Surprise-Inside Cakes by Amanda Rettke is a the book you need when you want to take an ordinary cake and make it extraordinary. Amanda is the creative voice behind I Am Baker. Check out her site for all kinds of delicious baked goods.
In this book, Amanda organizes the cakes in levels of difficuly – Easy, Medium and Challenging. Directions to make the cake on the cover plus dozens of others are included with step-by-step directions. For most of the cakes you need round cookie cutters, cake pans, decorating bags, tips (a few), an offset spatula and a knife — nothing too expensive or unusual.
There are directions for decorating cakes on the outside as well as making special designs on the inside. I have taken some cake decorating classes and can do the basics but I want to make a cake with Amanda’s rose design – it looks so professional. I’m not a fan of fondant so this book is perfect for me!
A few cakes that grabbed my attention — the Neopolitan Hi-Hat Cake, the Vintage Cake and the Ombre Cake — I love the attention to detail these cakes deliver.
GIVEAWAY: Thanks to William Morrow, I have an extra copy of Amanda’s book for one of you! The giveaway is open to U.S. addresses only. Please leave one comment here telling me about your favorite cake. A random winner will be chosen on July 13th. Winner is #4 Katrina — congratulations!
Good luck.
The links above will take you to Amanda’s site to show you how to do the rose design and the Hi-Hat Cake! Enjoy.
My ultimate cake is the Chocolate Mousse cake featured in a Fine Cooking magazine years ago. It was my very first grown-up cake and I make it every year for my birthday. (8 cups of chocolate mousse- sheer heaven!)
My favorite cake is lemon with lemon curd and marshmallow frosting.
Wow! Sharyl and I have the same fave!
My favorite cake is probably Molten Lava Chocolate Cake, has to be a good one though. Too many recipes there aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. 😉 There’s a surprise inside there, too
my mom’s homemade confetti cake with 7 min frosting
My favorite cake is a lemon loaf cake with lemon icing. I can eat the who,e thing by myself.
Pound cake.
My favorite cake is Hot Fudge Cake.
I love chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, but the favorite cake I made might be an almond cake that I made for my FIL – he didn’t like chocolate, so I had to be creative.
My favorite cake is cream cheese pound cake!
I love Homemade angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream
My new cake obsession is a crepe cake with pastry cream and fruit on top!!
My favorite cake is Red Velvet Cake with White Fluffy Icing. Yum!!
I can narrow it down to German Chocolate with Coconut Pecan frosting and Carrot Cake.
Flourless chocolate cake.
Chocolate cake with buttercream frosting.
Love a dark chocolate cake with a chocolate ganache frosting and a raspberry filling.
Love it. Art on a plate-my kinda stuff. Haven’t found a cake
I don’t like. Love lemon, chocolate, almond, starwaberry, rasberry, etc..etc..
I have two favorites, Hummingbird and Texas Sheet Cake.
strawberry cakes
Italian Creme
My favorite cake is a vanilla bean sponge, with a Nutella and macerated strawberry filling and traditional buttercream. Simple and delicious! It’s what I make for my birthday each year 🙂
I love chocolate cake. I also love orange cake, a new fave of mine. My 9 year old wants to become a pastry chef. She thinks this book looks amazing!
I think my favorite right now woukd be a red velvet cake with cream cheese icing. My wife prefers a white cake with buttercream.
Thank you for the giveaway and opportunity for this book.