The Cook's Illustrated Baking Book


Cook's Illustrated - 2013
    Fifteen chapters cover anything you've ever wanted to master--from cookies, cakes, pies, and tarts, to biscuits, breads, pastry, and more.

Martha Stewart's Cupcakes: 175 Inspired Ideas for Everyone's Favorite Treat


Martha Stewart - 2009
    They are the star attraction for special days, such as birthdays, showers, and holidays, as well as perfect everyday goodies. In Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes, the editors of Martha Stewart Living share 175 ideas for simple to spectacular creations–with cakes, frostings, fillings, toppings, and embellishments that can be mixed and matched to produce just the right cupcake for any occasion. Alongside traditional favorites like yellow buttermilk cupcakes swirled with fluffy vanilla frosting and devil’s food cupcakes crowned with rich, dark chocolate buttercream, there are also sweet surprises such as peanut butter and jelly cupcakes, dainty delights like tiny almond-cherry tea cakes, and festive showstoppers topped with marizpan ladybugs or candy clowns. The book features cupcakes for everyone, every season, and every event: Celebrations (monogram heart cupcakes perfect for an elegant wedding); Birthdays (starfish-on-the-beach cupcakes sure to be a hit at children’s parties); Holidays (gumdrop candy ghouls and goblins ideal for Halloween revelers); and Any Day (red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for a picnic, or caramel-filled mini chocolate cakes for grown-up gatherings). In singular Martha Stewart style, the pages are both stunning in design–with a photograph of each finished treat–and brimming with helpful how-to information, from step-by-step photographs for decorating techniques to ideas for packaging and presenting your cupcakes. Whether for any day or special days, the treats in Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes will delight one and all.

Baking


James Peterson - 2009
    Learn the fundamentals well, and you can bake perfect cakes, cookies, tarts, breads, and pastries each and every time.That's the premise of Baking, revered cooking teacher James Peterson's master course in baking fundamentals. In more than 350 recipes and auxiliary techniques--most accompanied by illuminating step-by-step photographs--Peterson lays the foundation for lifelong baking success.This book teaches you how to build finished baked goods from their essential components, providing both maximum guidance for less experienced bakers and great creative freedom for more confident bakers. The Cakes chapter, for example, presents basic cake recipes (Moist Sponge Cake, Devil' s Food Cake) followed by frostings, fillings, and glazes (Professional-Style Buttercream, White Chocolate Ganache), allowing you to mix and match endlessly. Or, if you're looking for knockout assembled cakes, go to the end of the chapter and discover complete illustrated instructions for, say, a decadent Chocolate Hazelnut Cake with Chocolate Filling and Hazelnut Buttercream, or an elegant Peach Crème Mousseline Cake. Baking is packed with the basic, must-have recipes for every baker's repertoire (as well as more ambitious classics), such as:Pound Cake • Crème Anglaise • Chiffon Cake • Cheesecake • Classic Puff Pastry • Cherry Pie • Lemon Meringue Pie • Miniature Raw Fruit Tarts • Linzertorte • Cream Puffs • Chocolate Croissants • Cheese Danish • Basic Butter Cookies • Lemon Bars • Biscotti • Challah • Rye Bread • Focaccia • Blueberry Muffins • Scones • Flourless Chocolate Cake • Cheese Souffles • Miniature Cake Petits Fours • Apple Strudel • Napoleons • Rolled Fondant • Bûche de Noël • Éclairs • Mushroom JalousieCopious photographs inspire and help bakers visualize the crucial moments of hundreds of recipes and techniques, including:Troubleshooting Tarts and Pies • Baking "Blind" • Making Liquid Fondant • Coating a Cake with Hot Icing • Assembling a Layer Cake without Using a Cake Stand • Decorating a Cake with a Caramel Cage • Coloring Marzipan • Making a Rolled Cake • Decorating Cookies with Colored Sugar • Filling and Using a Pastry Bag • Kneading Wet Dough in a Food Processor • Scoring Dough • Shaping a Fougasse • Repairing Chocolate Mixtures that Have Seized • Cooking Sugar Syrup to the Soft Ball StageThorough, approachable, and authoritative, Baking shows why James Peterson is a trusted source for home cooks of every level. Work your way through this book, and you will gain the skills you'll need for impressive results every time.

