It's party time again and whether the celebration is a child's or grown up's birthday, a seasonal family get-together, an anniversary or christening, the stunning projects featured will provide fun ideas for that special centrepiece. There are designs to delight children of all ages: animal lovers will adore the exotic tropical parrot, Indian elephant in full regalia or chocolate porcupine; older children will be delighted with the glamorous mermaid, the sleek sailboat or the "cheese and tomato" pizza. For adults, there are original ideas for men and women of all ages; a mobile phone as a retro nod for the businessman or woman, a chocolate-iced basket filled with strawberries for Valentine's Day and a cake wrapped and beribboned in sugarpaste – literally the perfect present. For people with special hobbies, choose from the terracotta flower pot complete with seed packets, the artist's box and palette, the fun racing ring or the vegetable stand; and for festive occasions there are bright and unusual designs for Christmas, Easter and Halloween. The cakes vary in complexity and use a variety of decorating techniques, but with precise instructions and clear step-by-step photographs all are within the capabilities of even the novice cake decorator. Each project features a full ingredients list and details equipment and materials needed; in addition, there is invaluable advice on storing and freezing the cakes at various stages of preparation. A handy back-up section features recipes for the classic sponge and fruit cake bases and delicious icings, frostings and popular cake coverings, including buttercream, marzipan, sugarpaste and royal icing, used throughout the book.
