He Said/She Said: Confetti Cakes for Kids

Confetti Cakes for Kids: Delightful Cookies, Cakes, and Cupcakes from New York City's Famed Bakery

Written by Elisa Strauss and Christie Matheson

Photography by Ben Fink

ISBN 13: 9780316118293

ISBN 10: 031611829X

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Hardcover: 224 Pages

S: Elissa Strauss makes the most wonderful carved cakes and we love how clean and sharp her work is. That is something we both aim for when making cupcake decorations. The book itself has a high production value with full colour pages, quality paper, hardcover, and dust jacket.

H: The book is divided into a couple sections: Cake Basics, Techniques, Basic Recipes, Cookies, Cupcakes, Mini Cakes, and Cakes. There is also a conversion table and list of resources in the back.

S: Once again, like her first book, the front of the book includes a collage of some of the equipments, decorating tools, and decorations one might need along with short numbered descriptions. However, this book also includes "Hot Tips" which I found really useful because they let you know what to expect when trying a new decorating technique. But the most useful thing they added in Confetti Cakes for Kids is the increase of photographs! There are small step-by-step photos for the techniques!

H: Another improvement in the Techniques section is the specific cookie, cupcake, and cake techniques. Along with full pages of coloured photos and diagrams that help explain fondant and sculpted cakes.

S: My favourite discovery in this book is the section on "Using a Pasta Machine." You might be wondering what a pasta machine has to do with cake decorating? Well, I think this is one great idea for... rolling fondant! They even include photos on doing so... I can't wait to try it, since we have one of those pasta machines that attach to our KitchenAid stand mixer.
H: There are lots of new recipes to try, such as Chocolate Cookies, Amazing Chocolate Brownies, Yellow Cake, Apple Cinnamon Cake, Gingerbread Cake, Carrot and Lemon Cake. New frosting recipes include Peanut Butter Buttercream, Lemon Curd Buttercream, and Brown Sugar Buttercream.
S: Yum... brown sugar!
H: Like Sylvia mentioned before, the book includes a lot more photos. We found each project with a main photo of the finished product and close-ups or different angles. These macro shots are amazing because you can see closer details and notice how precise Elisa Strauss' work truly is.
S: The introductions and instructions are well-written and easy to follow. Templates are provided for specific designs as well.
H: I think the skill level is a bit higher than The Confetti Cakes Cookbook.
S: I agree.
H: Even though these cakes are for kids (or us big kids), you will need a lot of patience for the level of detail.

S: This book raises the bar for providing inspirations, techniques, and ideas for decorators.

H: I give this book 5 out of 5.

S: I also give this book 5 confetti's out of 5!

The Confetti Cakes Cookbook: Spectacular Cookies, Cakes, and Cupcakes from New York City's Famed Bakery is Elisa Strauss' first book with Christie Matheson.

Thank you to Anna from Hachette Book Group for letting us review Confetti Cakes for Kids!