The Cake Book

by Tish Boyle

Book Overview

"There's something magical about the process of makinga cake from scratch, a process that transforms a few simple ingredients--butter, sugar, flour, and eggs--into culinary artistry." --Tish Boyle This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471469335
• ISBN13: 9780471469339
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 376 Pages
• Weight: 2.27 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 7.6" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Very Good Instruction and Great Recipes.

`The Cake Book' by chocolate guru Tish Boyle evokes in me the exclamation ... `Holy butter crème, Batman, yet another book on cakes! What with several recent and classic big books on cakes, including those from great teachers such as `Perfect Cakes' by Nick Malgieri, those from dessert icons such as `Cakes' by Maida Heatter and those from baking expert explainers such `The Cake Bible' from Rose Levy Beranbaum, one wonders, does the world really need another book on cakes? Well, I bought it, and I'm glad I did. Beranbaum does a somewhat better job of explaining the reasons why cakes work or don't work, and Heatter covers more of the classic European types of cakes, and Malgieri covers some pedagogical matters a bit better, but if you like baking cakes, then this book will not be intimidated by sitting alongside these other volumes on your shelf. One thing which did surprise me (and which actually increases the value of the book) is that Ms. Boyle actually covers a lot more than cakes understood in a narrow sense as those confections generally done in layers, with icing in the middle and leavened primarily with eggs. The first and most interesting `out of spec' chapter covers cheesecakes, and I believe she has done us a major service by pointing out that cheesecakes, and the cream cheese from which they are made, are one of our great American originals. Her second great service is to give us a recipe for the classic New York cheesecake. I was quite surprised to find that these are not baked in water baths and a little crack or two is considered quite acceptable. This is totally understandable, as I'm sure Juniors in Brooklyn doesn't roll out their thousands of cakes a day by baking in water baths. The other major straying from topic is a chapter on Ice Cream cakes. With these detours, I'm really surprised Ms. Boyle didn't do a chapter on cupcakes. There are only two references to cupcakes in the index, and one of these is a cheesecake (and therefore not a real cake at all). The book most similar to Ms. Boyle's effort is Nick Malgieri's `Perfect Cakes', so I compared the two to get some impression of which was the better. My ultimate opinion is that you loose nothing by having both books. Both volumes cover, for example, cheesecakes, and Malgieri is just a little better at giving you tips on general cheesecake expertise. And, both include the Italian speciality, pizza dolce di ricotta, but with markedly different recipes. Like Heatter, Malgieri leans towards European classics, especially Jewish and Italian classics, while Ms. Boyle leans to American standards. Regarding these standards, her recipe for `solid gold Carrot Cake' particularly took me. It does not include the pineapple from my favorite Malgieri recipe, but it includes lots of other yummy things such as ginger, orange zest, and the cookie spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves). It is also illuminating to see her take on strawberry shortcake, since (unlike everyone from James Beard to M

becoming a favorite

I have made the chocolate sour cream with peanut butter icing, lemon poppyseed with white chocolate icing, triple ginger pound, cream cheese cherry pound, chocolate pound and peach crumb coffee and all have been outstanding. The recipes are straightforward, ingredients can all be found in a regular supermarket (for the most part, I had to mail order the morello cherries, with plans to make the cherry cheesecake cups, although you could probably just use cherry pie filling), baking times are right on, I feel I could put one of these cakes in the oven, set a timer, and it will be perfect. Lots of mix & match possiblities with the frostings/fillings, and I like that there are some ice cream cake recipes. A great addition to any collection, and I have at least 5 other "cake" cookbooks.

Takes the Cake!

This is a great addition to my cookbook library--a must-have for the home baker. The recipes are easy to follow and I especially appreciate the how-to's for piping techniques and assembly. I made the Creamy Coconut Cake for my son's birthday and it was a hit! So far, my family's favorite is the White Chocolate Peach Cheesecake. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to bake and loves getting compliments.

Awesome Cakes!

I brought this book home expecting to have some new knock-out recipes to add to my repertoire, and let me say that my expections were met! As an avid baker and self-proclaimed food snob, I am often disappointed by the flat-flavored and coarse-textured crumbs I find in other books, but these cakes are moist and delicious beyond words. These are the cakes of dreams, when (and if) you dream of cakes. My favorite is the Brooklyn Blackout Cake, a true classic with its smooth pudding filling and creamy, perfect frosting. But there are so many recipes here, with varying flavor combinations and levels of difficulty (conveniently labeled), that you'll scarcely be able to choose only one. I've also made the Lemon Lust cake, which is a zesty triumph, and the Brioche Cake with Caramel Custard Cream, a comforting and delightful treat for breakfast or dessert. Even the recipes marked with four "slices" for maximum difficulty are explicated clearly, removing any intimidation from these decadent excursions. A definate must-have for anyone who loves to indulge in rich, satisfying cake.

The icing on the cake!

This is a great cook book. The Author, Tish Boyle has a knack for taking recipes that would otherwise overwhelm and breaking them down into an easy to read format that serves for foolproof baking. The Jasmin and Ginger Upside Down Cake is simply sublime and the Chocolate Intensity does it's name justice - if you like deep rich truffles and fudgey brownies this cake will send you over the edge. I also made the incredibly delicious Cherry Topped Cheesecake Cups for an Easter Brunch and the only complaint was that I didn't make enough - so you may want to make a double batch.