Maggie Austin Cake: Artistry and Technique Hardcover – 11 April 2017

I rarely write reveiews, but felt compelled to leave a reveiw for this esquisite book. It is with out doubt one of the best books on cake decorating I have ever read and I have read more than your average person. I should have shares in amazon!I have long been a fan of maggies work. Her website is beautiful. So when I heard that she was to publish,I pre ordered and impatiently waited. It was well worth the wait! Every project is beautiful and clearly explained. I have finally found out the methods to making some of her amazing creations. She is a breath of fresh air to the industry, taking cake artistry to new heights.Thank you for letting us see cakes through your eyes and for sharing your artistry.

This was a gift that was greatly appreciated by the recipient, who is an expert cake decorator herself. She wished she had had it, when she decorated a cake with flowers, just before Christmas.

What an inspiring book. I am a decent cake decorator but these cakes are elevated to a whole new level. Beautifully illustrated and with concise instructions, I look forward to getting started.I’m not certain my efforts will look quite as good!!

Love this book. So many ideas and styles of cake. Great starting point for ideas and techniques to run with yourself

A lovely gift for an expert cake decorator. Beautiful pictures too

Great inspiration book. The front cover alone made me buy this book . I haven’t made a thing yet from this book . Waiting for winter when I will be indoors and trying some of Maggie Austin ‘s designs. Get this if you are into cake decorating.

I bought this book and all in all its a beautiful one. The only negative thing i would say is an experienced cake decorator i found that instructions for the rose flower did not produce the same one in the book. I tried again and then again using the paste recipe in her book..but was very disappointed with the results..now maybe this was my fault but on reflection having made hundreds of them in the past I wasnt a novice. I did see Maggie advertise her 'how to make her roses' classes and they were not cheap!..so im wondering if the 'real' method was shared in a book that cost a log less. I havent made any other of the flowers in the book and must say I do wonder if I would have the same problem. Shame really as i enjoyed the rest of the book.

One of the first books I’ve bought on sugar flowers and cakes and frankly one of the best books I’ve ever laid eyes one. Maggie is truly talented and the care, love and patience she took to write such a detailed guide and inspirational book is mind blowing. A true masterpiece

I've used this book numerous times already to create sugar flowers based on Maggie's instructions with success! I look forward to using her tips for more cake decorating ideas!

Un libro hermoso

Não gostei do conteudo do livro e tampouco do acabamento do livro. Tem uma crosta preta como uma cola na capa do livro. Achei estranho e me lembrou asfalto!

I couldn't wait to recieve it and read it word by word page by page..Maggie is so talented, I was amazed by the pictures of her cakes, pure edible art.The book is more of an inspiration book it has step by step instructions on some of the techniques she use also on basic sugar flowers and leaves and some recipes in the beginning but most of the times just an explanation on how to replicate the cakes. If you are interested in cake decorating you will want to have this book in your collection.

A genteel warning: I do not spare the opportunity to fawn over this exquisite cake tome, so you've been duly put on notice. Therefore, let us proceed!This is beyond the ethereal vision I had in my head, having followed Maggie Austin from the beginning of her unique foray into cake creations, due to an abrupt need to leave her beloved life as a ballerina, following a ballet-ending injury. The creativity and vision she used to bring a story to life in the world of ballet, has been circumvented into an exquisite vocation as cake designer. The intense demands placed upon her to share her abilities with the literal legions of devotee's has been answered in book form, having given us a taste of her skills through Craftsy classes; we are greedy and wanted more because we couldn't get enough.Miss Maggie Austin LaBaugh, we deeply thank you; you have given us PLATINUM, as calling this book as gold would pale as an adjective.The way she thinks is through the eyes and soul of an artist, not a cake baker. She did not come by this profession because of initial love and targeting of this creative medium. But fortunately for us, her artistic bend in ballet has transferred into this second career in which her innate ability to express what we can't see, comes out even more lovely. The mediums she uses are nothing special but it's the manner in which she molds and pampers and expresses her thoughts through these mediums, is what sets her mile apart from the majority of cake designers. She is an artist first and foremost and you will be amazed at how fondant and gumpaste can be transformed into edible art. This art includes both cakes and cookies, though the majority is cakes.The book itself is large, heavy, and gorgeous......coffee table gorgeous! The layout and print type is simple, but so very delicate and airy. The photography pristine. The styling is eye-candy. Her instruction is minimal and as needed, yet complete.I would not suggest this as a beginners book, though I would tell a novice to place this book to the side until you get to a comfortable level, as this is gently encouraging and well-written, for when you advance. For those from intermediate to advanced, this is perfect, as she teaches the techniques to make the decor, so you would need a solid base of knowledge with fondant, gumpaste, and wafer paper; while buttercream is also used within cakes, it's not a medium she uses for the outside.Her "Frills" cake and her "Stained Glass" cake are two of her most noted cake creations, and I am assuming that those are what catapulted her into the competitive world of cake design; I know that it was an instant love for me, as well as those within my cake circle. And these two cakes are wonderfully given their sections among the many lessons in this book. Also, while I feel most of her cakes have a gentle, pastel appearance, she has included several more stark examples that use darker colors/themes. Then at the end of the book, she posts all the cakes on 4 pages so you can see everything at one time.The book is broken into nine sections, with each having chapters and lessons; a general peek into the book:1) This first "section" is the Basics and Foundation of her lessons, with tools needed, mediums, recipes for both cakes and buttercream and a cookie recipe.2) "Frills": One of her prettiest cake style with ruffles and frills for standard and floral styles.3) "Floral Appliques": This was one of my favorites as she teaches the creation of delicate flowers with the slightest brushes of gold on the edges of the flowers to make them look enameled, plus other floral combinations, as well as cookies with flowers and gilded edges.4) "Textile": The use of embroidery to make flowers; gold leaf with overlay for cake and cookies; an amazing tribute to Frida Kahlo.5) "Pearls": Handmade oysters with pearls! Cameos! Folk art cake!6) "Sculpted Fondant": I love the simplicity of "bas relief" look of cakes in which its white on white, bas relief to look like stone, elephants, urns.7) "Painting": The Stain Glass cake.....absolutely gorgeous! Impressionism in both cakes and cookies. Abstract painting.8) "Wafer Paper": Once a medium used to make roses on cakes during the 30's-50's, this now has been transformed into the ability to make feathers, petals, and butterflies.9) "Sugar Flowers": Using the Dutch Masters period paintings of still-life, Maggie shows how she creates these same stunning flowers, culminating into floral arranging for the cakes, and how to insert them.This is a wonderfully created cake book from a wonderfully creative cake artist; definitely a classic to placed alongside a small handful of others that are worthy of special shelf space.Peace.