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Surprise-Inside Cakes: Amazing Cakes for Every Occasion—with a Little Something Extra Inside
From Amanda Rettke, founder of the popular blog I Am Baker, comes Surprise-Inside Cakes with recipes and techniques to make dozens of stunning, imaginative cakes for every occasion, each with something special inside.
Whether it’s a striking, all-white cake with a secret red velvet heart baked inside; a birthday cake, complete with a surprise balloon cake in the middle; or the gorgeous hydrangea cake that took the blogosphere by storm; Amanda’s cakes are downright revolutionary—and really fun to prepare.
This beautifully designed cookbook contains eye-popping color photos and step-by-step instructions to create incredible surprise-inside cakes in your own kitchen.For Amanda Rettke, every cake is a gift to be shared with family and friends, a special treat that should be lovingly prepared and meticulously designed—from the inside out.
Whether it’s a striking, all-white cake with a secret red velvet heart baked inside; a birthday cake, complete with a surprise balloon cake in the middle; or the gorgeous hydrangea cake that took the blogosphere by storm; Amanda’s cakes are downright revolutionary—and really fun to prepare.
This beautifully designed cookbook contains eye-popping color photos and step-by-step instructions to create incredible surprise-inside cakes in your own kitchen.For Amanda Rettke, every cake is a gift to be shared with family and friends, a special treat that should be lovingly prepared and meticulously designed—from the inside out.
647 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 2, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
August 29, 2014
Do you have an upcoming celebration that you'd like to bring an extra special cake too? This book is perfect for bakers who would like an extra challenge, or those with a special occasion coming up. Filled with possibilities, ideas, and recipes, this book is a fun resource for those looking to bake an exceptional dessert!
April 11, 2022
Cute ideas, maybe a bit more accessible to the average baker than some cookbooks. I was surprised that the rainbow heart wasn't at all Pride related! Also, I do not recommend searching "surprise inside" on goodreads because erm, other suggestions came up.
June 7, 2020
Never been a cake person, but looks like this could be the next challenge in my life!
March 21, 2014
it was a pretty idea and the cover is beautiful but looking inside i was disappointed the outside of the cakes are pretty and creative but the insides? all of the instructions looked the same and the finished product looked a mess like it did not belong in a professional cake. and to make it? i'm sorry but the average person would not be able to make these cakes. unrealistic
April 9, 2014
When I saw the cover of this book I was instantly intrigued and made sure to request it from my library. What I really liked about this book was the color pictures and steps, but after looking at them I realized that they were too putzy for me, someone who bakes often, let alone for the average baker. I would rather just look at the pictures then waste a day and being frustrated at the outcome.
March 4, 2015
Beautiful concept but my attempt was a disastrous mess. (But it tasted good.) It is so much WORK to create one of these that I find it far more pleasurable to read the book, admire the pretty photos and then go to my local bakery to eat sweets. Hats off to Amanda Rettke for teaching herself how to bake with such precision and MATH (yes, really).
May 12, 2019
She is baker, hear her roar.
Rettke, who blogs at I Am Baker, delivers a show-stopper of a book designed for home bakers with advanced skills, or the capacity to learn some. At the very least you should already have a cake recipe that you know like the back of your hand, and be able to execute consistently and comfortably, since even the "easy" designs might seem challenging to a true beginner.
That being said, if you're going to swing for the fences, Rettke's collection of "surprise-inside" cakes will help you deliver a grand slam at the next event for which you want to up the ante. Start with a box mix, if you have to, because this collection of gorgeous cakes is totally worth the effort. Rettke begins by showing n00bs how to properly frost a cake, and generously offers a few family recipes for tried-and-true cakes and homemade icing, in case you don't have sone in your back pocket (and/or hate store-bought, I guess, but still, sweet gesture). There ARE some unusual, but not outrageous, tools involved: if you bake a lot, you probably have all the gear; less experienced bakers might want to either borrow things or be willing to commit to these projects, so as not to waste money or time.
The cakes themselves? Super cute. From simple rainbow-stripe cakes, the designs get harder until you're baking cakes with apples, paw prints, and leopard spots hidden inside (minus five points for missing the opportunity to call this a "cougar cake"). The candle rose cake, in particular, is absolutely gorgeous, and looks worth the risk. Some of these are fancy, some are fun, but all are drop-dead gorgeous, and the decorations are pro-level, so you'd better get ready to up your Wilton tips game too. If you're not super confident about either your baking or your decorating, you may want to team up with a friend for some practice runs. In fact, an afternoon in the kitchen with your bestie learning to make show-stopper cakes could be more fun than marathoning GBBS for the eleventy-seventh time.
