Martha Stewart's Wedding Cakes: More Than 100 Inspiring Cakes--An Indispensable Guide for the Bride and the Baker

I ordered this book looking for inspiration for cake decorating, and I was very happy when I received it.It's full of gorgeous cake photos as well as delicious cake recipes. It's a book that I'll keep for years and years to come because it's designs will never go out of style. Also the recipes where a very nice surprise, because I was also looking for cake recipes that work, and these are also delicious (I already made one of the chocolate cakes).It's not a book on cake decorating, like those with step by step and "how to". It's a large book with beautiful photos of beautiful cakes, some easier to decorate than others, and complete recipes.My opinion is that it's a very good purchase.

I'm a Professional Cake Decorator and bought this book as a Design Source, this is 1 seriously Big book, it has Beautiful clear pictures of the cakes made up and at the back of the book there are handy hints and even a few recipes, they are in American Cups, but thats not a problem to convert. I would recommend this book purely as a Design Source for people who want inspiration, most of the cakes are in the American Style which is a little different to how we Brits do things but there are ways to tweak the designs to suit yourself and you cant deny that each and every 1 of them is mouthwateringly gorgeous! Safe to say I love this book

This book arrived really early and in perfect condition, really pleased with the delivery and the condition of the book., So excited to try out the receipe, the photographs and lay out of the book are inspiring.

This is a beautiful book, full of inspiring photos of wonderful wedding cakes and tips on displaying them. Perfect for brides and cake makers. I haven't tried any of the recipes yet - they're in US measures so wouldn't be my first port of call for new recipes, as well as being aimed at American tastes. But it's a lovely book so I would recommend it.

This is a really fabulous book. It isn't a step by step guide like some, but is full of beautiful cakes, flawlessly executed with plenty of great tips, techniques and recipes. Despite being an American book, the styles are very compatible with British tastes.

Excellent

A very beautiful book!

I didn't like that the recipes are written in cups and not in grams as it should had. And that creates difficulty in the preparation and realization of the deserts

Of course anything Martha Stewart produces is top quality and this book top notch for recipes, layout, beautiful photos. Everything is well explained and the photography of the cakes are gorgeous! I used a few of these cake recipes to make special birthday cakes, and received outstanding compliments. I highly recommend this book.

Muy buen libro, lo recomiendo para principiantes y con nivel, no dejas de aprender. Buenas ideas

Ich habe dieses Buch als Dankeschön verschenkt, da unsere Hochzeitstorte von einer Freundin und ihrer Mutter mit viel Liebe einfach perfekt zubereitet wurde. Man kann sagen, dass die beiden in Sachen Literatur zum Backen von Torten schon ziemlich umfassend ausgestattet waren.Trotzdem waren sie absolut begeistert, von diesem Buch, um das sie bisher wegen des Preises nur herumgeschlichen waren. Leider habe ich es mir persönlich nicht angeschaut, aber laut meiner Freundin sind die Kuchen und Designs unglaublich schön und gleichzeitig wunderbar erklärt. Sicherlich wahrscheinlich eher etwas für Fortgeschrittene, aber das kann man sich wahrscheinlich schon beim Ansehen des Meisterwerkes auf dem Cover denken.

