This beautiful book by Peggy Porschen will be equally as at home on your coffee table as it is in the kitchen, perhaps even more so. It is full of stunning cakes and exquisite cookies that I can only dream of one day being able to recreate. From cookies shaped and decorated like little black dresses and ballet pumps to three tier cakes decorated in various styles. There are even cakes decorated to look like handbags and hat boxes. It is a sophisticated, girly book that I love to pick up and browse through.
Peggy Porschen has had two highly successful books before this - Pretty party cakes and Romantic cakes. She has made cakes for the likes of Madonna, Stella McCartney and Sir Anthony Hopkins. She also supplies Fortnum and Mason with seasonal ranges of decorated cookies and cakes.
Cake chic is a collection of recipes and step by step cake decorating instructions with lots of gorgeous pictures. As well as designs for decorating cookies, mini cakes (including cup cakes) and large cakes there is a very useful chapter on the basics. This section goes through the basic tools required (a fairly extensive list actually), recipes for cakes, cookie, icings and frostings and tutorials on how to layer cakes, cover cake boards and piping techniques amongst other things. Although I don't feel experienced/talented enough to attempt any of these stunning designs I will be trying out the cake/cookie recipes and using the basics section to learn how to marble cakes, dip cup cakes and learn basic piping techniques.
Perhaps one day I will be brave enough to attempt some of the simpler designs in this book but I'm not sure I would be able to do them justice. For now I will be happy admiring the cakes and using the basics section as a resource when baking.
Further information:
Cake chic, Peggy Porschen
Published by Quadrille publishing in 2009.
Hardback, full colour illustrations, 144 pages.
ISBN 978 184400 710 3
Price £20
Available to buy now.
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