Every cookery collection should have a few "reach for the stars" selections, and --being both pretty and fun -- Rettke's is a good one. If you live in a community with a lot of social gatherings where baked goods are required, it's a must: PTA meetings, church potlucks, and county fair competitions will get a lot more interesting when you bring one of Rettke's bombshells. Recommended for all but the smallest cookbook collections. And if you're a really good baker? Please, go buy one. This is going to make your home library even MORE exciting than it already is.
Rettke, who blogs at I Am Baker, delivers a show-stopper of a book designed for home bakers with advanced skills, or the capacity to learn some. At the very least you should already have a cake recipe that you know like the back of your hand, and be able to execute consistently and comfortably, since even the "easy" designs might seem challenging to a true beginner.
That being said, if you're going to swing for the fences, Rettke's collection of "surprise-inside" cakes will help you deliver a grand slam at the next event for which you want to up the ante. Start with a box mix, if you have to, because this collection of gorgeous cakes is totally worth the effort. Rettke begins by showing n00bs how to properly frost a cake, and generously offers a few family recipes for tried-and-true cakes and homemade icing, in case you don't have sone in your back pocket (and/or hate store-bought, I guess, but still, sweet gesture). There ARE some unusual, but not outrageous, tools involved: if you bake a lot, you probably have all the gear; less experienced bakers might want to either borrow things or be willing to commit to these projects, so as not to waste money or time.
The cakes themselves? Super cute. From simple rainbow-stripe cakes, the designs get harder until you're baking cakes with apples, paw prints, and leopard spots hidden inside (minus five points for missing the opportunity to call this a "cougar cake"). The candle rose cake, in particular, is absolutely gorgeous, and looks worth the risk. Some of these are fancy, some are fun, but all are drop-dead gorgeous, and the decorations are pro-level, so you'd better get ready to up your Wilton tips game too. If you're not super confident about either your baking or your decorating, you may want to team up with a friend for some practice runs. In fact, an afternoon in the kitchen with your bestie learning to make show-stopper cakes could be more fun than marathoning GBBS for the eleventy-seventh time.
Every cookery collection should have a few "reach for the stars" selections, and --being both pretty and fun -- Rettke's is a good one. If you live in a community with a lot of social gatherings where baked goods are required, it's a must: PTA meetings, church potlucks, and county fair competitions will get a lot more interesting when you bring one of Rettke's bombshells. Recommended for all but the smallest cookbook collections. And if you're a really good baker? Please, go buy one. This is going to make your home library even MORE exciting than it already is.
May 12, 2017
This is amazing, and I cannot wait to put this to good use and impress family and friends!
October 30, 2017
interesting ideas although probably more complex than what I can handle.
December 14, 2017
Less of a recipe book, more of an Art's & Craft's book with edibles.
January 31, 2019
Not impressed
Not impressed. Was expecting it to be more inspiring. The only cake design I like is the raingbow heart on the front cover.
Not impressed. Was expecting it to be more inspiring. The only cake design I like is the raingbow heart on the front cover.
October 13, 2019
Cool ideas!
Nice book with great pictures showing you exactly what to do along the way. Very good detailing throughout this book.
Nice book with great pictures showing you exactly what to do along the way. Very good detailing throughout this book.
February 1, 2022
Fun for the kitchen.
August 17, 2022
Wonderful book
January 27, 2021
How to add a picture/image inside a baked cake.
December 27, 2015
I got this and the Marsha Phipps Surprise Cakes book at the same time because I couldn't remember which one all the hubub was about. Turns out I still don't remember but I'd rate 'em both about the same anyway. The difference, to me, seems to be that Surprise-Inside Cakes is more about assembling the surprise and Phipps is more about baking the surprise in.
One real turn off in both of the books is that some of the cakes just don't look that great. If you can't do it for publication with a team of professionals, how can I do it in my kitchen? In all fairness, most of the cakes are adorable - on both counts - but there were def a couple that could have taken another pass at the testing stage.
Rettke's book is a slight winner here because of her wider range of designs and techniques but really because she pulls off is the photo-for-every-step thing that some of us have come really clingy about. (Present company included.)
Will I try any of these? Eh - maybe. The first two - colored cake layers separated by white buttercream and white cake layers separated by colored buttercream - seem like something I can pull off. I might give the rainbow/checkerboard cake a whirl. And the Vintage cake looks worthwhile, although puzzling alongside the other recipes here: it's simply a white cake with a brownie bottom layer. But still - yum.
One real turn off in both of the books is that some of the cakes just don't look that great. If you can't do it for publication with a team of professionals, how can I do it in my kitchen? In all fairness, most of the cakes are adorable - on both counts - but there were def a couple that could have taken another pass at the testing stage.
Rettke's book is a slight winner here because of her wider range of designs and techniques but really because she pulls off is the photo-for-every-step thing that some of us have come really clingy about. (Present company included.)
Will I try any of these? Eh - maybe. The first two - colored cake layers separated by white buttercream and white cake layers separated by colored buttercream - seem like something I can pull off. I might give the rainbow/checkerboard cake a whirl. And the Vintage cake looks worthwhile, although puzzling alongside the other recipes here: it's simply a white cake with a brownie bottom layer. But still - yum.