The Little Paris Kitchen


Rachel Khoo - 2012
    Six years later, she still lives and works in Paris, cooking up a selection of classic French dishes from all over the country and giving them a fresh makeover with her own modern twists. From a Croque Madame muffin and the classic Boeuf bourguignon, to a deliciously fragrant Provencal lavender and lemon roast chicken, Rachel celebrates the culinary landscape of France as it is today and shows how simple these dishes are.The 120 recipes in the book range from easy, everyday dishes like Omelette Pipérade, to summer picnics by the Seine and afternoon 'goûter' (snacks), to meals with friends and delicious desserts including classics like Crème brulee and Tarte tatin. It's a book that celebrates the very best of French home-cooking in a modern and accessible way. Real French food is no longer something only served in fancy restaurants; Rachel will show how you can add a little French culinary touch to your everyday life at home, no matter where you are in the world, or how big your kitchen is!

The Epicurious Cookbook: More Than 250 of Our Best-Loved Four-Fork Recipes for Weeknights, Weekends & Special Occasions


Tanya Steel - 2012
    Epicurious is, undisputedly, the most respected website for people who like to cook. In their first-ever cookbook, the Epicurious editors have culled their extraordinary database of 180,000 recipes and selected their most popular recipes.Organized seasonally and by meal type, The Epicurious Cookbook offers everything from 30-minute weeknight dinners to weekend warrior show-stoppers. Also included are comfort food favorites, small dishes perfect for parties and plenty of repertoire-building mains and sides, plus breakfasts, breads, and desserts. All new stunning four-color photography shows Epicurious at its most irresistible. Throughout are Epicurious member suggestions for tweaking recipes, ideas for menu planning, smart substitutions, and homespun recipes from dozens of Epicurious members newly tested for this cookbook. Recipes include:Easy comfort foods Chicken and Fall Vegetable Pot Pie, Beef Short Ribs Tagine, Spicy Mac and Cheese with Pancetta, Deviled Fried Chicken, Chili con Carne with Chili Cheddar ShortcakesFast Weeknight Dinners Quick Paella, Wild Rice with Pecans, Raisin, and Orange Essence, Brussels Sprouts Hash with Caramelized Shallots, Rosemary Lamb Chops with Swiss Chard and Balsamic Syrup, Pan-Fried Spicy Orange TilapiaPlease-Everyone Vegetarian and Vegan Dishes Chilled Soba with Tofu and Sugar Snap Peas, Spiced Lentil Tacos with Chipotle Sour Cream, Roasted Eggplant SaladSpecial occasion show-stoppers Tom Colicchio's Herb-Butter Turkey, Beef Brisket with Merlot and Prunes, Wine-Braised Duck LegsAmerican Classics Updated--Burgers, Pizzas, Salads, Pastas, and Grilled Cheese Coffee-Rubbed Cheeseburger with Texas Barbeque Sauce; Hearty Asparagus, Fingerling Potato, and Goat Cheese Pizza; Lobster Pasta in a Roasted Corn Sweet Bacon Cream; Grilled Cheese with Onion Jam, Taleggio, and EscaroleBreakfast and Brunch Stars Extreme Granola with Dried Fruit, Kitchen Sink Frittata, Cr�me Brulee French Toast, and Ultimate Sticky BunsDecadent Desserts Double Layer Chocolate Cake, Apple Tart with Caramel Sauce, Frozen Lemon Ginger Snap Pie, Peanut Butter and Fudge Brownies with Salted PeanutsDestined to be that classic you'll turn to daily, The Epicurious Cookbook enhances the very best online content in a gorgeous cookbook.

The Confetti Cakes Cookbook: Spectacular Cookies, Cakes, and Cupcakes from New York City's Famed Bakery


Elisa Strauss - 2007
    The cake, created by Elisa Strauss of Confetti Cakes in New York City, was a sensation. Not only did everyone at the party want to know how it was made, they wanted to know how to create something as dazzling themselves. This unique book contains projects for every skill level: from gorgeous, sugar-dusted heart cookies to delightful billiard-ball cupcakes, to sculpted cakes in the shape of wine bottles and Chinese takeout boxes, to the extravagantly beautiful, threetiered embroidery cake showcased on Sex and the City. With delicious recipes, stunning creations for every occasion, suggestions for time-saving shortcuts, and hot tips for fabulous results, all illustrated with gorgeous photographs and easy-to follow diagrams, The Confetti Cakes Cookbook is a must-have for the outrageously chic baker in all of us.

