Cookbook Review and GIVEAWAY!
That’s right! My first review and my first giveaway!! I am very excited about this!
Confetti Cakes for Kids is written by Elisa Strauss, founder of Confetti Cakes in New York City. She has created confections as elaborate as a platter of sushi, a wine bottle in a crate and a designer handbag. Now she focuses her talents on her younger fans with this enchanting collection of cakes, cookies and cupcakes for kids.
Since my cookbook arrived the other day, I thought I’d include a review of the book. First of all, this is a very beautiful book. It has a nice hardback and book cover that is colorful and fun. It is broken into a few key sections:
-Introduction
-Cake Basics
-Techniques
-Basic Recipes
-Cookies
-Cupcakes
-Mini cakes
-CakesI love how the hard cover book is actually different than the bookcover. Both are very cute.
After flipping through the book, I realized that it is geared towards decorating techniques, ideas, inspiration, and how-tos. There are some step-by-step photographs to accompany many of these techniques. There are also templates in the back that you can copy and use for your designs.
I personally love new recipes in cookbooks. Funky new flavor combos to inspire my creativity. I didn’t get a whole lot of that from this book (although I can’t wait to try the apple-cinnamon cake with brown sugar buttercream). The recipes are in fact all the basics. There are recipes for a few varieties of cookies, a brownie recipe and a few standard flavors of cake. There are also a few basic frosting recipes including a recipe for lemon curd and rolled fondant.
I decided that in order to complete this review properly, I should make something from the cookbook. I was initially leaning towards yellow cake with chocolate buttercream because I’ve never made a yellow cake. But then I realized I should make something that I know and love. Basically have a mini-throw-down right here in my own kitchen. As loyal readers know, I have a go-to chocolate-cupcake recipe that I got from Laurie (founder of Cupcake Hero, Tuesdays with Dorie, and Layers of Cake). I make this chocolate cupcake a LOT. Everyone loves it and it’s so easy.
So I decided to make the chocolate cake recipe from Confetti Cakes for Kids. Watch for the thrown-down results in a couple days… I’m not going to post the recipe here. Maybe you’ll win a copy of the book to try this and other recipes and techniques yourself.
So here are the rules. Post a comment here and you’ll be entered into the drawing. I will be giving away 5 copies of the book. Entries will be taken until Midnight (EST) on Wednesday, October 15. Be sure to leave an email address so I can contact you if you win. Feel free to use the DOT COM format to prevent spam.
Good luck!!
You know, I finally saw the cookie episode you keep mentioning last night. I caught it on right before bed! 🙂 It made me think of you.
Congratulations to Rachel!! And I would be sad that I didn’t win, but the day after I read your post I found the book at Costco and bought it! Couldn’t help myself. I had even told my husband about it knowing he would get it for Christmas or my birthday…but couldn’t wait.
And it is even more wonderful than I thought it would be! Thank you for the heads up. I don’t know what rock I had been living under, but I hadn’t even HEARD about this book until you posted about it!
And I am already anticipating volume two and three!
hehe – I just sent you an email! So excited to win something!!!
And yes Julie – I taped the cookie episode yesterday too. I always use the “Mrs. Fields/ Nieman Marcus $250 cookie recipe” but I will have to try Alton’s now that I have his book. =)
Thank you!!!!!!!
Yes, My DVR caught the chocolate chip cookie episode too. I can’t wait to watch it again.
I’m planning on reading this cookbook like a novel, front to back. There’s so much good info in it.
Congrats to the winner.