Cakes

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Summary: No photos!
Review: I was disappointed that there were no photographs inside this book, as I find photos helpful not only for choosing what I want to bake, but also helpful in creating a finished cake.

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Summary: A Dessert Book By Which Others Should Be Measured
Review: Stated simply, there are no better dessert cookbook writers than Maida Heatter. I have five of her bookbooks and from pleasant experience know that she has no bad recipes in any of her books. This one is no exception. If you can read English and own an oven, I'm not sure how you could possibly screw up one of these cakes. Ms. Heatter spends two to three pages on the simplest of cakes. She tells you where to place the rack in the oven, how many minutes to beat the sugar and butter together and what the batter will look like. For example, in the recipe for Cranberry Upside-Down Cake on page 201, she says: "The mixture might appear slightly curdled--it is okay." I'm happy to say I cooked this cake for the first time a few days ago. My friends thought it was wonderful. The best lemon cake I have ever baked and/or eaten has to be East 62nd Street Lemon Cake(page 22.)Over 20 years ago, when I had never melted chocolate in my life, I cooked a perfect Queen Mother's Cake (pp. 54-56.)The Robert Redford Cake(59-61)is a wonder to behold. Then there is the Oreo Cookie Cake, and on and on they go.

There are sections on all kinds of cakes here: plain cakes, chocolate cakes, layer cakes, fancy cakes, cheesecakes, fruitcakes, cakes with fruits and vegetables, yeast cakes, sweet breads and more. And all kinds of tips-- even how to wash a pastry brush.

There are no photographs in this book but who needs them? Your own cakes will be pretty enough to photograph. If you own other Heatter cookbooks, be forewarned; these recipes have been previously published in two of the author's earlier dessert books but here the cake recipes are all together.

I must admit that I find the cheesecake recipes-- at least most of them, a little over the top. I suppose that's because cheesecake recipes have been anthologized to death and Ms. Heatter sought out the most exotic ones. And I, being a lazy cook, an unwilling to fool with baking a cheesecake in a pan of water. Having said that, if I could have only one dessert cookbook, it would have to be this one.

Rating:
Summary: Baking Book That Takes The Cake!!!
Review: That the recipes are excellent sort of goes without saying with this author, but it is her recipe writing style that sets this book apart. Carefully written, there are no surprises at the end of the recipe that you needed to know at the beginning, and all sorts of hard-earned tips right when you need them: Yes, it's supposed to curdle, yes, it's OK if it cracks a little on the top, dry bread crumbs really will help the bundt cake pop right out of the pan, etc.

Rating:
Summary: Like having the author in your own kitchen
Review: That the recipes are excellent sort of goes without saying with this author, but it is her recipe writing style that sets this book apart. Carefully written, there are no surprises at the end of the recipe that you needed to know at the beginning, and all sorts of hard-earned tips right when you need them: Yes, it's supposed to curdle, yes, it's OK if it cracks a little on the top, dry bread crumbs really will help the bundt cake pop right out of the pan, etc.

Rating:
Summary: Baking Book That Takes The Cake!!!
Review: This book is full of wonderful recipes that just prove that Maida Heatter is the expert on baking. I started off with the Zucchini bread, which is out of this world. I then tried the sticky buns. My family thought I bought them at a bakery. And they weren't that difficult. Anybody who has baked before will be able to complete them with ease. I recommend this book and her others to anyone who loves baked goods, especially cakes.

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Summary: Buy This Book for nothing else but pages 176-179!
Review: This is by far the VERY BEST Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe you will ever try! Not only did my Mom try it years ago for parties etc. but she handed the cookbook down to me, and I used this recipe for a "Groom's Cake" for my then fiance, soon to be husband. 18 years later, it is still his very FAVORITE Cake of all time.

This recipe is a doozy...lots of ingredients, and it does take some time to put it together, but believe me, it is worth every minute of the baking experience. Maida Heatter's directions are so easy to understand and the cake itself is foolproof!

That's not to say that this is the ONLY FABULOUS recipe in the book, far from the case! This book is a treasure trove of wonderful dessert cake recipes. You will not be disappointed.

Thank you Maida Heatter for a Carrot Cake that is par Excellence!

Rating:
Summary: Buy This Book for nothing else but pages 176-179!
Review: This is by far the VERY BEST Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe you will ever try! Not only did my Mom try it years ago for parties etc. but she handed the cookbook down to me, and I used this recipe for a "Groom's Cake" for my then fiance, soon to be husband. 18 years later, it is still his very FAVORITE Cake of all time.

This recipe is a doozy...lots of ingredients, and it does take some time to put it together, but believe me, it is worth every minute of the baking experience. Maida Heatter's directions are so easy to understand and the cake itself is foolproof!

That's not to say that this is the ONLY FABULOUS recipe in the book, far from the case! This book is a treasure trove of wonderful dessert cake recipes. You will not be disappointed.

Thank you Maida Heatter for a Carrot Cake that is par Excellence!