SWEET CELEBRATIONS : The Art of Decorating Beautiful Cakes

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: For such an "acclaimed" baker, I was disappointed in her talent. I've been in the cake industry for my entire life and seen artistry and creativity which blows doors on Sylvia. It's really a shame that the true artists do not get the PR that she does. So many are enamoured by Sylvia and yet have no clue about what is out there!

Rating:
Summary: SWEET CELEBRATIONS
Review: I AGREE WITH YOUR REVIEW WITH ONE EXCEPTION, AND THAT IS THAT THE BOOK SKIPS LIGHTLY OVER THE ART OF SUGAR DOUGH. IN FACT, THERE IS NEITHER A RECIPE FOR SUGAR DOUGH NOR IS THERE A REFERENCE TO A COMMERCIAL SOURCE. IT ASSUMES THE READER ALREADY HAS EXPERTISE IN SUGAR DOUGH. PERHAPS MS. WEINSTOCK IS LOATHE TO PART WITH HER "SUGAR DOUGH SECRETS". IN ANY EVENT, I FELT CHEATED BY THIS GLARING OMISSION.

Rating:
Summary: Highly over-rated!
Review: I am a professional cake artist, and have of course heard of Sylvia Weinstock for some time. I was glad to finally have a chance to see some of her work. For someone with such a big reputation, the cakes were very disappointing. Most of the novelty-type cakes were fairly amateurish, and all the wedding cakes have the same basic design, iced smooth and smothered with gumpaste flowers. Seems like piping is definately not her skill. I expected much better quality in the flowers for someone so well known and who commands such high prices! I know many other cake artists whose flowers are much more realistic. Also, the directions were very vague and sometimes inconsistent. This is definately more of a coffee-table type picture book than a serious cake decorating book.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and Absolutely Delicious Cakes!
Review: I bake all the time, but am a beginner when it comes to making wedding cakes. I was a little apprehensive about buying this book at first. However, I needed to learn the basics of making a wedding cake for my grandmother's upcoming wedding (I was asked to bake the cake). I purchased this book, and found the instructions easy to follow. Not only that but the recipes are delicious! I especially favor the Lady Baltimore cake with an almond soak. This book contains wonderful cake decorating ideas and helpful advice, not only for wedding cakes, but for any occasion.

Rating:
Summary: Puny pictorials, pleasingly practical
Review: I have been a cake designer for only a few years and have many books and recipes. The recipes and instructions in this book are amazing. The cakes are rated for difficutly and the first one I tried turned out great. She gives wonderful directions for the Italian Meringue Buttercream which can sometimes be difficult to make. All of the cake recipes I have tried are perfect. She gives a good variety of different types of cakes so that you have a lot of different examples to get ideas from. She has basic tiered cakes, including the very popular gift box type cakes. She also has round cakes, and many other sculpted cakes. There are also a lot of other pictures of cakes scattered throughout the book for inspiration. She gives great directions for making gum paste flowers and marzipan fruit. If I had to pick just one cake book to keep in my collection, this would be the one, hand down. I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Buy it!
Review: I have been a cake designer for only a few years and have many books and recipes. The recipes and instructions in this book are amazing. The cakes are rated for difficutly and the first one I tried turned out great. She gives wonderful directions for the Italian Meringue Buttercream which can sometimes be difficult to make. All of the cake recipes I have tried are perfect. She gives a good variety of different types of cakes so that you have a lot of different examples to get ideas from. She has basic tiered cakes, including the very popular gift box type cakes. She also has round cakes, and many other sculpted cakes. There are also a lot of other pictures of cakes scattered throughout the book for inspiration. She gives great directions for making gum paste flowers and marzipan fruit. If I had to pick just one cake book to keep in my collection, this would be the one, hand down. I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: underwhelmed to say the least
Review: i have heard about sylvia weinstock for years and was very disappointed to find that her book is not only poorly edited and printed( the photos are very amateurish nad the instructions are scant) but also trite considering the reputation of the author. Having tried recipes, i found that they are mediocre and the instructions are lacking in the detail needed to create a masterpiece cake.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent reference book
Review: I love Ms. Weinstock's cake and buttercream recipes. She provides recipes for yellow, white, chocolate, almond cakes..as well as many variations on her buttercream fillings and icings. They are the basis for a truly elegant (and tasty!) cake. Her cakes really are masterpieces... very inspiring. She provides color pictures, numerous sketches, and in-depth directions on how to create several of her cakes (wedding and other celebration cakes). I have some cake decorating experience under my belt, but believe that even novices could understand the author's instructions. I have found this book to be very inspiring and fun. I frequently consult it when I need to come up with a cake for a special occasion.

Rating:
Summary: fantastic
Review: i loved sylvia's book. i love to make birthday cakes and special occasion cakes. when i saw this book, i had to have it. the pictures were amazing, such detail. the instructions, step by step with such explanations are so helpful to make everything come out right. i don't know what to do first. every baker, or artist, needs a copy.

Rating:
Summary: A tasteful read.
Review: I LOVED this book! Sylvia Weinstock is the most incredible cake decorator/baker in the world today - or maybe ever! I found the directions very straightforward and easy to understand. The photos show the fabulous details of the cakes, and the recipes range from easy to difficult. I couldn't believe that I actually made some of her cakes - I felt like an artist! I made the arzipan fruit cake, which was so much fun - I even got my kids involved! Everyone was so impressed, by both the look and the taste. This is a must-have for any baker - or artist! Thank you Sylvia.