Icing on the Cake: Baking and Decorating Simple, Stunning Desserts at Home

by Tessa Huff

Overview

Take a deep dive with baker Tessa Huff into dessert decoration and the presentation of layer cakes and other showstopping sweet treats with Icing on the Cake: Baking and Decorating Simple, Stunning Desserts at Home.

“This book bursts with gorgeous color, delicious recipes, and tons of inspiration.” —Molly Yeh, New York Times bestselling author

Providing the confidence home bakers need to get creative, Icing on the Cake guides readers from cake pan to presentation to dessert plate. Organized by style, each dessert showcases a different decorative element, artistic pastry technique, or presentation idea. Sections include Elegant Cakes and Confections, Decadent Desserts, Kids’ Cakes and Party Treats, and Celebration Cakes and Seasonal Sweets. These fabulous desserts can make any event or meal fabulous:

• Orange Salted Honey Cake
• Garden Cupcakes
• Matcha White Chocolate Cake
• Almond Apricot Battenberg Cake
• Butterscotch Banana Cake
• Triple-Coconut Cake
• Chocolate S’mores Tart
• French-Method Macarons
• Milk & Cookies Cake
• Brownie Sundae Cake
• Apple Blackberry Pie
• Yule Log Cake
• And more!

Tessa Huff writes in her introduction, “For me, the ‘icing on the cake’ means much more than frosting. It is taking a sweet treat and elevating it to something even more delightful. It is the little something extra that transforms our homemade baked goods into beautiful, showstopping desserts. In a literal sense the concept includes meticulously piped frosting on sky-high cakes and gardens of buttercream rose-topped cupcakes, but it also means ultra-chic French macarons with marbled icing, a kaleidoscope of seasonal fruit tarts, and all the sugar-filled and sprinkled-covered decorations of our dreams.”

With hundreds of beautiful photos, including lots of step-by-steps, Icing on the Cake is a richly illustrated guide for creating delicious, beautiful desserts that will be the grand finale of any gathering.

“Everything you need to create the most beautiful cakes and pastries!” —Linda Lomelino, blogger, Call Me Cupcake

“Tessa is the cake decorating queen!” —Sally McKenney, author, Sally’s Baking Addiction

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419734632
Publisher:	Abrams
Publication date:	04/02/2019
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	326,546
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 10.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Tessa Huff is a trained baker, recipe developer, food photographer, and creator of the cake and pastry blog Style Sweet. She is a regular contributor for The Kitchn, Food Network CA, and The Cake Blog. Huff was named one of Better Homes and Gardens’ Best Baking Bloggers, and her work has been featured online and in print for America’s Test Kitchen, Teen Vogue, West Elm, Country Living, Southern Living, BuzzFeed, Better Homes and Gardens, and more.