Cake Magic!: Mix & Match Your Way to 100 Amazing Combinations


Caroline Wright - 2016
    Or how about a nutty cake like the Elvis: Peanut Butter Cake + Bacon Syrup + Nutella Frosting, topped with candied bacon. Fit for the king, indeed!This innovative and remarkably easy way to bake luscious, flavorful cakes is a formula for cake bliss. Cake Magic! is a full-color visual cookbook—photos in the front, recipes in the back—and the first step in every baker’s cake adventure. It includes valuable baking tips, vegan and gluten-free variations, plus how to tweak the recipes to make sheet cakes, Bundt cakes, and cupcakes, too.

Bon Appetit Desserts: The Cookbook for All Things Sweet and Wonderful


Barbara Fairchild - 2010
    From quick homestyle cookies to unforgettable special-occasion finales such as spiced chocolate torte wrapped in chocolate ribbons, Bon Appetit showcases meticulously tested recipes that turn out perfectly--every time. Now, culled from Bon Appetit's extensive archives and including never-before-published recipes, Bon Appetit Desserts promises to be the comprehensive guide to all things sweet and wonderful.   Authored by Bon Appetit editor-in-chief Barbara Fairchild, Bon Appetit Desserts features more than 600 recipes--from layer cakes to coffee cakes, tortes and cupcakes to pies, tarts, candies, puddings, souffles, ice cream, cookies, holiday desserts, and much, much more. Certain to inspire both experienced home cooks and those just starting out in the kitchen, each recipe is designed to ensure the dessert preparation process is as enjoyable as the finished result.Bon Appetit Desserts is destined to be the definitive, comprehensive, invaluable dessert resource.  "This is a gorgeous book that makes me want to make everything--no, taste everything--inside! This is a must-have for every baker, cook, and sweet freak in your life." --Elizabeth Falkner, chef and owner of Citizen Cake and Orson  "At last, a collection of Bon Appetit's most treasured dessert recipes, thoroughly tested as always, beautifully illustrated, and, of course, wonderfully delicious. You'll reach for this book each time sweets are on your menu, but you'll come back to it just as often for its myriad tips; great chapters on ingredients, equipment, and techniques; and the many detailed and easy-to-grasp how-tos.  It's truly a one-stop book for all of us who love baking." --Dorie Greenspan, author of Baking: From My Home to Yours and Around My French Table  "Bon Appetit Desserts is filled with exactly the kind of sweets I like to make: inviting, unpretentious, and easy to love, but also innovative enough to turn a few heads. And the best part is, Bon Appetit Desserts is not only about recipes. With chapters on ingredients, equipment, and techniques, plus a slew of tips from the Bon Appetit test kitchens, it's also a mini-education. Oh, in case you aren't sold yet, I have ten words for you: Banana Layer Cake with Caramel Cream and Sea Salt-Roasted Pecans." --Molly Wizenberg, author of A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table

50 Easy Party Cakes


Debbie Brown - 1999
    Debbie Brown combines her exceptional flair for color and design with her unique fondant modeling skills to simplify her eye-catching cake designs, some of which you may have never dreamed you could achieve.This cake cookbook is filled with cakes which will appeal to children of all ages. Instantly lovable animal cakes include a Friendly Frog, Sporty Spider and Noah's Ark, while the Fairy Toadstool, Dotty Dragon and Alien Spaceship are among a number of fantasy ideas. Sports fans will enjoy the Soccer Player and Formula 1 Car. Keep older children entertained with the Glitter Bag and Make-up, meanwhile younger children will adore the Playful Kitten on a Ball of Wool and the Cute Yellow Chick.Ideal for beginners and experienced cake makers alike, each easy-to-follow cake recipe is clearly illustrated with step-by-step photographs and a full-page color picture to guarantee success every time.Cake recipes include:Formula 1 CarPlayful KittenFarm TractorLittle Bo PeepSkull & CrossbonesDream CastleAlien SpaceshipCute Chick

Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé


Pierre Hermé - 2001
    Their book offers a delicious collection of recipes, all featuring the world's most intoxicating ingredient: chocolate!

