The Celtic Cakers

It doesn't matter if you are a beginner or advanced level there is something for everyone in this book! The tutorials are very very detailed & easy to follow something that you don't always get in Sugarcraft books & magazines. There are lots of top tips too from the very best cake artists in Ireland. What sets this book apart is that its not just written by one person but a team of experts all with their different styles & wealth of experience from carving cakes, structuring, sophisticated flowers & wedding cakes to modelling - it has the lot! Quite simply its a caking bible! Highly recommend.

Disclaimer: I know some of the people involved with this book as acquaintances in the cake world, but I bought my own copy at full price here on Amazon and this review is 100% honest.I loved this book, in particular because of how it provides multiple skill levels of projects. With most books if they pay attention to skill level at all it's to be uniform to just that skill level, so it's nice to see a book progressing from beginner through more advanced. As part of that, there are several instances where if you don't have a more advanced tool, the artists give you choices of more basic versions or workarounds. That's very thoughtful and important, because it shows how the advanced tool gets a great result but empowers beginners to have a go even if they don't have all of the tools.The projects also vary by theme and type, so there's something in here for everyone: florals, sculpting, animals, nautical, a screaming orange.......okay seriously I loved the screaming orange so much. I loved that whole tutorial. I read this book cover to cover while waiting in the auto shop for my car to have a repair done, and I kept drawing looks with all of the giggling caused by Maria McDonald's screaming orange. This tutorial does a delightful dance back and forth between serious instruction and silly humour that it's a delight to read. It's one of those things where - as a weird person myself - I read it and I think, "I want to be friends with this person. I want to hang out with them and make weird jokes in front of our kids and then collaborate on something that makes us grin but makes other people gasp and ask why anybody would do such a thing in cake." Alas, I've never met Maria, but now I really, really, really want to! And my 12 year old wants to make the screaming orange cake this summer. My 5 year old wants to make a kitty cat version of Corinna Maguire's fox cake because she's not yet fully corrupt like the rest of us.The entire book is a joy to read from cover to cover, with each artist telling you stories of how they got started, how they met each other, and fun tidbits about the fantastic land they all love.Whether you're into art, cakes, Ireland, or cackling abuse of fruit, you're sure to love The Celtic Cakers. It's lovely to look at, it's fun to read, and it has great instructions for all skill levels.

Compiled by Corinna Maguire of Lovin’ from the Oven, The Celtic Cakers has brought together a team of some of Ireland’s top cake designers to produce a huge array of step-by-step pictorial guides to creating fantastic cakes of all skill levels.Paired with the fabulous tutorials, The Celtic Cakers also take you on a journey around the stunning Emerald Isle itself, introducing themselves and their cake stories, alongside beautiful photographs of their local regions.It offers readers the chance to learn techniques such as hand-modelling, creating stunning sugar flowers, crafting wired figures, carving cakes, structuring cakes, working with gelatin and much, much more.From the adorable Big Brown Bear by Paul Redmond of Purple Feather Cake Design to the stunning cover cake, A Seaside Wedding by Corinna herself, there really is something in the book for everyone.When I first received the book, I literally spent about two hours just reading it from cover to cover – I genuinely couldn’t put it down and I am not exaggerating when I tell you that it is quite simply breathtaking. Corinna and her team of talented cakers have managed to capture the beauty and well… almost the very essence of Ireland and combine it with some truly stunning tutorials from some of the greatest talents their little corner of paradise has to offer.If you’re looking to try something new or to really challenge yourself, I would highly recommend you pick up a copy!

This is one fantastic step by step educational book that is a pleasure to read.. It is really easy to follow each process with excellent photos and directions. I love the geographical photos and the bios of the Celtic Cakers. A truly engaging dialogue runs throughout. Top marks for a well written book for all levels of cake decorator and others.

Lovely pictures and interesting story's

This is an absolutely fabulous book with a lot of variety, there is something to suit all levels and skills

I loved this book ,the photography, the colours and the personnel stories from all the Irish cakemakerswhat a brilliant present to give anybody to give them the hobby of cake decorating

Beautifully presented book with a great Irish perspective on cake decoration. Lovely table top book just to leaf through, although the step by step instructions are also very clear, showing how much Irish talent there is in this field!