August 15, 2015
if you're reading this cookbook, chances are that you're searching for a pretty cake, not a yummy cake. heads up if that's not what you had in mind.
i like the variety. there's everything from layer cakes (personally i'm meh about the ones in here, but they look like a good base to start from) to fancy patterned cakes with intense insides (arrows, trees, butterflies, etc). that being said, even the hard ones look very do-able; her instructions are clear, and there's step-by-step pictures for everything (they can be a bit small and surprisingly unprofessional looking at times, but excuse my nitpicking). yes, do-able, but definitely time-consuming (as an obsessive baker with nothing to do for the next month, this doesn't worry me, but i recognize that 99% of people aren't like that).
i was a little bugged by the fact that she doesn't specify the yield for her frostings. american buttercreams aren't my favorite, and i'd love to sub it out for swiss meringue buttercream; will wing it and see how it goes.
i like the variety. there's everything from layer cakes (personally i'm meh about the ones in here, but they look like a good base to start from) to fancy patterned cakes with intense insides (arrows, trees, butterflies, etc). that being said, even the hard ones look very do-able; her instructions are clear, and there's step-by-step pictures for everything (they can be a bit small and surprisingly unprofessional looking at times, but excuse my nitpicking). yes, do-able, but definitely time-consuming (as an obsessive baker with nothing to do for the next month, this doesn't worry me, but i recognize that 99% of people aren't like that).
i was a little bugged by the fact that she doesn't specify the yield for her frostings. american buttercreams aren't my favorite, and i'd love to sub it out for swiss meringue buttercream; will wing it and see how it goes.
November 12, 2014
This is an awesome book with all those mouth-watering cakes! I tried to do a rainbow cake but I ended up just baking two layers (colors red and yellow) and making it checkered-surprise cake instead. I couldn't motivate myself enough to go through baking 7 layers of cake. I am lazy that way. Or maybe I was just impatient to eat the cake? XD
Although the cakes are creative, I don't think I'll do it again unless I'm pretty much bored and has a whole day with nothing to do. These cakes are time-consuming and complicated that I often find myself saying 'how the heck did that happened?'. But I'll try the cake and frosting recipes again. And I wonder if I can use the 'cake mixture' like a fondant to cover the cake? hmmm.. *stares at my oven, thinking*
May 27, 2014
This is an amazing book. The author basically taught herself how to create these amazing surprise-inside cakes! But, most of the surprise-inside ones look REALLY time-consuming and complicated. Thankfully she does have some other easier cake recipes too. The "stripe" cakes where each layer is a different color look really pretty and are MUCH easier than some of the others. She also has a few recipes for cakes that aren't "surprise-inside" too. At the beginning she gives some basic cake and icing recipes and tips on how to spread the icing on for a smooth finish. This is definitely eye-candy, but I don't think I'm going to attempt any "surprise-inside" cakes. I will try some of her other easier ideas though.
October 1, 2014
Do you have an upcoming celebration that you'd like to bring an extra special cake to? This book is perfect for bakers who would like an extra challenge, or those with a special occasion coming up. Filled with possibilities, ideas, and recipes, this book is a fun resource for those looking to make an exceptional dessert!
Sarah M. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.
February 26, 2021
If you like exclamation points in your copy, this is the book for you. I even found four in two paragraphs. If you can overlook them, you might enjoy the detailed instructions on how to make a cake with those hidden figures inside. Those exclamation points though are something else.
December 30, 2014
there are a few techniques that are fun and that I might use, but in general the whole "turn cake + frosting into play doh" to make middles isn't a technique I can see myself adopting any time soon. Also, grey cake? not appetizing looking, at all.
January 6, 2015
Some cute cakes in here, but the labor involved is way too much for a cute cake. Also, I think I'd rather just have a delicious piece of cake instead of one that has been 'handled' this much (cut up, crumbled, and packed back together).
October 16, 2014
4 stars for originality. Would never actually take the time to make one of these cakes but imagining it was fun!
August 28, 2014
I absolutely adored this cookbook. The creative recipes were very easy to understand and the photographs were glorious. One of my all time favorite cookbooks! A must-have for the cook or baker.
October 2, 2014
This was pretty neat to read and learn new amaziong tricks to making a cake with a little something extra. Worth checking out to get more creative in your baking.
November 10, 2014
This book was interesting and had a lot of cute projects.
December 30, 2014
Looks sloppy, but nice foundation for ideas.
February 26, 2016
Great cookbook. I've tried out the Neopolitan Hi-Hat cake. I finished the chocolate layer, but it broke. Still delicious. Hoping my strawberry layer comes out better!
July 16, 2015
Cute cake ideas and wonderful pictures!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews