Rating: Summary: Absolutely loved it!!!... Review: Just like the first book, this one was great... specially if you adore chocolate like I do. Very easy to follow instructions and the book like the first included many tips on baking. I learned so much... from baking times to baking pans, ingredient substitutions and just tons of things I never knew regarding baking in general. And what I enjoyed the most were looking at the pictures. Every cake and cookie had a corresponding picture. Like a lot of people, I like to know how something is supposed to look like before I bake it. All in all, this along with the first book is an excellent buy. For a person that loves to bake but doesn't have all the time in the world to stay in the kitchen, this book is just what the doctor ordered...
Rating: Summary: Absolutely loved it!!!... Review: Just like the first book, this one was great... specially if you adore chocolate like I do. Very easy to follow instructions and the book like the first included many tips on baking. I learned so much... from baking times to baking pans, ingredient substitutions and just tons of things I never knew regarding baking in general. And what I enjoyed the most were looking at the pictures. Every cake and cookie had a corresponding picture. Like a lot of people, I like to know how something is supposed to look like before I bake it. All in all, this along with the first book is an excellent buy. For a person that loves to bake but doesn't have all the time in the world to stay in the kitchen, this book is just what the doctor ordered...
Rating: Summary: You gotta love it when cooking is this easy! Review: Now there are times when we can't prepare something from scratch, and this book is perfect for those times. By adding a few extra ingredients that are readily available in your pantry, you can turn somethin ordinary into something people will rave about, and beg you for the recipe. Meanwhile you have accomplished this with a boxed cake mix, and things you normally have in the pantry. I like this book more than the first book, as well it has one of the things that I enjoy the most.... Chocolate. This book is packed with all sorts of recipes for cake(Chocolate Sour Cream Cake), brownies (Kaluhua Cream Cheese Brownies), and many other tasty creations. The book is well written, easy to read and filled with serving suggestions and so much more. I would highly recommend this book to you if you are looking for something a little special.
Rating: Summary: Don't bother if you have her first book! Review: On the hunch that this book would probably have a lot of reruns from the first book, I took it out of the library rather than buying it. And I was right -- there are a lot of exact repeats, plus a lot of repeats with chocolate or cocoa added (or using a chocolate cake mix instead of the original yellow, white, spice, etc). In some instances the recipes don't sound very appetizing -- I mean, Chocolate Pumpkin Cake? Chocolate Spice Cake? For me, there are more than enough chocolate recipes in the first book. Frankly, I wish she would do a lower-fat book. But probably the cakes would taste even more like cake mix if they weren't loaded up with extra butter, chocolate, sour cream, etc. However, I did try the "Darn Good Chocolate Cake" with low-fat sour cream and no chocolate chips, and it still turned out very well. (I did use the full amount of eggs and oil.)
Rating: Summary: can't fix the chocoholic Review: The recipes I've tried were adequate, but none were spectacular. The souped-up chocolate cake recipes save on time but not likely to impress the serious baker.
Rating: Summary: Many Ideas For Little Cost Review: This book is a blessing for anyone with limited time who does not want to make cakes from scratch. I have tried a dozen from this book, adjusted them to my altitude (7,500 feet) and they were great. I recommend this book without reservation at twice the price.
Rating: Summary: As good if not better than the first!! Review: This book may not be appreciated by the from scratch purists but it definitely is the book for those short on time. Plus it's fun factor is off the charts!! Anne Byrn puts together another tasty collection, with fantastic pictures to boot, for bakers to drool over. Focusing on chocolate this time around she sticks with the succesful format of her first book and adds a questions and answer section based on questions that arose from her first succesful Cake Mix Doctor book. There is much more focus on decorating the cakes this time around but don't be alarmed---the decorating is as easy as putting the cake together. If you haven't discovered the Cake Mix Doctor yet then this is the time. For those who are well familiar with the first book there are a few repeats which might be a disappointment but the myriad of new recipes should make up for it.
Rating: Summary: A Must Have For Chocolate Cake Lovers Review: This has a lot of good simple recipes. It is easy to follow. There is even a picture index at the beginning of the book for easy access to each recipe.
Rating: Summary: The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Up Another Winner Review: This is a terrific follow-up to The Cake Mix Doctor. This time around though, the recipes focus on a broader variety of desserts that can be made from chocolate cake and brownie mixes. Making a few simple substitutions and/or additions to a basic chocolate cake or brownie mix can give you a dessert that will silence most "cake mix doubters". No one will believe the Triple Decker Chocolate Raspberry Cake began with a mix! This time, Chocolate From the Cake Mix Doctor adds more variety than just chocolate cakes with a larger number of brownies, muffins, bars and little cakes than seen in the previous book. As in her first CMD book, Byrn gives recipes for terrific scratch frostings which are what really set these cakes apart. There are clear tips and suggestions in a thoroughly updated first section and great ideas in neat boxes at nearly every recipe. My favorite thing about the book is the website that goes along with it, where bakers can ask questions about a recipe in the book and get reviews and suggestions from other bakers. If you are a fan of chocolate, bake a lot or are looking for a way to make your chocolate cakes a bit less ordinary--this book will not disappoint you.
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