Amazon.com
Ann Byrn is on to something. Her first book, The Cake Mix Doctor, showed readers how to tweak store-bought cake mixes to produce "like-homemade" treats. The sequel, Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor repeats Byrn's foolproof approach, focusing solely on chocolate. The strategy? Begin with commercial mixes like chocolate cake, devil's food, and chocolate brownie; alter them with ingredients that add flavor, such as cocoa powder, or richness and moistness, like sour cream; use homemade frostings (supermarket versions won't cut it); and you're in business. "My mission," says Byrn, "is to help busy cooks find the time to bake even when company is not coming." If her sweets lack true homemade quality, they nonetheless produce entirely creditable desserts most bakers, and those they feed, will applaud.
Beginning with a blueprint for mix-doctoring success, which includes information on pantry essentials and a useful chocolate primer, the book then presents over 150 easy recipes for a full range of chocolate layer, pound, sheet, angel food, and chiffon cakes, as well as muffins, cookies, brownies, and more. Among these, readers will surely want to try Triple Decker Raspberry Chocolate Cake, White Chocolate Peach Cake, Frozen Chocolate Neapolitan Cake, and Jessica's Caramel Chocolate Brownies. Besides more basic finishes, the frosting chapter offers recipes for the likes of Crushed Peppermint Buttercream Frosting. An introductory section presents color photos of all the cakes; Byrn also supplies interesting technical information, lore (Nuggets of Chocolate History, for one), and a chocolate cake glossary all bakers can use. --Arthur Boehm
Book Description
The Cake Mix Doctor goes chocolate! Anne Byrn brings her proven prescription for doctoring cake mix to an ingredient that inspires love bordering on obsession.
It's a marriage made in baker's heaven-150 all-new, all-easy recipes for cakes, starring the ingredient that surpasses all other flavors, including vanilla, by a 3-to-1 margin, and that Americans consume to the tune of 2.8 billion pounds a year. Starting with versatile supermarket cake mixes and adding just the right extras-including melted semisweet chocolate bars, chocolate chips, or cocoa powder, plus fresh eggs or a bit of buttermilk, dried coconut, mashed bananas, or instant coffee powder-a baker at any level of experience can turn out dark, rich, moist, delicious chocolate layer cakes, time and again. Not to mention sheet cakes, pound cakes, cupcakes and muffins, cheesecakes, cookies, brownies, and bars. Rounding out the book are 38 all-new homemade frostings and fillings, and a full-color insert showing every cake in the book.
Customer Reviews:
Yummy!.......2007-05-12
Just found this book and I am very impressed! I've made two cakes and they were both hits! The pumpkin w/choc chips and moist chocolate cake. In addition, there are basic bundt cakes frosting recipes that are easy and delicious! If you like chocolate, you'll love this book! Some great and easy recipes!
Both for beginners and advanced bakers!
Yum!.......2007-05-02
This is a great book for people who don't want to bake cakes from scratch, but want something better than store bought or straight from the box. This book is focused on chocolate cakes, though there is also another book from the same author focused on all types of cakes.
A Chocolate Lover's Must Have!.......2007-01-14
Just a easy as the original Cake Doctor, but think CHOCOLATE! Easy to follow recipes that promise your cakes will be a favorite at parties and pot-lucks. By the way, don't let anyone know just how easy your baker's treats are, that's between you and the cake mix!
Great cookbook~Good variety~Lots of recipes.......2007-01-14
Perfect book for busy moms and grandmas who bake a lot. This is a great book if you have to do a lot of potlucks, school treats, etc. I like her other cake mix dr cookbook even better but her dinner dr book is awful.
Recipes are really good and so easy. Ingredients are easy to find and keep on hand.
Love all of her tips.
Good purchase.
Great & Easy dessert ideas.......2007-01-10
Easy & tasty ways to make desserts starting with a simple cake mix! You'll want to try them all!
Product Description
Acomprehensive and practical guide by famous Master Chocolatier Jean-Pierre Wybauw. With clear action images, this book includes more than 100 delicious and original chocolate decoration techniques, explained very clearly. A must-have for professionals and advanced amateurs.
