Martha Stewart's Cupcakes: 175 Inspired Ideas for Everyone's Favorite Treat Review

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(More customer reviews)i *love* Martha Stewart's cupcake book! for years i've been searching her web site for cupcake ideas for baby showers and my kids' birthday parties. this book is chock full of wonderfully creative cupcakes for all seasons, holidays and special occasions! i've already made the shark and beach parasol cupcakes for my son's ocean-themed birthday party and the beautiful buttercream chrysanthemum cupcakes for a baby shower. you may think you need some special talent to pull her creations off, but all you need is a little practice and patience! there is no way you can leaf through this book without getting inspired...and drooling! After 287 pages of pics of and recipes for mouth-watering cupcakes, she includes informative pages on tools for baking, how to prepare a piping bag, working with fondant and marzipan, pastry tips and even how to display your treats. my husband agrees that this was a wonderful investment since he's seen how many of her baking ideas have come to fruition in our home...plus he's hoping i make him those yummy tiramisu or choc. salted-caramel mini cupcakes for his birthday! ;) yummo! ENJOY!

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The perfect cupcake for every occasion.Swirled and sprinkled, dipped and glazed, or otherwise fancifully decorated, cupcakes are the treats that make everyone smile. They are the star attraction for special days, such as birthdays, showers, and holidays, as well as perfect everyday goodies. In Martha Stewart's Cupcakes, the editors of Martha Stewart Living share 175 ideas for simple to spectacular creations–with cakes, frostings, fillings, toppings, and embellishments that can be mixed and matched to produce just the right cupcake for any occasion. Alongside traditional favorites like yellow buttermilk cupcakes swirled with fluffy vanilla frosting and devil's food cupcakes crowned with rich, dark chocolate buttercream, there are also sweet surprises such as peanut butter and jelly cupcakes, dainty delights like tiny almond-cherry tea cakes, and festive showstoppers topped with marizpan ladybugs or candy clowns. The book features cupcakes for everyone, every season, and every event: Celebrations (monogram heart cupcakes perfect for an elegant wedding); Birthdays (starfish-on-the-beach cupcakes sure to be a hit at children's parties); Holidays (gumdrop candy ghouls and goblins ideal for Halloween revelers); and Any Day (red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for a picnic, or caramel-filled mini chocolate cakes for grown-up gatherings).In singular Martha Stewart style, the pages are both stunning in design–with a photograph of each finished treat–and brimming with helpful how-to information, from step-by-step photographs for decorating techniques to ideas for packaging and presenting your cupcakes. Whether for any day or special days, the treats in Martha Stewart's Cupcakes will delight one and all.From the Trade Paperback edition.--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts Review

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(More customer reviews)I've had this book for 20 years and made nearly everything in it. The only recipe which I think must have a mistake in it is the "pepper" brownies. I've never been able to make them come out, and I've varied the cooking times, the tempetature, the ingrediants etc.
Ok, my favorite is the "French Chocolate Mint Truffles." You can vary this one to your heart's content. First, you can roll the results in "dipping chocolate" get a bar of high quality chocolate heat on a double boiler and use a fork to dip the cured truffle, place on wax paper to cool. Second, you can use almost any flavoring, almond, coconut, orange, lemon, peppermint, etc. Third, you can use milk chocolate, if the the mix starts to thin when you heat it, add a tablespoon of powdered sugar. Fourth you can use white chocolate although this is tricky and requres a lot of powered sugar to get it to "set" like a 3 to 5 tablespoons of powdered sugar. (With the coconut ones I mix in a 1/4 cup of grated coconut.)
Ok, then the basic brownies, ooooh you'll never buy a box mix again.
Then the flourless cakes, so rich, its incredible.
On to the "Pots of Creame" Yum, you'll have people begging for more. The trick here is to use a pan to hold the pots in, put the pan with the pots in it in the oven, then add "boiling water" and cook for exactly 22 minutes. The centers will be smooth and look runny but they'll finish cooking as they cool. Also be very careful getting them out of the oven, hot water will go right through your oven mitts. I use a canning jar lifter to get the pots of creame out of the pan. But in any case please be careful the burn you could get is bad.
I could go on and on, but if you can follow directions they all seem to come out fine.

