Fun & Original Cakes for Men & Boys

Book excerpt: This quirky collection of creative cake designs for men and boys showcases the unique but easily achievable sugar modelling skills of internationally renowned cake designer and sugercrafter Maisie Parrish. Each of these cake projects has true character and charm and is ideal for a celebration with a difference. The book opens with advice on how to make sugarpaste with a quick sugarpaste recipe to save time, or you can use ready-made sugarpaste. There is also full guidance on working with fondant to create modelling paste for sugar modelling, including colouring sugarpaste, painting on sugarpaste and storing sugarpaste. Maisie guides you through all the sugar modelling equipment you need and shows you how to make fondant figures and sugar characters bursting with life. The recipes section gives you a rich fruit cake recipe and Madeira cake recipe, as well as mini cake and cupcake recipes. All the recipes you need to make the cool cake designs in this book are included, including how to make buttercream, and an edible glue recipe. There is advice and photos to show you how to cover a cake with marzipan, and how to cover cakes and cake boards with sugarpaste, as well as clear photos showing how to stack cakes using dowels. Finally a useful section gives advice on storing cakes, how to cut a cake and transporting a cake. The fondant cake designs that follow are simply a delight and each feature character cake toppers on a different popular theme. The characters include a crooning Teddy Boy, a hapless handyman, a multitasking househusband, a sexy santa-girl, plus there are cake designs for sports and hobbies galore, from football and fishing to gardening and gaming, giving you designs for every occasion for all the men and boys in your life. Each project is accompanied by quick-to-make cupcakes and mini cakes to complement the main cake or to make when time is short. With simple sugar modelling techniques and clear photographs breaking down each step to its basic parts, Maisie demystifies the art of creating beautiful cakes and makes it all so easy and fun.