Planet Cake Book Review

A couple times a month Mr. H and I will head to the book store. B&N is usually our store of choice since they serve Starbucks beverages. On a typical night we walk in, inhale the aroma of the freshly brewed beans, head to the cafe and order our drinks. A grande mocha frap with a blended shot- no whip for him and a grande iced mocha for me.

Then we give each other a peck on the lips and part ways. He heads to the magazines, home improvement or automotive department. I usually walk slowly past the cooking magazines and if nothing catches my eye I head to the cookbook section. Wow, what a shocker!

I usually have a mental list going on which cookbooks I want to check out. I grab as many as I can carry without spilling my coveted beverage and head to the over-sized comfy chairs to park my rear for about an hour. I go through the books page by page and decide if a). the photos are making my mouth water and my eyes dance and b). the recipes are intriguing enough for me to go home and make. If they do they go into the "yay" pile. If not they go into the "nay" file. I then go through the books in the "yay" file again to make sure I want them. As long as the price is right and I have a coupon, it comes home with me.

That's what happened with this book. I picked up a copy of Planet Cake: A Beginner's Guide To Decorating Incredible Cakes by Paris Cutler on the bargain rack and I was instantly impressed by this book. At first I thought it was a mistake that it was on the discounted rack but then I was glad because I got a great deal!

It's loaded with information, pictures and helpful tips for beginner's on how to decorate and assemble amazing cakes. From frosting and perfecting the straight edges on a square cake and wrapping cake in fondant to sculpting cake into special designs. There's also a section on how to repair cracks and tears and stains on fondant. Many of the cakes and cupcakes in the book are very simple. It's the attention to detail that is so amazing.

I am a beginner decorator when it comes to using fondant. I don't especially love the taste or chewy texture but I think it yields beautiful and flawless results. This book was inspiring to me and even if you chose to never cover a cake or cupcake in fondant, the pictures are quite a treat to look at. There are cake, frosting, icing and ganache recipes to try as well. The next time you're at the book store, I hope you'll check out this book.

Be sure to check out the Planet Cake Website and Planet Cake Blog to see some of their incredible creations.