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Chocoholics rejoice! Heatter's perennial favorite has everything for the chocolate-loving cook--cakes, cookies, pies, puddings and more. Each recipe is precisely detailed, and Heatter provides valuable advice on cooking techniques, ingredients and equipment.

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Wilton 2109-859 50-Piece Tool and Caddy Decorating Set Review

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(More customer reviews)I love to bake. In fact, I baked my own wedding cake. Last weekend, I baked a wedding cake for a friend getting married in Boston, which was no small feat because I live in Virginia! I baked the cake in VA and drove it up, and iced it once I got there. I had to do all the smooth coat and all the detail work right at the reception hall, with people watching. I used all my wilton bags and tips to do the job, but had nothing 'nice' to carry them all in (which would have looked very professional in front of an eagerly awaiting reception hall). After seeing one of these decorator's toolboxes, I rushed to Amazon to add it to my wishlist.
2 reasons it didn't score a 5: First of all, the nice plastic molds for storing the tips do not accept any larger Wilton decorating tips like #789, or any of the longer ones such as #1L. Second of all, the lids to the toolboxes are annoying shades of pastel plastic... It looks like you are carrying around a makeup kit for Malibou Barbie.
Other than that, this is a must-have if you need to travel and decorate.

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Wilton 50pc tool caddy set.Generous selection of tips, colors and tools gives you the flexibility to decorate virtually any kind of cake.There is plenty of room to add new items and keep everything organized.

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R & M Wedding 9 Piece Cookie Cutter Set Review

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(More customer reviews)These cookie cutters are very well made and nicely shaped. I was very pleased with the quality.

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Sweet And Simple Party Cakes Review

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(More customer reviews)I just started my journey with fondant, and this book was fabulous! I think the designs are simple, but pretty. They give you great ideas, walk you through everything, step by step. Not too technically difficult, but more than covers all the basis. Anyone with imagination can apply the techniques and create their own masterpiece. Totally worth the money to those wanting to LEARN. If you already know your way around fondant, you may want to look elsewhere.

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"Create over 40 simple yet incredibly stylish cakes for every occasion, from weddings and anniversaries, to birthdays, christenings and Christmas. Discover a variety of irresistible cake designs in all colors, shapes and sizes.Includes a wide selection of sweet cupcakes and gorgeous minicakes to make when time is short. Explore a wide variety of quick and easy sugarcrafting techniques. Beginner and intermediate sugarcrafters will complete the projects with ease, while discovering professional sugarcrafting tricks. Easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions, simple recipes, and beautiful photography ensure mouthwatering results.Clever packaging ideas are also included to make your cakes look even more desirable."

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RM Moose Reindeer Head Metal Cookie Cutter for Holiday Baking / Christmas Party Favors / Scrapbooking Stencil Review

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(More customer reviews)Cute as a button. I wanted a scrapbook detail and could not find a moose head. When I saw this I ordered it to outline on black cardstock and use for a template. Works great and fits the area of a size A2 greeting card perfectly.

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Fox Run Wedding Cookie Cutter Set Review

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(More customer reviews)The dimensions for the package are about 7in x 7in. One could deduce from the photo that the 5 cookie cutters would be about 1/2 that size, but in fact they are only about 2.5 inches each. This is considerably smaller than I had hoped, but they are cute.

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Wedding Cake Metal Cookie Cutter Review

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(More customer reviews)The cookies were amazing. I really liked using these cutters. They came 5 days earlier which was perfect since I was doing them for bridal shower favors. The only problem I had was that I ordered two of the same size, and when they came in the mail, one was smaller. I had two different size cookies.

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Kaiser Bakeware Patisserie 10 1/2-Inch Square Cooling Rack Review

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(More customer reviews)I received this item and it was noticably defective, after I laid it on the counter. It rocked badly! So I set up an exchange with Amazon, and received the second one in the same condition. It truly is a nice and hard-to-find heavy gauge steel product, but if you're buying it to cool off anything liquid (especially a hot liquid item), then you may want to rethink this purchase. You or your counter may get scorched!

