A cake decorating book I recently added to my collection is Cake Decorating for Dummies by Joe LoCicero.

This book was published in 2007 and covers a lot of the basics and includes many recipes that I’m eager to try, including a brown sugar cake recipe that I’ll be using for one of my halloween cakes this year. If you’re looking for recipes beyond your typical chocolate or white cakes this might be a good book to have.

Joe also discusses how to combine different flavors of cakes with a variety of fillings which is important because not all tastes end up complementing each other.

A major downside of this cake decorating book is the lack of color photography. I’d rather have photographic examples of the cakes and tools being described instead of line drawings. Even so, there’s an eight-page color section in the middle of the book that includes a few examples.

I know that many color photographs increase the costs involved with book publishing so this a trade-off considering a new copy of Cake Decorating for Dummies costs $19.99.

The author covers a lot of ground in this book including equipment, gum paste, marzipan, fondant, and staring your own cake decorating business.

Here’s the Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Acquiring the Skills and Creativity
Chapter 2: Assembing Your Cake Decorating Kit
Chapter 3: Planning Your Workspace
Chapter 4: Stocking Your Pantry
Chapter 5: Prepping for the Cake Decorating Process
Chapter 6: Baking the Perfect cakes
Chapter 7: Smoothing the Way for Decorating
Chapter 8: Whipping Up Frostings
Chapter 9: Dusting and Glazing: It’s Icing on the Cake
Chapter 10: AMping Up the Flavor: Spreading Fillings
Chapter 11: Tip Talk
Chapter 12: Enhancing with Embellishments
Chapter 13: Festives Cakes for Kids
Chapter 14: Cakes for Grown-Ups
Chapter 15: Showering Brides and Moms-to-Be
Chapter 16: Lifting a Fork to Weddings and Anniversaries
Chapter 17: Savoring Holidays and Special Occastions
Chapter 18: Prepping for Showtime
Chapter 19: Quick Cakes and Last-Minute Decorating Techniques
Chapter 20: Starting a Cake Decorating Business
Chapter 21: Ten Great Sources for Cake Supplies and Ideas
Chapter 22: Ten Ways to Cut a Cake
Chapter 23: Ten Easy Baking and Frosting Alternatives
Chapter 24: Ten (or So) Troubleshooting Techniques

If you’re just getting started, this cake decorating book could easily be used as your introductory course guide for learning the craft of cake decorating. I’d recommend using it as a springboard to try different techniques such as fondant and gum paste. Once you figure out your strenghts and interests, you can purchase books that cover more in-depth techniques.

Even if you’ve been decorating cakes for a while, the many recipes and design inspirations for cakes, fillings, and frosting will be enough to keep you busy for a while.

Read more Cake Decorating for Dummies reviews.

Tags: cake decorating, cake decorating book, cake decorating tips