The Wedding Cake Decorator's Bible

I am not particularly interested in making wedding cakes but bought this book thinking it might provide help with techniques and ideas. I was not disappointed and in fact got more than I had hoped for. The book is divided into four sections: 1. Foundations, which covers tools, equipment and coating techniques. 2. Designing a wedding cake. 3. Decorative Techiniques including Modeled rose, crimper work, frills and flounces, embossing, cut-outs, stenciling, gelatine work, piping bags, piping designs, piped embroidery, brush embroidery, lace, clay gun techniques, Battenburg lace, sugar ribbons, sugar accents, molds, cocoa painting, buttercream flip, chocolate decorations, ribbon, fresh flowers, and crystallized flowers. 4. Sugar Flowers. Alan Dunn is a master of sugar flowers and this section includes instructions for various roses, lilies of the valley, calla lilies, Asiatic lilies, Cattleya orchids, and various leaves and fillers. (There are also instructions for chocolate or marzipan roses in section 3.) I would highly recommend this book.

As an ardent Alan Dunn 'groupie' I never hesitate to order a new Alan Dunn, even before it gets to press. I confess to having mixed feelings about THIS Alan Dunn book.On the up-side, it does deliver to a moderate extent as a 'cake decorator's bible' in that it has a chapter dedicated to many cake decorating techniques, including some of the more 'modern' techniques such as stencilling, gelatine work and molds. Basic techniques like covering cakes with marzipan, royal icing, fondant and buttercream are included; as are the traditional techniques such as piping, lace-work and crimping. In addition, there is some attention to the high quality flower moulding that is Dunns's trademark. And the written and graphic instructions are up to Dunns usual high standard.On the downside, it seems to lack substance as it only skims the surface of each technique. I can recommend it for someone who wants a good 'overall' manual on cake decorating, but it's not my favourite Alan Dunn book.

This book is incredibly helpful. I have been cake decorating for 12 months and have purchased 4 of Alans amazing books. This is the book I should have started with. It covers so well what you need to know and how to do it. A must for anyone who is interested in the art and a great book for beginners, as everything is explained so well to take you forward.

Comprehensive information on basic cake decorating with good information clearly presented. Would recommend as a basic book to have in your library.

I own a small cake business. I have bought at least 20 books in the past year to help me. Out of all the books I have, this is the one I use the most! I highly suggest it, especially for people who would like to improve their gum paste flowers :)

I really enjoyed this book. I have not been able to try any of the recipes because I am out of the country, but will do so as soon as I return.Thanks Amazon.

A real artist in action! Alan Dunn is a magician, and all of us can get a taste of his magic and try to reproduce it! Many, many great photos, accompanied with detailed explanations and instructions, a must have for any cake decorator, both amateur and professional!

Arrived promptly and as described

I have done some basic cake decorating and sugarcraft but I wanted to advance to sugarcraft flowers with a view to making a wedding cake.I was not disappointed! This book takes you from the recipes for the cake bases (sponges need to be more dense to hold the icing) through all the required tools and on to all the variety of decorative options.The guide to the decorative techniques is fantastic, very clear step-by-step pictures together with excellent notes. I particularly like the section on how to design a wedding cake.Although I have an artistic background, this book is so clear and cutters now readily available, with the aid of this book I truly believe that anybody could do it!My only caviat is the title; a 'bible' implies that you won't need another book, but I would imagine that anyone wanting to decorate cakes for a living or more seriously would need to get another more indepth book specifically on sugarcraft flowers, probably another of Dunn's books, hence the 4 stars (it wouldn't let me give 4.5). Ironically, with a different, less ambitious title I would have given 5 stars.However, that said, if you can only buy one book on cake decorating for special occasions, then this would have to be it. Not only suitable for weddings, this can be used for birthdays, anniversarys, christenings etc. Definitely one to buy, but as you progress you'll need another, so not quite a 'bible'.

This book mainly focuses on different types of cake decoration can ever use - not just for a wedding cake decoration.The book is beautifully decorated with photographs and gives it a very modern feel.The first section covers tool from cake boards to a dresden veining tool. All of which have a very useful photograph next to them.The main section covers many different techniques step by step, for example;Crimper WorkEmbossingCut-outsStencillingGelatine WorkPipingLace & RibbionsMoulds and many more.This would not be a Alan Dunn book without a detailed section of sugar flowers. The section covers the basic rose to a more detailed Asiatic Lily.At the back of the book is some recipes such as sugar paste and a fruit cake. Also there are some using templates that have been used within the books, examples such as butterflies, hearts and leaves.If you know what type of technique you are looking e.g. sugar flowers or stencilling then this book probably isn't the best as it only have 2-4 pages per technique. Nevertheless it's a nice place for inspiration and with the step b step guide it can be really useful.Overall the book is a lovely place to start for someone getting involved in sugar craft for the first time.

I have a couple of Alan Dunn's sugar flower books. They are beautiful & he is one of the best in this field. However, I tend to look at the pictures in awe but don't actually try to make many of them. This book is different as it covers many areas in step-by-step fashion. The flowers he covers in the book look stunning without being too complicated. There are tips for cake decorators of all abilities and I think it is a great book to refer to.

i received this book quite fast. as i have only been doing cakes a matter of months, i thought this book would help me out a bit. i can honestly say, this book is beautifully illustrated with step by step clear photos and instructions. it is perfect for anyone who is just starting out or even if you're more experienced. i would recommend this book and the seller thank you

I'm working on my first wedding cake for my brothers wedding in August 09. This book has been invaluable to me.There are lots of different techniques explained and it helped me decide which kind of decoration to use.I've decided on sugarcraft roses. The book shows you step by step how to make them.It was definately worth buying this book as a novice cake maker!