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Creative Cookies: Delicious Decorating for Any Occasion Review

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(More customer reviews)and I have purchased several. Even beginners can recreate Ms. Garrett's creations because of her detailed explanations and pictures. Outstanding recipes, especially for the glace' icing (much more preferable than royal icing, I think. Besides tasting great it also dries hard to the touch which is a plus when you need to stack the cookies). She gives very imaginative and classy ideas for baby showers, mothers day, heart designs, monograms...to name a few. She also gives suggestions for adding your own touches. I especially love her wedding cake cookies (which you can adapt for b'day or anniversary occasions) and her "get well" cookies (you can use any message to personalize it). She provides full size patterns from which to make templates but I hope she comes out with copper cookie cutters in these shapes.

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A feast for the eyes as well as the palate, this collection from media favorite Toba Garrett is available again."The mouth-watering photos are enough to send you running to the store for baking equipment and ingredients...[these are] gorgeous works of art. A wealth of photographs and illustrations ensures that even novices will have success with their cookie-making marathons."--New York Daily News"Marvelous book...Superb photography shows the excellence of Ms. Garrett's work...A must for the cookie aficionado."--American Cake DecorationToba Garrett--master baker, critically lauded author, and recent guest on Emeril Live--has devised cookies so delectable and exquisitely decorated that home chefs will be searching for occasions to makemore. The simple recipes range from gingerbread to shortbread, from sugar cookies to chocolate. But what really makes these extra special are Garrett's clever techniques for turning the cookies into works of art that delight the eye as much as they please the palate. There are ruffled bibs in soft pastel hues for a baby shower, a white chocolate rose with eight petals, and a 3D bride and groom for wedding and anniversary celebrations. Anyone can create these effects with confidence thanks to the author's clarity and creativity..

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Wedding Cake Cookie Cutter Review

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(More customer reviews)This is just what I was looking for. Now my cousin's wedding will be perfect.

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The Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Cake Decorating Review

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(More customer reviews)This was one of the first books I purchased when I started decorating, and if I'd known then what I know now, I probably wouldn't have bought it.
Pros: If you like fondant, some of the best designs in the book, including a dragon wrapped around cupcakes, christening cake, Christmas cake, and heart cake, are all about sugarpaste. The instructions are written clearly, and the step-by-step inset photos show you exactly what to do. This book also includes a nice overview of different techniques, including fondant, royal icing, buttercream, chocolate, edible rice paper, and marzipan that allows a beginner to understand the difference between them all. Each cake is also rated on a scale of 1-3 for difficulty, and many have variation suggestions with photos, to give additional decorating ideas.
Cons: If you don't like fondant, this book doesn't offer very many appealing designs. One exception is the "Here's Looking at You" cake with eyeballs peeking out from under a buttercream iced box lid. However, of the 40+ designs in the book, only about 5 or 6 really stand out as something I'd like to make--including the designs with fondant, rice paper, and royal icing.
The patterns, recipes, and tips are helpful, but the design ideas just aren't that inspiring.

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The Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Cake Decorating contains all the know-how needed to make and decorate cakes that are incredibly simple, yet absolutely stunning. The book contains cakes for all occasions including birthdays, anniversaries, children's parties, christenings, weddings and more.All the most popular methods of icing and decorations are covered, from buttercream, fondant and chocolate to royal icing and marzipan. Detailed, easy-to-follow instructions explain the basics of preparing and using the different types of icing, followed by recipes for imaginative designs. Beginners will pick up the basics fast and experienced cake decorators will find inspirational new ideas.

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Diamond Solitaire Engagement Ring Cookie Cutter for Bridal Shower Anniversary Party or Wedding Favors Review

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(More customer reviews)Not sure what to write about a cookie cutter. LOL! It came very fast in adequate packaging and is exactly as described.
I am making ring cookies for my sister's engagement party this weekend and the cutter is SO cute!!

