Chocolate Cake

by Michele Urvater

Chocolate cake is America's favorite dessert, from fudgy brownies to mile-high layer cakes. Now, virtually every rendition of this best-loved dessert is presented in one tempting volumemore than 150... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0767906071
• ISBN13: 9780767906074
• Release Date: October 2001
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 2.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.3" x 1.3" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Dana Vigilante's Cakes

If you are looking for the best cakes in the tri-state area, I strongly suggest contacting Dana Vigilante. However, if you are looking for one of those theme, fondant crusted cakes - look elsewhere, you won't find Dana making them. Rather, you will find her cakes and desserts unique, elegant and beyond anything you've ever tried before in your life. I've had her Salted Caramel Ganache cake on three different occasions, the first time being in a restaurant in Central Jersey, where it was on the dessert menu for $12.50. The second time was at a friends bookclub. I contacted her shortly thereafter having it at the restaurant (the restaurant refused to give me her personal info, I had to do a little research), to make a cake for my husband's 45th surprise party. People who had this cake at the party are still talking about it. Here is the best part about Dana - she isn't a "cake diva" who thinks she's God. Rather, she is a gorgeous 40-something Italian, who works in the medical industry full-time. She is friendly and approachable. If you call her, she actually picks up the phone - none of the "I'm too busy being a cakediva to answer your call, but leave a message and I might call you back". She started Brown-Eyed Girl Cakes last year, because she said, baking gives her a diversion at the end of the day. The other great thing is the fact that she doesn't charge 500.00 (or even $100.00, for that matter) for her cakes, like other cake makers do. Her cakes are extremely reasonable and I know that the caramel salted cake must cost her alot to make. However, I have the feeling that even if she did charge hundreds of dollars, she would still have a great clientele. I love working with her and alot of my friends have contacted her to do afew different cakes. She is currently doing about five or six different desserts right now and I think about six or seven restaurants in NJ carry her cakes on their dessert menu's and 2 or 3 in NYC and Nyack do the same. I would highly recommend contacting Dana if you would like an extraordinary dessert. I highly recommend Dana if you are looking for a classy, uniquely decadent cake. She delivers within the tri-state area and she is an absolute pleasure to deal with.

Chocolate Cake for Dummies

This is an excellent book for those who like to make chocolate cakes but may not be a skilled, experienced baker. If you are an average person who is trying to bake that chocolate cake at home, then I can happily recommend this book.The most important feature of this book is that all recipes are rated according to difficulty. Those who are beginners can choose easy recipes, while those who are already adept at angel food cakes and butter cream frostings can go directly for the complicated ones. Bakers of all abilities will be able to find a recipe that fits your skill level. For example, she correctly identifies French butter cream frostings as difficult. Other recipes that are impressive and seem to be hard are actually easy to do, and this book will rate them as such.This book has a lot going for it besides the rating system. The first 50 pages or so give you just the right amount of information so you can do the recipes. It is also very good about telling you what kind of equipment you will need for the various recipes. The recipes are clear and easy to follow most of the time. It also has a good dissertation on various types of icings and frostings, and matching them up to various cakes. The only short point here is the subject of matching up refrigerated versus cakes that can be stored at room temperature and what icings and frostings will match them. There are a few problems, but they are minor. The description of semisweet and bittersweet chocolate is not correct. The statement that margarine can be substituted for baking in all recipes is also not correct, since the margarine can have wildly differing amounts of water that will have unpredictable results on any one recipe. The author is a trained, professional baker. This is often good, as the instructions are based on tried and true professional techniques that really work (which is sadly not true of many books about baking), but she often overestimates the abilities of beginner bakers. The vocabulary can have professional terms or techniques not otherwise explained, and the difficulty rating of some of the recipes should be increased; for example, anything that involves whipping and folding egg whites should be intermediate, not easy.

chocolate heaven

My sister gave me this cookbook knowing my passion and weakness for chocolate and I am so happy that she did. I immediately tried the coconut cake and although there were many steps, it was clear and easy to follow and it also produced a delicious cake. Just reading through the index makes my mouth water and I can't wait to try more of the recipes. This is a great baking book for those of you who love desserts and wish baking recipes could be more clear. Well done Michele. Thanks

Positively Fabulous!

The fact that the whole book was made in chocolatey colors made me want to eat it right from the start. From the brown text to the amazingly sumptuous photographs, any cake I baked from the book already had VERY high expectations. Much to my pleasure, what I've tasted from the book was even better than the book's physical appearance. (That says a lot right there!) The simple cake recipes-- just the plain old chocolate cakes-- were perfect. Definitely a book I love having on my shelf. When things get overwhelming, I just take refuge in the wonderful world of Chocolate Cake!!!

Chocolate Cake Takes the Cake!

Chocolate Cake is eminently readable and usable; a cookbook for novices and experienced bakers alike. It has all those favorite chocolate cake recipes in one place, so you don't have to search through a number of cookbooks for just the right recipe. It's well-organized and appealingly written. I especially liked Urvater's comments about each recipe. This is a keeper.