David & Charles, Ratgeber, Butler:Modern Sugar Flowers (Englisch, Jacqueline Butler, 2022)

I started baking as a teenager, creating fancy treats for my family during the holidays. Cookies, cakes and pies, I experimented with them all, to mostly enthusiastic sibling reviews. Working in the kitchen with careful precision made sense to me, and I loved the time watching and learning from my mom. Those early days led to baking cakes for friends' and family celebrations, and I soon ventured into sprinkles, piping bags and modeling cute animal figurines. I happened upon a book on pulled sugar _owers, and worked my way through all of the blossoms quickly. The process of shaping a simple ball of paste into a stunning, delicate _ower was truly magical to me, and I couldn't get enough of the art form! I researched artists whose work I admired, and traveled extensively to learn a solid foundation in making sugar _owers. At home, I practiced these new skills over and over again until I felt confident enough to trynew _owers on my own. Over time, I began incorporating sugar _owers into all of my cake designs and developed a personal style that became Petalsweet. The sugar _owers I create are stylized, and simply my own interpretation of the real thing. The _owers take a bit of practice, but are not overwhelming, because I try to keep extra details as simple as possible. If a _ower detail isn't pretty or functional to me, I might change it or even omit it, and that keeps the _ower-making process relaxed and fun. I also use simple cutter shapes and veiners across a variety of _owers where possible, and find this helps me work quickly and efficiently. I encourage you to not focus on perfection, but rather on learning how to make _owers that are well crafted. Practice the techniques, and soon you will be creating beautiful _owers with ease. Petalsweet cakes are clean and modern, with _ower arrangements that are full and fresh. I'm so excited to share some favorite _ower combinations in the cake project designs, as well as a variety of arranging techniques that work for me across a range of cake sizes and styles. Most of the projects are on small cakes, so if you are new to _ower making, you can jump right in and make a beautiful creation for the next birthday or anniversary! If you are more experienced, you can easily scale up to a stunning wedding cake by working several of the arranging techniques into a larger design. I'm honored to have the wonderful opportunity to travel the world and teach sugar _owers to truly lovely and passionate students. The best parts of class are meeting the students on the first day, who are usually nervous about making sugar _owers, and then the moment later in class when they are smiling and excited because they have created something they love, and they can't wait to make it again. I hope you find the tips and techniques helpful so you can begin adding beautiful new sugar _owers to your repertoire right away! And I hope all of the projects and photos will inspire you to create your own elegant and charming _oral cake designs.