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The Cake Mix Doctor Returns: With 160 All-New Recipes Review

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(More customer reviews)Not much to say, except -- if you have the other Cake Mix Doctor books, you do not need this one (unless you simply want to complete the library). It it mostly a rehash of the first two cake books...and the "low-fat" changes do NOT improve the recipes. Here's an example of a repeat: "Key Lime Cheesecake". The recipe is a repeat of the same one featured in "The Cake Mix Doctor Does Chocolate"...except it does not have a chocolate crust and pecans are added. The "lighter" version of "Darn Good Chocolate Cake" is NOT as good -- just stick with the original recipe. The change in the "Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars" is NOT for the better. For those of you who have made them (featured in the second Cake Mix Doctor book), the coconut is in the original recipe for a reason...it holds the chocolate filling together. Taking it out in the "revised" recipe is NOT an improvement. Apparently, the publisher wanted to squeeze another book out of the series, and did what Southern Living/Oxmoor House is infamous for -- printed a "new" book filled with recipes from other books in the same series. For those of you who have none of the Cake Mix Doctor books -- bypass this one and purchase the original "Cake Mix Doctor". It's the best and comes highly recommended.

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What could be better than a phenomenon? The return of a phenomenon. Ten years ago Anne Byrn's The Cake Mix Doctor began its extraordinary run as one of the most popular baking books of all time. Now Anne Byrn is back with the all-new Cake Mix Doctor Returns! From the beloved author who showed home bakers how adding a touch of sweet butter or a dusting of cocoa powder, a dollop of vanilla yogurt or flurry of grated lemon zest could transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. Here are 160 brand-new recipes-that's right, 160 amazing cake mix recipes-for luscious layer cakes, sheet cakes, brownies, bars, cookies, and more.And the book is needed more than ever. Today 90 percent of home cooks use prepackaged mixes, while the economy is creating a perfect excuse to let them eat cake-cake equals happiness. And what cakes! 40 layer cakes, from Tiramisu Cake to The Best Red Velvet Cake, Strawberry Refrigerator Cake to Chocolate Swirled Cannoli Cake. 35 sheet cakes. 38 bundt and pound cakes. 16 cupcakes and muffins, plus the cult classic Whoopie Pie. And brownies, bars, and cookies, including Spice Drop Cookies, Angel Food Macaroons, and Chocolate Espresso Biscotti. There's even a wedding cake, a frequent request from the author's passionate online community.The Cake Mix Doctor is back-just say ahhhhh!

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Wilton 601-5580 1/2-Ounce Certified-Kosher Icing Colors, Set of 12 Review

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(More customer reviews)I've taken to making cupcakes and cookies and making icing letters on them... you know, an "H" on one cookie, "A" on another, and so forth, and arrange the cookies or cupcakes to spell out HAPPY BIRTHDAY or whatever the occasion might be. I prefer bold, rich colors, like jewel tone colors, so these gel colors fit the bill to get the bold color without watering down my icing. Only takes a few toothpicks of color to get what I'm looking for, so each 1/2 ounce color is going to go a long way. A good buy, all around. I will never go back to regular liquid food coloring!
Also, I know others have stated this but I'll say it again, the black color is good but you have to start with a chocolate icing, not a white icing.
**Update** I found another use for these Wilton colors by making colored sugar. I've used it with granulated sugar and with sparkling sugar (bigger crystals) and it works great either way, but the sparkling sugar is more, well, "sparkly" which I like since I use the colored sugar to decorate cakes and cookies with. Put the sugar into a Ziploc bag, take the tip of a butter knife to get some color on it, then wipe the color off the knife on the inside of the bag. (Does that make sense?) Zip up the bag, then mash the sugar around with the color until evenly distributed. The color will come off the side of the plastic bag just fine and blend in with the sugar. Then spread the sugar out on a plate or a sheet of foil to dry for a few hours. Voila!

