Cakewalk: Loving Spoonfuls from a Southern Kitchen Review

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(More customer reviews)This a wonderful collection of very easy-to-follow yet unique cake recipes. The format is simple to follow with the author supplying interesting tid- bits on how to serve certain cakes. Each, when baked, makes the recipients feel as if they have been seriously fussed over. And each recipe, though I have only made about four of them, is delicious. It is a delight to have a book just for special cakes. And it's beautifully designed as well.

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Complemented by the author's watercolors, recipes for twenty-five cakes--from spectacular classics like Lady Baltimore Cake to innovations like Krazy Kake to fruit-laden cakes like Peach Coffee Cake--in the Southern tradition require no special skills or equipment.

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More From Magnolia: Recipes from the World Famous Bakery and Allysa Torey's Home Kitchen Review

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(More customer reviews)I'd seen the first Magnolia cookbook in a friend's shelf for awhile now and even though she'd never bake anything from it (she never uses them, just collects them), I'd been wanting to do so for a long time so on a whim, I ordered both books. I just received them two days ago and already I have tried THREE different recipes from this one. Yes, it is a bit much but after the first one, my family begged me (they didn't have to, really) to keep on trying more stuff. Even though I haven't baked extensively from it yet, I'm an avid baker and have the feeling that most of these recipes will turn out amazingly well as they look and sound positively delicious. And well, millions of customers at the bakery can't be wrong, these really are good desserts!
The recipes are varied and all use fairly simple ingredients (no running around for exotic stuff at the last minute). The directions are very simple and almost any level baker will feel totally at ease following them. Add to this that she begins by giving a few really basic pointers (just in case you need a few more moments to familiarize yourself with the kitchen) and you got a very comfortable starting point to a great baking experience.
On the downside, I guess I could've used a few more pictures of the finished products but honestly, the book was good enough to more than earn my 5-star rating. These are simple, home-y, old-fashioned, mostly high-cal desserts that will probaly bring you fond memories of your favorite baker, be it your aunt, grandma or in my case, my mom. A tradition I definitely want to follow in this day of cutting time in favor of convenience. This really helps! An amazing book... a new favorite of mine and one I definitely plan to keep on using.

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Talking with My Mouth Full: Crab Cakes, Bundt Cakes, and Other Kitchen Stories Review

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(More customer reviews)What a delightful book!! A mouthwatering book with great "conversation", traveling tidbits, and recipes.
I will definitely make the Gas Company Candy -- too bad today's utility bills aren't "sweetened" with such welcomed inserts.
Since I live in the DC area, I really resonated with (and enjoyed) all the descriptions of the Lexington market, Eastern Market, the delightful La Cuisine, and of course, the inimitable Bawlmor - what great memories (culinary and otherwise) this evoked!!
My only disappointment came when the book ended -- it felt like I was in the middle of eating a GREAT meal and suddenly all the food was taken away from the table! Oh please, if you re-issue this book -- put a picture (in color) of one of those sweet creations you wrote about, like maybe Smith Island Cake, on the last page, so we do not feel such a let-down!!!

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Bundt Cake Bliss: Delicious Desserts from Midwest Kitchens Review

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(More customer reviews)As a transplanted Minnesotan, I was looking forward to receiving and using this book. While the book has its strong points, overall I've been underwhelmed. The author is clearly new at this, and the book is poorly edited. For instance, in the pumpkin spice cake recipe, a "small" can of pumpkin is called for, without giving any indication as to what constitutes a small can. I used a 15 oz can, and the cake seemed to be almost mushy. Also, despite the fact that the cakes all call for different amounts of flour, they are all described as fitting into a 12 cup bundt pan. The only cake I've tried so far that fits into a 12 cup pan is the low fat apple cake (my favorite recipe out of this book so far, actually). The chocolate mayonnaise cake barely came halfway up the sides! (also, it didn't taste very good) In addition, the index is *terrible*--very clearly not a professional job. For instance, there are four kinds of apple cakes in this book, but there isn't one coherent entry for apple cakes. I consider a good index to be an essential part of a good cookbook, as it makes finding the recipes you need so much easier. Again, I see this as an example of the lack of professionalism in creating this cookbook. The Minnesota Historical Society Press has created more than one cookbook, and it really should get an editor who knows how to handle these sorts of books.
As another reviewer mentions, a lot of these recipes are based on mixes. Personally, I see that as a real negative--I buy cookbooks because I don't want to use cake mixes.
This book is really cute, and the authors comments are nice. The low-fat apple cake recipe was good, and the pumpkin spice cake recipe okay (though mushy). Overall, though, I'm kind of disappointed.

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How does an ordinary person make a sophisticated, crowd-pleasing cake in a snap?With a bundt pan, of course! Foodie Susanna Short brings back the beautiful bundts of yesteryear with mouthwatering, kitchen-tested recipes for busy families, elegant entertainers, and confection connoisseurs everywhere in Bundt Cake Bliss.

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Chocolate Passion: Recipes and Inspiration from the Kitchens of Chocolatier Magazine Review

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(More customer reviews)I have recently received this book and I find it an excellent book. It is not only beautiful (it has lots of spectacular photos) but also its recipes are wery good, and also its explanations of ingredients and techniques. It is true that it is elegant and you can find that many of the recipes are only for special ocasions (however you can adapt them!), but not too sophisticated (as it is Torres' book, which I find extremely sophisticated). I find this book beautiful and useful.

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