Bake Your Own Wedding Cake

Professional cake decorator Joyce Sokolowski is shown here in her Calories Plus Bakery in Merrillville, IN creating four wedding cakes: one with tiers supported by pillars, one with layers tiered directly on each other and a bride/groom ornament on top, one with frosting flowers, and one that uses silk flowers for decoration. Unfortunately, the production is both rather disorganized and poorly edited (a handheld portable mixer initially doesn't work, but rather than re-shooting or editing out the sequence, the producer pointlessly leaves it in here). Sokolowski doesn't talk about greasing the pans before putting in the batter, though she later mentions the use of professional pan liners; the selection of pan sizes (or how many servings to expect from each cake) isn't discussed until after the cakes are finished; and specialized decorating supplies are not covered in detail (though Sokolowski does mention the names and sizes of tips she uses). Finally, her rapid-fire demonstrations of everything from frosting shells to roses will befuddle and discourage novices before they make it to the first squeeze of the icing bag. A better (and less expensive) selection for public libraries is the venerable (and still available) Basics of Cake Decorating (VL-10/88), presented by well-known “Cake Lady ” Frances Kuyper. Not a necessary purchase. Aud: P. (R. Reagan)