The Good Book of Southern Baking: A Revival of Biscuits, Cakes, and Cornbread


Kelly Fields - 2020
    “Kelly Fields bakes with the soul of a grandma, the curiosity of a student, and the skill of a master.”—Vivian Howard, author of Deep Run Roots: Stories and Recipes from My Corner of the South NAMED ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • Bon Appétit • The Atlanta Journal-Constitution • Garden & GunCelebrated pastry chef Kelly Fields has spent decades figuring out what makes the absolute best biscuits, cornbread, butterscotch pudding, peach pie, and, well, every baked good in the Southern repertoire. Here, in her first book, Fields brings you into her kitchen, generously sharing her boundless expertise and ingenious ideas. With more than one hundred recipes for quick breads, muffins, biscuits, cookies and bars, puddings and custards, cobblers, crisps, galettes, pies, tarts, and cakes—including dozens of variations on beloved standards—this is the new bible for Southern baking.

Bianco: Pizza, Pasta, and Other Food I Like


Chris Bianco - 2017
    All he knew was that his food would reflect the respect and sincere intention that he brings to each of his recipes, as the result of his relationships with farmers, local producers, customers, and staff. Now a James Beard Award–winning chef—the first pizzaiolo to receive the honor—and the owner of the legendary pizza mecca, Chris Bianco brings us a full- color, fully illustrated cookbook that illuminates the fundamentals of pizza making and the philosophy behind Chris’s cooking. The book features recipes for his signature pizzas as well as strategies and techniques for translating chef’s methods to the home kitchen. Bianco celebrates both the simple and the nuanced, revealing the methods that lead to the perfect crust, the sweetest tomato sauce, the creamiest mozzarella, and the most expertly balanced flavor combinations. It also features recipes for salads, antipasti, and dessert options, as well as family meals that are cooked behind the scenes and a new array of big plates showcased at Chris’s highly regarded restaurants. With its attention to detail and tips for making unforgettable, flavorful pizzas, Bianco is an essential manual for anyone serious about pizza, pasta, and more.

My Paleo Patisserie: Gluten Free and Paleo-Inspired Pastries


Jenni Hulet - 2015
     Each section of My Paleo Patisserie introduces and adapts the fundamental elements and techniques of traditional patisserie baking for the grain-free baker. With dozens of beloved culinary standards and hundreds of potential recipe combinations, My Paleo Patisserie is an indispensable resource of creative confectionery for the grain-free baker.

The Violet Bakery Cookbook


Claire Ptak - 2015
    The baking is done with simple ingredients including wholegrain flours, less refined sugars and the natural sweetness and muted colours of seasonal fruits. Everything is made in an open kitchen for people to see. Famed for its exquisite baked goods, Violet has become a destination.Owner Claire Ptak uses her Californian sensibility to devise recipes that are both nourishing and indulgent. With real thought about taste and using the purest ingredients, she has created the most flavoursome iterations of classic cakes, as well as new treats for modern palates. Over 100 recipes include nourishing breakfasts, midday snacks,teatime treats, puddings to share, pantry preserves, and stylish celebration cakes. For example:Morning – Buckwheat Granola or Cinnamon BunsMidday – Squash, Brown Butter and Sage Quiche or Mozzarella, Rosemary and New Potato TartsTeatime – Butterscotch Blondie or Ginger Molasses CakeDesserts – Cherry Cobbler or Fig Leaf Ice-cream Party Party – Loganberry-vanilla Birthday Cake or Coconut-cream Trifle CakeThis book is about making baking worth it: simple to cook and satisfying to eat.

How to Bake Everything: Simple Recipes for the Best Baking


Mark Bittman - 2016
    Finally, here is the simplest way to bake everything, from American favorites (Crunchy Toffee Cookies, Baked Alaska) to of-the-moment updates (Gingerbread Whoopie Pies). It explores global baking, too: Nordic ruis, New Orleans beignets, Afghan snowshoe naan. The recipes satisfy every flavor craving thanks to more than 2,000 recipes and variations: a pound cake can incorporate polenta, yogurt, ricotta, citrus, hazelnuts, ginger, and more. New bakers will appreciate Bittman’s opinionated advice on essential equipment and ingredient substitutions, plus extensive technique illustrations. The pros will find their creativity unleashed with guidance on how to adapt recipes to become vegan, incorporate new grains, improvise tarts, or create customized icebox cakes using a mix-and-match chart. Demystified, deconstructed, and debunked—baking is simpler and more flexible than you ever imagined.