Birthday Cakes: Recipes and Memories from Celebrated Bakers

Rating:
Summary: Not Sure What it Wants to Be
Review: Birthday Cakes is a visually stunning book. Every photograph is gorgeous, showcasing various cakes in lovely detail. Even so, it is something of a disappointment.

The introductory pages include discussions of the various types of equipment called for throughout the book, and the appendix lists sources for all kinds of baking supplies. There is even a list of tips and hints for baking the best possible cake. Ideas for enhancing birthday cakes and celebrations are sprinkled throughout, short discussions of "the birthday song" and birthday candles. None of the instructions are very thorough or detailed, however, leaving one to wonder if the book's intended use is to be merely decorative rather than a practical baking resource.

Fans of culinary literature will be disappointed that so little of "Memories from Celebrated Bakers" is included. Many of the cakes, in fact, have no such memories associated with them in the text. Some of the recipes have no context at all, other than brief explanations of where the recipe was originally published.

Finally, several of the recipes are ridiculously complicated for the home baker. "The Princess Cake," for example, requires following four lengthy pages of instructions! The cover photo suggests a book of classic birthday cakes suitable for home baking - witness the chocolate cake so fondly remembered from childhood - but, sadly, there are only a handful of these simple types of recipes.

In the end, "Birthday Cakes" doesn't seem to know what it wants to be. Is it merely a collection of pretty pictures with explanatory text? An instructional text? Is it for the advanced baker or the home cook? Is is culinary literature? It's a bit of each of these, but not enough of any.

Rating:
Summary: Not Sure What it Wants to Be
Review: Birthday Cakes is a visually stunning book. Every photograph is gorgeous, showcasing various cakes in lovely detail. Even so, it is something of a disappointment.

The introductory pages include discussions of the various types of equipment called for throughout the book, and the appendix lists sources for all kinds of baking supplies. There is even a list of tips and hints for baking the best possible cake. Ideas for enhancing birthday cakes and celebrations are sprinkled throughout, short discussions of "the birthday song" and birthday candles. None of the instructions are very thorough or detailed, however, leaving one to wonder if the book's intended use is to be merely decorative rather than a practical baking resource.

Fans of culinary literature will be disappointed that so little of "Memories from Celebrated Bakers" is included. Many of the cakes, in fact, have no such memories associated with them in the text. Some of the recipes have no context at all, other than brief explanations of where the recipe was originally published.

Finally, several of the recipes are ridiculously complicated for the home baker. "The Princess Cake," for example, requires following four lengthy pages of instructions! The cover photo suggests a book of classic birthday cakes suitable for home baking - witness the chocolate cake so fondly remembered from childhood - but, sadly, there are only a handful of these simple types of recipes.

In the end, "Birthday Cakes" doesn't seem to know what it wants to be. Is it merely a collection of pretty pictures with explanatory text? An instructional text? Is it for the advanced baker or the home cook? Is is culinary literature? It's a bit of each of these, but not enough of any.

Rating:
Summary: Lovely book about birthday traditions (cake).
Review: First let me say the photographs are beautiful and the pages are thick! That is definitely a nice start for any book.

The recipes range from a birthday cake for Elvis (chocolate with peanut butter and bananas) to chiffon cake to German chocolate cake to beautifully domed cakes covered in fondant (this recipe is from 'The Baker's Wife' by Ortiz.). There is nothing spectacular about any of the recipes...they are down-home good recipes that are accompanied by warm-hearted birthday tales.

Anyone who has a favorite home-made birthday memory will love this book or someone who is looking for a 'simple' but stunning birthday cake that tastes great. I have really enjoyed reading this book and the Banana spice cake I made came out wonderful. I look forward to making many more cakes from this book.

Rating:
Summary: Lovely book about birthday traditions (cake).
Review: First let me say the photographs are beautiful and the pages are thick! That is definitely a nice start for any book.

The recipes range from a birthday cake for Elvis (chocolate with peanut butter and bananas) to chiffon cake to German chocolate cake to beautifully domed cakes covered in fondant (this recipe is from 'The Baker's Wife' by Ortiz.). There is nothing spectacular about any of the recipes...they are down-home good recipes that are accompanied by warm-hearted birthday tales.

Anyone who has a favorite home-made birthday memory will love this book or someone who is looking for a 'simple' but stunning birthday cake that tastes great. I have really enjoyed reading this book and the Banana spice cake I made came out wonderful. I look forward to making many more cakes from this book.

Rating:
Summary: outstanding
Review: I couldn't disagree more with the above reviewer who felt this book "couldn't decide what it wants to be."
I think the cookbook's purpose is clear: to provide great recipes to folks who don't need their hands held through the process of baking a cake, including some who aren't intimidated by four pages of instruction. Maybe it isn't for the novice baker, but I was thrilled with the illustrations, the birthday-memory anecdotes, and the variety of recipes.

Rating:
Summary: lovely in every way!
Review: This book is lovely. Is a wonderful collection of cake recipes, contains a good variety of well explained recipes with color pictures and well detailed intructions on how to create them at home. It also features a list of where to get cakecraft suppliers. Simply a beautiful book to look at!!!

Rating:
Summary: lovely in every way!
Review: This book is lovely. Is a wonderful collection of cake recipes, contains a good variety of well explained recipes with color pictures and well detailed intructions on how to create them at home. It also features a list of where to get cakecraft suppliers. Simply a beautiful book to look at!!!

Rating:
Summary: Do NOT try this at home...
Review: This is a beautiful book with filled wonderful ideas. However, the recipes are very bad. I am an experienced baker who attempted a few of cakes with along with a chef, whose history includes an honors degreee from the French Culinary Institute in NYC. We both agree - the recipes are just plain bad. The directions and instructions are not only vague, they assume you can get from point A to point D. If you want to make the cakes in this book, find the recipe elsewhere. I would actually like to know how the author made the cakes in the photographs, because she certainly did not rely on these recipes alone.