Thursday, December 10, 2009

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.

17 comments:

Mar Varela said...

I love bags cakes, and that picture look beautiful... I love it...
A kiss from Spain

Ingrid_3Bs said...

Thanks for the review! Do you think it would make a good gift for Babygirl? Or still too advanced? I'd rather bake and eat cake than make it look "fancy" but she loves that.
~ingrid

Smitten Sugar said...

Oh nice, I have seen this book a few times myself and wondered if I should add to the collection. Thanks for the review. I would love to use fondant more but definitely need some practice!

Foodiewife said...

Awwwwwww, Monica. I hate it that we live so far apart. Otherwise, we could enjoy a bookstore together. I smiled, because that's exactly what my husband and I do! He heads over to the history section, and I head to the cookbook section. Like you, I park myself into a chair and look for a cookbook to buy. I'm so picky, because I want fabulous photos! You know I'm a total beginner with cake decorating. We don't have a B&N, but a Border's where I live-- no Starbucks, but Seattle Coffee. Ooooh, their peppermint latte confection is unbelievably good and naughty! I'm on my way to check this book out.

Sue said...

I even love the cover of the book!

Sue

Janet Bridge said...

I am calling B&N now...

Thank YOU!!

oneordinaryday said...

I was just browsing the cookbook section of Borders today... drooling and wishing....

Anonymous said...

I have this book too - and I love it :)

Katie said...

Sounds like a fab book. Can't wait to see what you bake from it

Lissaloo said...

Love the system, I always have to set a price limit before I go into B&N or I am in trouble!

Maria said...

I want this book!

Debbie said...

Monica I love cookbooks too...AND my huband is a huge collector of them! I love checking out the sales at B&N and Borders. Would you believe I had gotten Dorie Greenspan's baking book for $7.00!!!! I know it was normally around $40.00. This book sounds good. I love easy recipes....I'll have to check it out!

Kerstin said...

Thanks for the review, I just added this one to my list! I'm looking forward to playing with fondant again!

Shari said...

Sounds like a perfect way to spend an afternoon. Thanks for an interesting review of yet another good cookbook.

tamilyn said...

I think my daughter is going to be a stockholder in BN pretty soon! I should check this out since I'm the first to admit how lame-o I am when it comes to decorating cakes!

Gretchen said...

I haven't been very successful with fondant yet. This looks like a great book! Thanks for the review!

Rachel (rachescakes) said...

I've been wondering about this book. It's been on my wish list for awhile but when I added it, it wasn't available in the US yet. Maybe I can find a good deal too.

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