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Book Description
Cakewalk showcases and makes available for the first time the superbly decorated cakes that have earned cake decorator and sugar artist extraordinaire Margaret Braun her stellar reputation.
This book contains easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions for constructing fifteen of Braun's greatest creations. In addition to offering the tools and a foolproof decorating method for each featured cake, Braun also provides the creative and culinary background on each of her confections. Each sugar masterpiece is the result of many influences--all of which are conveyed through Braun's own words and an elegant blend of imagery that includes her diverse visual references, magnificently drawn and hand-lettered schematic cake plans, illustrations done in food coloring, and especially commissioned photography by renowned photographer Quentin Bacon.
Braun also reveals her secrets for beautiful cakes, such as achieving the perfect consistency for fillings and icings, mixing colors to get the right hue, and combining colors and motifs successfully. A visual glossary covers every decorative motif featured in the book, describing its creation through clear visuals and easy-to-follow text. The volume also includes Braun's favorite recipes, including basic cakes, an array of icings and ganaches, rolled fondant, pastillage, marzipan, and family recipes like Braun's mother's flourless chocolate cake. Finally, a detailed listing and description of the necessary cake-decorating tools and a sources section round out this definitive work.
About the Author
Margaret Braun is a sugar artist whose work explores the connection between the food arts and fine arts. She began working in pastry kitchens while studying art. Her remarkable cakes have been exhibited internationally, shown on major network television and in notable films, and featured on the covers of Food Arts and Gourmet, and in the New York Times, New York magazine, Food & Wine, Martha Stewart Weddings, Bride's, InStyle, Lucky, the New York Observer, and Interview, among other prominent publications. A resident of New York City, Braun maintains a distinguished clientele and a 27 rating in Zagat's.
Quentin Bacon's work has appeared in Vogue Entertaining (Australia), Gourmet, Food & Wine, and Metropolitan Home, as well as in Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef by Jean-Georges Vongerichten, R.S.V.P. by Nan Kempner, and Holiday Food by Mario Batali. Born in Australia, Bacon lives in New York City.
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Margaret Braun is a sugar craft master, for whom a cake is a work of fine art. In this exquisitely photographed and beautifully presented book, she explains how to re-create 15 of her amazing, labor-intensive signature designs, like the three-tier Saint Ursula cake with blue and green icing and a sugar chalice resting on top. This is more than a simple instruction book, though: Braun explains the historic inspiration behind each cake. For example, she invented the Afternoon with Frederick after a visit to Sans Souci Palace in Potsdam, Germany, and a four-tiered cake covered in tiny tiles mimics a mosaic in Ravenna, Italy. Not all of Braun's designs are so highbrow, however. The loopy Decal Recall is decorated with flowers inspired by bathtub no-slip decals. In any case, these cakes are ambitious projects, and Braun goes over ingredients and basic recipes, as well as tools and techniques for creating motifs such as scallop shells and polka dots. Braun (whose work has been displayed on numerous TV shows and movies, including Meet Joe Black) is charming, conveying her love for her work in an introduction in which she compares a finished cake to a musical score. Still, only the most experienced cooks won't be daunted by the recipes. Beautifully photographed by Quentin Bacon.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Food & Wine, September 2001
. . . as armchair adventures go, it's hard to beat.
Review
"Margaret Braun's fantastic confections are intricately and beautifully constructed. She creates edible edifices that delight the eye and palate. And Cakewalk, beautifully illustrated, lets us in on the creative and culinary process of making these delicious and gorgeous cakes."--Maya Lin
"Margaret Braun is the cake master, a fact which would be impossible not to acknowledge after seeing the works featured in Cakewalk. By showing us photographs of her creations, paired with explanations of the intellectual process that fuels her inspiration, Margaret has managed to create an absolutely fascinating book."--Daniel Boulud, Chef and owner, Daniel, Café Boulud, and db Bistro Moderne
"Margaret Braun takes the cake! And Cakewalk is inspirational. Her writing is poetic, instructive, and certain to influence present and future generations of chefs, food artists, and scientists. The photography takes food presentation to new frontiers, while her wonderful cakes combine design, literature, and architecture in a way that makes baking and design flow together in a mellifluous and delicious continuum of art, energy, and passion. Margaret is a true visionary."--Mario Batali, chef and owner, Babbo/Lupa, Esca, and Italian Wine Merchants
"This book is an insight into Margaret's creative mind through her stories, drawings, and techniques. Quentin's photography is stunning as usual."--Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
Review
"Margaret Braun's fantastic confections are intricately and beautifully constructed. She creates edible edifices that delight the eye and palate. And Cakewalk, beautifully illustrated, lets us in on the creative and culinary process of making these delicious and gorgeous cakes."--Maya Lin
"Margaret Braun is the cake master, a fact which would be impossible not to acknowledge after seeing the works featured in Cakewalk. By showing us photographs of her creations, paired with explanations of the intellectual process that fuels her inspiration, Margaret has managed to create an absolutely fascinating book."--Daniel Boulud, Chef and owner, Daniel, Café Boulud, and db Bistro Moderne
"Margaret Braun takes the cake! And Cakewalk is inspirational. Her writing is poetic, instructive, and certain to influence present and future generations of chefs, food artists, and scientists. The photography takes food presentation to new frontiers, while her wonderful cakes combine design, literature, and architecture in a way that makes baking and design flow together in a mellifluous and delicious continuum of art, energy, and passion. Margaret is a true visionary."--Mario Batali, chef and owner, Babbo/Lupa, Esca, and Italian Wine Merchants
"This book is an insight into Margaret's creative mind through her stories, drawings, and techniques. Quentin's photography is stunning as usual."--Jean-Georges Vongerichten. |
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