The first chapter, Cakes, is split into four subsections, and we begin with Loaf & Plain Cakes which includes a Madeira cake, a dump lemon & almond cake and a rosemary loaf cake, followed by Filled & Iced Cakes which consist of a Victoria sponge, butterscotch layer and baby bundt cakes. Fruited Cakes offers a cherry almond loaf, marzipan fruit cake and a winter plum cake, with Cupcakes pitching burnt butter-brown sugar cupcakes, sponge drops and carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.
Cookies, Scones and Muffins delivers rosebud Madelines, coconut macaroons, maple pecan cookies,lemon gems, plus a a few savory choices ~ Irish blue crackers and oat cakes, plus strawberry shortcakes, baklava muffins and lemon raspberry muffins, while Pies dishes out a supper onion pie, pizza rustica, zucchini & chickpea filo pie, steak & kidney pudding, Cornish pasties and small potato tarts. A few of the sweet pies include a bitter orange & blueberry tart, a baked summer fruit tart, a peach cream pie and a blackberry galette.
For Desserts, we are treated to a plum-pecan crumble, a gin & tonic gelatin mold, custard, muscat rice pudding, Calvados syllabub, profiteroles, trifle (3 recipes), pistachio souffles, blintzes, and cheesecake (London or passion fruit), with Chocolates doling out a dense chocolate loaf, chocolate orange cake, chocolate pistachio cake, a coffee volcano, chocolate & raspberry tarts, brownies, chocolate cheesecake, cappuccino or chocolate cherry cupcakes and Florentines.
There are a few recipes for Children ~ buttermilk birthday cake, candy fairy cakes, Snickers & peanut butter muffins, rocky road, peanut butter squares, toffee apples, a coca cola cake, fresh gingerbread with lemon icing, Pavlovas and shortbread, followed by Christmas treats ~ a black cake (fruitcake), steamed Christmas pudding, minced pies, Christmas cupcakes, mulled wine, Glogg, egg & bacon pie, creme brulee and a cranberry upside down cake.
Bread and Yeast offers a white loaf, brown bread, sourdough, Finnish rye, maple pecan bread, bagels, flatbread, a German plum tart, apple kuchen, cinnamon buns and cheese danish. The final chapter, The Domestic Goddess Pantry is filled with basics: vanilla sugar, quince brandy, curd (cranberry, passion fruit or lime), pink grapefruit marmalade, figs in rum syrup, jams (strawberry, strawberry or blackberry), spiced apple chutney, lime pickles and Chinese plum sauce.
The Cake Bible, published in1988. This book has been on my wish list for quite a while and I was very happy to find a like-new copy at a local estate sale for a very good price! There are 200+ recipes and over 350 drawings of techniques and equipment in this comprehensive tome dedicated to cake baking. There are simple cakes for the beginner and lavish creations reminiscent of " The Great British Bake Off" show, plus each recipe is accompanied by tips for serving, storing and decorating each bake.
In Cakes, we begin with Simply Delicious Foolproof Cakes which include pound cakes (with variations ~ lemon poppyseed, white spice or chocolate cherry almond), golden buttercream, buttermilk country, golden almond, white chocolate whisper, golden Grand Marnier, checkerboard, chocolate Domingo and a less fruity fruitcake. A few more selections include a Cordon rose banana, a golden wheat carrot ring, a luscious chocolate oblivion truffle torte, sticky buns, blueberry buckwheat pancakes, crepes (Chantilly, lemon or Suzette) and a chocolate cloud roll. There are also recipes for Genoise (classique, bittersweet cocoa almond), a cocoa souffle roll, orange glow chiffon cake and a chocolate lovers angel food cake.
The Showcase Cakes are amazing and better suited to the experienced baker since a few require several days from start to finish. That being said, we start out with the blueberry swan (store bought swans floating on a "sea" of blueberries), followed by the baked Hawaii (it's pineapple shaped!), praline brioche, a pear Charlotte, the spectacular Scarlett Empress (sliced jelly rolls molded to a bowl and filled with Bavarian cream - pictured below), Swiss black forest and an orange chocolate crown. The Art Deco cake (also pictured below) is stunning and the wedding cakes are astounding with my favorites being the chocolate praline, the dotted Swiss dream and lastly - the pistachio and rose cake.
That ends the cake portion of the recipes and we move onto Complementary Adornments consisting of buttercream frosting (royal honey, white chocolate cream cheese, silk meringue and mousseline), chocolate walnut drizzle glaze, chocolate chip whipped cream, marscapone, creme fraiche and a chestnut mousse cream. Plus ganache (chocolate, raspberry or burnt almond milk chocolate), meringue, fondant, creme Anglaise (praline or pistachio), marzipan, caramel spun sugar, Bavarian cream (vanilla, pear), royal icing, crystallized flowers, brandied Burgundy cherries and lemon curd.
There are Special Effects and Decorative Techniques with tips on preparing a cake (leveling, filling and cutting), plus frosting tips for a crumb coating and rolled fondant, plus recipes for decor ~ meringue mushrooms, marzipan roses, fondant calla lilies and marzipan bees. A small section on working with chocolate provides information on tempering and grating techniques, plus a few decorating ideas ~ pine cone petals, leaves, discs, doilies and lattice bands made with chocolate.
A chapter on Ingredients and Equipment doles out extensive descriptions and hint/tips, while the Special Section for Professionals and Passionate Amateurs delves deep into understanding cakes and common baking errors and ends with formulas and techniques for making wedding and special occasion cakes for 150+ people.
Cake Bible ~ Scarlett Empress:
Cake Bible ~ Art Deco Cake:
Cake Bible ~ Pistachio & Rose Wedding Cake:
No comments:
Post a Comment