The Wilton Way of Cake Decorating Volume 1, 2 ,3
These three books are fantastic instructionals – I was so lucky to get my hands on them! One of the restaurants I was working for decided they were useless, and threw them in the garbage – boo-yah!
A lot of what is in these books I will never use, it is completely outdated or redundant. Many of the designs are a bit tack – but not all of them – some of the designs are cyclical, and keep coming back, while others are definitive mainstays (basket weave, for example).
These books are a staggering legacy from an earlier generation, with the compiled wisdom of decades of cake-making. It amazes me that these turn up on sites like Amazon or eBay frequently for a few dollars – there is such an enormous range of information in these masterpieces of cake knowledge.
For a cake newbie or professional, these 3 volumes (two of which are subtitled The Complete Encyclopedia, with the remaining volume subtitled ‘The Uses of Tubes’) almost single-handedly encompass the techniques, skills, and knowledge base of all inspired cake innovators of previous eras. Collectively they contain an overwhelming amount of information, which I cannot wait to completely assimilate. These books are gold – recommended- all aspiring cake designers should check them out. Used copies are turn up regularly Amazon – if you are intrigued, buy them up as quick as you can.