any tempering, simply melt and use.
Unlike other cake decorating books that usually slap you with the basic cake recipes, and butter cream icing that uses tons of butter, makes me feel doubtful as to how tasty they are! This book on the other hand have so many delicious and interesting cake recipes, example: chocolate chip pound cake, lemon ginger cream cheese pound cake, orange butter cake, banana cake (I did have some trouble with this one, the cake didn't rise as much as I thought it should, but it's very tasty, would try and experiment again), hazelnut cake, walnut caramel cake and freckled mocha cake. There are also some cheesecake recipes like mocha chocolate chip cheese cake, Grand Marnier cheese cake, and Julie's chocolate Peanut Butter swirl cheese cake. The fillings that goes with the cakes (usually suggested by the authors in the beginning of each cake) includes whipped chocolate ganache, lemon mousses, chocolate-hazelnut mousse, orange mousses, French custard, cookies n' cream, just to name a few. Can you imagine what you could do with all these recipes? I just can't believe but very glad that the authors aren't keeping all these great recipes to themselves. Thanks Kaye and Liv!
Back to the book, the icing includes a recipe of the house butter cream which has been used in the bakery for more than forty years, Kaye's butter cream which uses egg whites and real butter (I use powdered egg whites), it taste light yet buttery, and the nice thing is that they have included a bunch of variations for the butter cream recipe like chocolate, lemon, raspberry, chocolate hazelnut and coffee. Some of the cakes are covered with chocolate glaze, and I have to agree with the other reviewer that this recipe yields way too much for those of us that are just making A cake. Though the remaining glaze can be used on ice-cream (add more heavy cream), I'd still half the recipe or quarter the recipe the next time I make it, depending on the size of the cake you're making. There¡¦s also the whipped cream icing recipe. I recommend that if you use this icing to cover your cake, try to get the whipped cream stabilizer from any cake decorating supply stores near you, or thru internet, it just works wonders to stabilize the whipped cream.
What makes this book so unique from other books is that they use melted and colored chocolate (note: you'll need gel paste colors that are made specially to color candy or chocolate, don't use the gel paste that's for butter cream, you'll understand better when you read the page on "working with Chocolate"). The decorations can be as simple as melting and coloring the chocolate and pipe into edible candles for a birthday cake, or they can be outlined and filled with one or more colors. Each method is carefully described and shown with pictures. They are just so fun to make. You can use the templates given or you can trace designs of your own----there's no limit with this method. I've posted some pictures of a cake I made for a friend who's not crazy for chocolate but has 4 young children (hey, you've gotta satisfy the kids too, even though it's not their birthday), so I used the techniques from the book for the decorations--- the kids love the chocolate decorations, and mom was happy with the cake too! ;) I can't wait to make the safari cake for my son's 2nd birthday! By the way, Kaye and Liv are not afraid to use bright neon colors, as you can see on the front cover of the book, and they really turn out to be fun, whimsical and funky!
So, if you're interested in making tasty, funky, fun, beautiful and whimsical (just like the title of the book) cakes, this book is for you. Even if you're not into butter cream covered cakes, the book is still good for the cake recipes. There are NO fondant or gum paste cake/decorations in here, look elsewhere if that's what you want. This book is definitely one of my top favorites!
More The Whimsical Bakehouse: Fun-to-Make Cakes That Taste as Good as They Look reviews:
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Summary of The Whimsical Bakehouse: Fun-to-Make Cakes That Taste as Good as They Look
Three neon-bright layers of cake, tilted at a jaunty angle and adorned with edible chocolate candles; a Jackson Pollock?inspired cheesecake spattered with chocolate, caramel, and peanut butter icing; and a swarm of plump bees perched atop a rainbow of candy-colored cupcakes?these are only a few examples of the unfettered creativity at work at the Riviera Bakehouse. There, mother-daughter bakers Kaye and Liv Hansen turn out some of the most charming, refreshingly eccentric cakes ever to grace a birthday or wedding celebration.Kaye and Liv believe that a cake should taste as good as it looks, so they skip esoteric (and inedible) decorations in favor of simple buttercream, flavored whipped cream, and tinted candymaker?s chocolate, covering their luscious cakes with amusing designs and gorgeous color that are easy to make and delicious to eat. The cakes themselves are no less enticing, pairing old-fashioned favorites like Banana Cake and Spice Cake with sumptuous fillings such as French Custard and Chocolate Mousse. Simple step-by-step lessons, illustrated with photographs, explain how to re-create Liv?s charming chocolate designs, from the bright polka dots that shine against dark chocolate glaze to the shimmering stars that adorn the enchanting ?Starry Night.? Templates for the delightful designs allow you to adapt these techniques to create your own unique decorations.
With time-tested tips and complete information on everything from mixing colors to adjusting pan sizes, the Hansens explain all you need to know to get started. Whether you?re dreaming of an elegant Chocolate Apricot Pecan Torte or a three-tiered butter cake filled with spiked mocha cream and embellished with fantastical spring flowers, The Whimsical Bakehouse is the ultimate guide to creating delicious, showstopping confections that are completely original.
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