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Great for beginning and veteran cake decorators alike, this set of 12 1/2-ounce icing colors makes it simple to tint buttercream, Royal Icing, fondant, and even cake batter to the perfect shade for any occasion. The vivid collection spans the spectrum of bright colors, including Kelly Green, Violet, Pink, Lemon Yellow, Royal Blue, Golden Yellow, Burgundy, and Teal. It also provides a jar of no-taste red coloring for beautifully rich icing without the aftertaste, as well as Black, Brown, and Copper shades for creating skin tones, shadows, and other dark accents. Best of all, the icing colors can be mixed as needed to create an endless variety of custom shades for birthdays, baby showers, holidays, class parties, and other special occasions. Certified kosher, each icing jar measures approximately 3 by 3 by 3-4/5 inches.

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Kaiser Bakeware Patisserie 12-by-18-Inch Cooling Rack Review

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(More customer reviews)I was intrigued when I saw an aluminum cooling rack that was deemed "sturdy". Well, sturdy it is. Aluminum, it is not. Though I didn't call Kaiser, I did try putting a magnet to it and, lo and behold, the magnet attracted it. Can't do that with aluminum. Also, the spacing between the wires is too wide for fresh-from-the-oven cookies. Need to try finding a better rack.

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This Kaiser Bakeware Patisserie Cooling Rack features a generous 12 by 18 inch size for cooling cakes, cookies and pies. This rack features a footed, chrome plated steel body, making it durable and built to last. An essential tool for every kitchen.

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The Well-Decorated Cake Review

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(More customer reviews)FINALLY, of all the cake decorating books I own, a new one comes along that could almost make ALL the others obsolete -- it's that good.
A recent review of Collette Peters' "Cakes To Dream On" (a book which claims in its subtitle to be a "A Master Class in Decorating") says, and I quote: "While I concede that this book is stunning to look at, Colette Peters does not want you to learn how to make these cakes. The cake decorating instructions are vague and absurdly simplistic in the extreme; general discussion of technique ... is either absent or useless in its brevity... This is another narcissistic venture by Colette Peters."
Well, Ms. Garrett, on the other hand, is REALLY offering you 'a master class in decorating'. Unlike Ms. Peters, Ms. Garrett DOES want you to learn how to make these cakes and DOES want to help you do so. I am overcome with admiration for her for that fact alone. She'd have every right in the world to be narcissistic and stuck-up, to jealously guard all her professional skills and secrets ... and yet she's not and she doesn't. She gives the real deal in this book and it's worth every penny and more of its purchase price.
Books like Ms. Peters' various books which may in truth, despite claims to the contrary, serve only as inspiration rather than instruction, still meet a very real need -- and I don't mean to imply otherwise. However, what's so admirable about "The Well-Decorated Cake" is that in it, Ms. Garrett -- a seriously skilled decorator -- offers BOTH: real, hard-core instruction on sophisticated, professional techniques, AND inspiration and ideas galore thanks to the numerous photos of completed cakes.
Would this book be appropriate for absolute beginners? I'm not entirely sure -- it aims high and assumes at least a working familiarity with the fundamental components involved. Still, it spells out any number of details carefully and thoroughly -- far more carefully and thoroughly than any number of books and/or articles I've read in my years of researching this subject. She teaches professionals and it shows.
By the way, I purchased the paperback edition and am more than pleased with its quality. The paper is heavy and smooth and the font crisp and clear. Add to that truly superb photographs in abundance and lovely line drawings and diagrams.
This book is, undeniably, a winner. Congratulations, Ms. Garrett, and THANK YOU!
P.S. (April 2006) I see Ms. Garrett is coming out this September with another book on cake decorating (Professional Cake Decorating, Wiley publisher) intended for professional students. Betcha it'll be really comprehensive and solid. Keep your eyes open!

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As a Master Cake Designer and featured instructor at the prestigious Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, Toba Garrett has taught top industry professionals her decorating secrets. Now, using the same easy-to-follow style that worked so well in her acclaimed book, Creative Cookies, she brings her artistic vision and professional tips to you in this fully illustrated home cake-decorating course. From selecting the proper equipment to the basics of buttercream, easy techniques for creating piping flowers and ornamentation to advanced drapery and border designs, everything you need to become a better cake designer is included. You'll find time-saving templates, a picture gallery of spectacular cakes, and a generous selection of Toba's own recipes. The author lives in New York, NY.

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