I just couldn't wait to get this book! If you love to create cakes, and not just bake them, this will feed your appetite for cake baking and decorating, and you will place this alongside your other prized tomes of cake education. It's a wonderful journey of the wedding cake, aka "a good thing". If you purchased Martha's "WEDDINGS" book, this is the expanded and transformed chapter on cakes into this book.Martha has outdone herself once more in her passion to give us every possible idea, and instruction, to create the wedding cake of our dreams for the day of our dreams. And to join her in this quest is Wendy Kromer, master baker, who worked for Martha for many years, on both Martha's former TV show and for Martha Stewarts "Weddings" magazine; she now owns and operates her own bakery.While this book was made to help engaged couples decide on what type of cake they would like for their wedding, it also gives instructions should you wish to bake your own wedding cake. For those established bakers and caterers that are looking for ideas and concepts, this will be certainly be a well-referenced tool. The "Album of Cakes" section offers 111 official photographs of cakes, but if you add all photo's of cakes from other parts of this book, you will have well over 135 delectable wedding delights in which to choose.Martha and Wendy do not hold back on any instruction and it begins with the incredible photography of each cake, frosting, filling, and detail of these stunning cakes. These cakes come from both Martha's former TV show, Martha's "Weddings" magazines, as well as some new ones from collaboration with other cake artists.A hallmark of the Martha brand is that she is quite detailed in everything that she wishes to teach, and that is never more seen than here. There are some techniques that will require a professional to do such as the "bubbles" or "pulled sugar ribbon" for some of these cakes, and rightfully, she has not included those instructions in this book because they are labor and equipment intensive, as well as for safety reasons (you are working with intense heat with one, and need specific equipment for the other, let alone the need for specific training).If at all possible, try to obtain of copy of Martha's VHS tape called "Cake Decorating". It is the visual form of instruction on making some fabulous cakes, from simple 2-layer party cakes to actually assembling a 4-tier wedding cake. They were segments taken from her former TV show in which she, and guests, demonstrated this art of cake decorating. I am hoping that she will consider bringing that out again in DVD form. It is an excellent teaching tool and my copy has been well-worn out!This is a very big book, coffee table size, so along with excellent photography, the photos are large and show detail such as brush strokes of hand-painted fondant or delicate designs of rubber stamps used to imprint fondant. The use of gumpaste flowers and marzipan helps to complete certain dimensional and visual appearances desired.The journey begins:MARTHA AND WENDY'S INTRODUCTIONCHOOSING YOUR CAKE:Finding Inspiration: What style are you looking for? (modern, rustic, etc). What season? Location? Motif? (fabric, fruit, flowers, etc).A Cake's Components: Superb index with 14 cake flavors and 18 fillings and frostings along with recipes for each one.Icings and More: There are all types of ways to cover your cake and here are all of them, along with "special considerations" due to season, temperature, etc.Presenting the Cake: How do you want th cake to be displayed? Formal, relaxed? What type of bride and groom cake topper? Which cake board in which to rest the cake?Partnering with a Professional: This section is THE key for any bride and groom to read regarding choosing a qualified baker, along with sidebars of other cake details to keep in mind.ALBUM OF CAKES: prepare your eyes! :)Lemon Grove CakeDaisy Garden Cake7-Tier Classic CakePink Lusterware Cake Creamware CakeBahama Orchid CakeSweeping Monograms CakeMatelasse CakeButtoned-Up Cake7-Tier Coconut CakeCherry CheesecakeRose basket CakeLadyfinger Charlotte CakeDrifting Petals cakePink Macaroon CakePetty Piped Bows CakeTowers of Truffles CakeBeehive CakeApplesauce CakeIronstone CakeCitrus Celebration CakeFlower Hat CakePretty Pleats CakePearl and Shell CakePrimrose Cake (simply stunning)French Confectionary Box CakeApplique CakeHomespun Cupcake TowerCorinthian CakeRobin's Egg CakeMeringue Monogram CakeDotted Petals CakeCrewelwork CakePetite Piped CakesWhite Chocolate Tower CakeTuscan Grapes CakeChocolate Mint Cake (colorfully stunning)Woodland Nut CakeTransferware CakeHandcrafted Hellebore CakeMeringue Mushrooms CakeColorful Hydrangea CakePerfect Pear CakeGarlands and Wreaths CakePicket Fence CakeBubble Cake (the "bubbles" need to be made by sugar professionals)Pulled-Sugar Ribbon Cake (sugar ribbons are labor intensive)Eyelet CakeSugar Hydrangea CakeBeribboned Bouquet CakePink Cherry Blossom CakeBeaded Bouquet CakeTrio of Shells CakeChocolate Chestnut CakeRoyal Icing Reliefs CakeMegeve Chocolate CakeTreasures of the Woods CakeBlushing Dogwood CakeFaux Bois Cake (chocolate bands made to look like wood grain)Wedgewood CakeShimmering Candy CakeSilk-Cord Accents CakePaper Ornament CakeMeringue Chrysantheum CakePatterned Nonpareil Cake (remember those candies as a kid? Wow!)Darcy and Andy's Cake (the editoral director of "Weddings" magazine)Button-Topped Boxes CakeTrio of Freesia Cakes (so, so pretty)Chocolate Petal CakeCandy Sampler CakePlayful Paper Flower CakeMini Cupcake TowerStately Springerle CakeChocolate and Geranium CakeCharming Calico Cake (the joy of gumpaste)Devil's Food Finale CakeRose Garden CakeGarden of Sweet Delights CakeLemon and Latticework CakeDelightful Daisies CakeCandy Straw CakePink Madeleine CakeWedding Band CakeRustic Roses CakeSweets and Sentiments Cake (small cakes w/ tuille cookie messages)Strawberry ShortcakeFarmstand Fruit and Buttercream CakeIvory Dots CakeParrot-Tulip Quartet of CakesBlooming Branches Cake (so very delicate)Cascading Orchid's CakeChocolate Charlotte CakeLily-of-the-Valley CakeRuffly Rose-Petal Garland CakeLovely Licorice CakeChocolate Kumquat CakeCitrus Basket Cake (beautiful basic basket weave example)Cherry Almond CakeRibbons and Bows CakeRed Velvet CcakeDamask Cake (the scrollwork is not as hard as it seems)Vintage Monogram CakePin Tucks and Ruffles CakeSnow-Flecked Pinecones CakeShowered in White CakeBamboo Wave CakeTower of Roses CakeRustic Basketweave CakeScalloped Bands and Bows CakeRich Brownie Cakes (individual brownie wedding cakes)Marbelized CakeMAKING A WEDDING CAKE:Planning TipsBaking the Cake LayersDecorating and Assembling the CakeTransporting the CakeEquipment GlossaryCake 101Working with FondantPiping 101: monograms, glossary, piping tips w/ photo's and examples, piping a rose, piping basketweave patterns, piping scrollwork w/ examplesWorking with Fresh FlowersCrystalized FlowersEdible FlowersWorking with Gumpaste: flowers, blossomsWorking with MarzipanWorking with Chocolate: transfer sheets, chocolate bands, dark & white chocolate leaves, wood grain (faux bois)Additional Techniques: mushrooms, icing damask, monogramsRecipes: every flavor and taste for batters, icings, fillings, croquembouche, tuilles, spun sugarBakers Guidleines: An EXCELLENT guide to determine the amount of batter needed to fill specific size pans as well as the time needed to bake each one PLUS the amount of frostings and fillings needed for each size panSourcesAcknowledgementsIndexI realize that I am a Martha-groupie but even so, just perusing through this book, a novice can see that every aspect of wedding cake (or any party cake creation) has been thoughtfully considered and explained. You will be placing this along side a very few select cake books that are as complete, well-presented, and detailed as this one. Thank you Martha and Wendy!

My go to book for cake ideas and recipes!