Table of Contents

Introduction 9

How To Use This Book 13

Helpful Equipment Beyond the Basics 14

Frequently Used Ingredients 16

All About Layer Cakes 16

Elegant Cakes and Confections 25

Orange Salted Honey Cake 27

Garden Cupcakes 30

Matcha White Chocolate Cake 39

Almond Apricot Battenberg Cake 42

Berry Pistachio Pavlova Cake 47

Blackberry Elderflower Vertical Layer Cake 48

Swedish Princess Cake 52

Almond Raspberry Celebration Cake 56

Lavender Blackberry Cake 60

Decadent Desserts 65

Chocolate Millionaire's Cake 66

Butterscotch Banana Cake 70

Fancy-Pants Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes 74

Triple-Coconut Cake 77

Vanilla Passion Fruit Caramel Cake 81

Pistachio Truffle Cake 84

Chocolate S'mores Tart 89

Chocolate Stout Cake with Irish Cream 90

Sticky Toffee Date Cake 95

All About Macarons 99

French-Method Macarons 104

Italian-Method Macarons 105

Kids Cakes and Party Treats 107

Sprinkle Surprise Cupcakes 108

Pink Lemonade Cake 111

Lemonade Cupcakes 115

Brownie Sundae Cake 116

Milk & Cookies Cake 123

Rainbow No-Bake Cheesecake 126

Blueberry Galaxy Cake 130

Ice Cream Macaron Sandwiches 135

Cotton Candy Cloud Cake 136

Double-Vanilla Cake, Four Ways 140

Classic Cakes with a Twist 147

Chocolate Tiramisu Cake 148

Coffee Cheesecake 154

Cannoli Cake 158

Peanut Butter Éclairs 162

French Opera Cake, Two Ways 166

Mix-and-Match Meringues 171

Tuxedo Checkerboard Cake 172

Chocolate Banana Pie 175

All about Pie 179

All-Butter Pie Dough 183

Rustic Bakes and Cakes 185

Caramel Apple Pear Pie 186

Rosy Rhubarb Strawberry Slab Pie 192

Chai Walnut Cake 196

Mix-and-Match Fruit Tarts 200

Victoria Sponge Cake 206

Angel Food Cupcakes 211

Mini Mocha Cakes 212

Hand Pies and Pie Pops 215

Celebration Cakes and Seasonal Sweets 219

Sparkling Raspberry Cake 220

Meringue Gems 224

Chocolate Malt Easter Egg Macarons 227

Hibiscus Lemon Marbled Macarons 228

Apple Blackberry Pie 232

Cinnamon Peach Apricot Pie 237

Blueberry Plum Nectarine Pie 238

Maple Applesauce Cake 243

Molasses Pumpkin Spice Cake 247

Yule Log Cake 249

Candy Cane Marshmallows 254

Gingerbread Village Cake 256

Back-Pocket Essentials 260

Whipped Vanilla Buttercream 261

Swiss Meringue Buttercream 262

Whipped Cream 263

Chocolate Drizzle 263

Caramel Sauce 263

Vanilla Pastry Cream 264

Decoding Vanilla Cakes 265

How to Fill and Frost a Cake 266

How to Frost a Cupcake 272

Playful Piping 274

Converting Recipe Sizes 278

Storage 278

Transportation and Slicing 279

Sources 280

Acknowledgments 281

Index 282

Editorial Reviews

Tessa’s cakes strike a beautiful balance between timeless and fresh, creating new, stunning classics for cake decorators of all levels. This book bursts with gorgeous color, delicious recipes, and tons of inspiration.

blogger and author of Molly on the Range - Molly Yeh

Icing On the Cake delivers on every level—delicious recipes, gorgeously styled treats, and easy-to-follow instructions. Tessa is a true teacher, carefully walking readers through her process while inviting them to explore their own creativity. One flip through this book and you’ll be firing up the oven and breaking out the piping tips!

cookbook author and creator of Erin Bakes - Erin Gardner

Icing on the Cake is a book to pore over with a mug of cocoa and dream big kitchen dreams. Her guidance also makes them totally achievable.

food stylist and author of The Fearless Baker - Erin Jeanne McDowell

There's no arguing that Tessa is the cake decorating queen! Through beautiful styling, easy-to-understand direction, helpful kitchen tips, and deliciously creative recipes, Tessa takes the intimidation out of fancy decorative desserts.

author of Sally's Baking Addiction - Sally McKenney

Good news for all new and experienced bakers, this book is everything you need to create the most beautiful cakes and pastries!

author of creator of Call Me Cupcake - Linda Lomelino

Tessa’s cakes strike a beautiful balance between timeless and fresh, creating new, stunning classics for cake decorators of all levels. This book bursts with gorgeous color, delicious recipes, and tons of inspiration.”—Molly Yeh, blogger and author of Molly on the Range

“Good news for all new and experienced bakers, this book is everything you need to create the most beautiful cakes and pastries!”—Linda Lomelino, author of creator of Call Me Cupcake

“There's no arguing that Tessa is the cake decorating queen! Through beautiful styling, easy-to-understand direction, helpful kitchen tips, and deliciously creative recipes, Tessa takes the intimidation out of fancy decorative desserts.”—Sally McKenney, author of Sally's Baking Addiction

“Icing on the Cake is a book to pore over with a mug of cocoa and dream big kitchen dreams. Her guidance also makes them totally achievable.”—Erin Jeanne McDowell, food stylist and author of The Fearless Baker

“Icing On the Cake delivers on every level—delicious recipes, gorgeously styled treats, and easy-to-follow instructions. Tessa is a true teacher, carefully walking readers through her process while inviting them to explore their own creativity. One flip through this book and you’ll be firing up the oven and breaking out the piping tips!”—Erin Gardner, cookbook author and creator of Erin Bakes

From the Publisher

07/01/2019

Style Sweet blogger Huff's second cookbook entry (after Layered) contains more than 100 recipes for a variety of cakes and other desserts, including cupcakes, pastries, macaroons, pies, and tarts, with detailed instructions for decorating each one to perfection. Huff's signature layer cakes make a welcome appearance here, with each recipe highlighting specific decorating techniques and several unique flavor combinations such as chai walnut, lavender blackberry, and matcha white chocolate. Huff keeps the focus on fun, admitting that many of her intricate creations are aspirational, and offering flexible decorating suggestions for readers with less time or skill to devote to sugary precision. Step-by-step photographs highlight various piping and frosting techniques, while the array of cake and dessert styles ensures that this title will appeal to a broad range of home bakers. VERDICT With an eye-catching design and plenty of dazzling photographs, Huff's book is sure to be a hit with experienced bakers wanting to learn advanced techniques for creating Instagram-worthy desserts; highly recommended.—Kelsy Peterson, Forest Hill Coll., Melbourne, Australia

Library Journal