Hi lovelies,

I want to buy some books on cake decorating.......but I'm just a beginner.

Do you have any suggestions for books that might help me? I already have a few but I want to extend my library.

I'd prefer it if they:
* had plentiful photos
* easy to follow techniques
* step-by-step directionals

I've heard good things about Nicolas Lodge.

Please let me know what you think.

bump....

I still think I"m a beginner too. I like Debbie Brown's Magical Cakes and Lindy Smith's Celebrate with a Cake. I love Kerry Vincent's Romantic Wedding Cakes and Collette Peters Cakes to Dream On, but those are more complicated. I have Sylvia Weinstock's Sweet Celebrations though I havne't used it much and I just got Toba Garrett's The Well Decorated Cake but haven't had much chance to look at it yet. I think these last two deal more with buttercream and I like wokring with fondant better.

I have the International School of Sugarcraft Volumes I, II, and III which have Nicholas Lodge as principal teacher. I like them, but they have so much information and are not indexed at all, so that I find them really hard to use.

For gumpaste flowers I have Scott Clark Woolley's Cakes by Design and both Alice Proctor's Flowers for Cakes and Simplifying Sugar Flowers. They all give meticulous directions, but I'm a klutz. A class with a patient teacher who doesn't mind repetition helps a lot.

What titles do you alaready have that you like? Maybe people can suggest books with similar styles.

Wilton Yearbooks!

I think that the Betty Crocker book on cake decorating is fabulous, especially for newbies!

It teaches you about shaping cakes, how to ice them, cool/cute ideas, piping - not much on fondant in there but its still very handy. Also has some tried and true recipes in there. Here's the link to it on overstock.com

http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=PROFRAME&PROD_ID=316807

wilton has a great book with the Techniques for every flower and such. I started with it and now I think I got it pretty good. Ready for gumpasting and such.

The Wilton School, Decorating Cakes. It is great. It has a cake with roses all over it on the cover.

Personally just get some books and try to do what's in them and you will learn

I have a gazillion books, Wilton Yearbooks, Wilton books for each of their decorating courses, Debbie Brown books (highly recommend those if you like sculpture), Collette Peters and one of my favorite "The Practical Encyclopedia of Cakes & Cake Decorating!!! It has over 200 recipes and over 1000 photographs.

I would recommend that last book to anyone who is just beginning. But if you want to know basic flowers and piping techniques I would definately recommend "The WIlton School Decorating Cakes, A Reference & Idea Book" There are several members here on CC that have made the cake on the cover of that book and have done a fine fine job of it. I LOVE that book!


Hope these help!


Amy

Here's a link to the book I was just referring to!!!!!


http://www.amazon.com/dp/0912696591/?tag=cakecentral-20


Amy

Thanks so much for your help everyone.

I already have these books:

* Lindy Smith - celebrate with a cake, storybook cakes, creative cakes.
* Debbie Brown - Lovable character cakes and Fairytale Cakes
* Maisie Parrish - Sugardough magic
* Colette Peters - Cakes to Dream on

Most of these are great. One or two of them are not for beginners. (That's the problem with buying online.....)

Thanks for your suggestions. I will check all of them out.