Fun & Original
Birthday Cakes
Maisie Parrish
Contents
The Cakes
The Magic of Creating
The ‘Fun & Original’ series of books brings to you a superb new collection of enchanting cakes, specifically with birthdays in mind and filled with wonderful characters. People come in all shapes and sizes with lots of different expressions, both facial and physical. Feedback from my previous books and from my workshops has told me that creating expressive characters is the key thing you wish to learn, so not only have I included more characters than ever in this book, I have also added some extra guidance in the Modelling section, to help you build your skill in crafting fun personalities.
Creating is not easy for everyone and at times can be a struggle, even for me. It is a truly magical moment when you finally arrive at that ‘ah-ha!’ moment. It won’t happen overnight, the secret is practice, but it must always be fun. As in all my books, I have kept the instructions very simple and the beautiful photography will really help to guide you. Each character is broken down into clear steps that can be followed with ease, and you cannot fail to be thrilled with the results.
As many of you know, and some are astonished to learn, I am not a cake baker but a sugar artist who brings delicious cakes to life. My designs always have lots of details, presented in my own unique style, and this collection is no exception – it surely has something for everyone. The greatest reward about my craft is to know that my readers around the world share a love of my characters and have the same close attachment to them as I do. I know this is true because you tell me so.
Designing is a captivating process, something not everyone is capable of doing, but no matter what level you are at, once you have this book in your hands, who knows where it can take you? So jump on board and take a magical ride to your next fantastic creation!
Sugarpaste
All the models in this book are made using sugarpaste (rolled fondant) in one form or another. This firm, sweet paste is also used to cover cakes and boards. Sugarpaste is very soft and pliable and marks very easily, but for modelling it works best if you add CMC (Tylose) to it to bulk it up (see Sugarpaste for Modelling) This section gives you the lowdown on this wonderful medium, revealing everything you need to know for success with sugarpaste.
Ready-Made Sugarpaste
You can purchase sugarpaste in the most amazing array of colours; just take it out of the packet and away you go. Of all the ready-made pastes on the market, the brand leader is Renshaws Regalice (see Suppliers), which is available in white and 14 other exciting shades. This paste is easy to work with and is of excellent firm quality.
Tip
Very dark colours, such as black, dark blue and brown, are particularly useful to buy ready-coloured, because if you add enough paste food colouring into white to obtain a strong shade, it will alter the consistency of the paste and make it much more difficult to work with.
Ready-made packaged