Customer Reviews:
An outstanding survey.......2007-09-08
Master Chocolatier Jean-Pierre Wybauw provides professional insights and assessments of handling chocolate in this guide, which is a top pick for any serious food professional or chef's library. Color photos by Frank Croes pack a guide displaying step-by-step insights on how to use cutters and understand chocolate handling requirements to produce decorative flowers, sculptures and more. An outstanding survey, this will earn a spot in any serious culinary collection where working with chocolate or making decorations is of interest.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Book Description
If you are a beginning baker, this book offers an accessible introduction to essential baking ingredients, equipment, and techniques as well as detailed, step-by-step recipes that make it easy to prepare even the trickiest baked goods. If you are already an accomplished baker, it offers many sophisticated and unusual recipes that will help you refine your knowledge and skills.
The book features a distinctive organization based on six key baking ingredients, from fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and chocolate to dairy products, spices and herbs, and coffee, tea, and liqueurs. Select an ingredient or flavor you love, and you'll find many delicious ways to incorporate it into your baking.
Bloom's recipes encompass every type of baking. You'll find spectacular versions of familiar favorites - Cherry Pie, Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, and Double Peanut Butter Cookies - as well as intriguing variations and extravagant indulgences, including Coconut Biscotti, Lemon Verbena and Walnut Tea Cake, and Dark Chocolate Creme Brulee. Her meticulous recipes specify essential gear, offer tips on streamlining the recipe and storing the finished dish, and provide advice on varying ingredients and adding panache.
With in-depth guidance on techniques and ingredients, 225 standout recipes, variations and embellishments for almost every dish, and 32 pages of striking full-color photographs, The Essential Baker is truly the only baking book you'll ever need.
Customer Reviews:
Disappointed.......2007-09-09
The first three reviews all gave "The Essential Baker" top 5-star ratings and, frankly, I was impressed and ordered the book. However, my elation quickly turned to disappointment once I scanned the pages. The first 50 pages on baking essentials had brown text on a light brown background and the remainder of the book, the text remained brown on white rather than black on white. Moreover, the font style and small size in addition to the brown text made reading difficult for a senior citizen as myself. This difficulty was more pronounced since the ingredients listed on the left margin were in bold type whereas the instruction were not, thus I personally would find difficulty in using the book while trying to cook.
One thing the author mentions up front is that all her recipes use Extra-Large eggs and every recipe for making pie dough uses a food processor. Just be aware to adjust your thinking. The book is hefty with 220 pages devoted to fruits, 21 to vegetables, 48 to nuts and seeds, and 125 to chocolate, 29 to dairy, 45 to spices and herbs, and 50 to coffee, tea, and spirits. The way the recipes are formatted, as discussed in prevous comments, are unique and at times it takes three to four pages for a recipe such as Pumpkin Pie or Lemon Meringue Pie.
In comparing the recipe for Anise and Almond Biscotti (Carole Bloom vs Martha Stewart), for example, Bloom calls for 3 extra-large eggs and 3 extra large egg yolks, but no butter and Stewart calls for 4 large eggs and 4 tablespoons of butter (both use 2-1/4 and 2-1/2 cups of flour respectively. I would have to bake each recipe to determine which I preferred, but someone like Alton Brown (author of, "I'm Here Just for the Food") could tell you the pros and cons of eggs vs butter.
If I had to choose an all round baking book, my choice would be, "The Dessert Bible" by Chrisopher Kimball who is also Publisher and Editor of Cooks Illustrated. His recipes include a feature that explains "what could go wrong" explaining things that could go awry whch I found helpful.
Bloom incorporates some innovative features in laying out her baking techniques and no doubt has many excellent recipes, but I downgraded the book primarily on "mechanical" features rather than content and the fact that I personally find the book difficult to use.
Unique & Delicious Recipes.......2007-08-09
"The Essential Baker: The Comprehensive Guide to Baking with Chocolate, Fruit, Nuts, Spices and Other Ingredients" is a new book by Carole Bloom, who is a professional pastry chef and confectioner. As the title promises the contents include an impressive array of recipes that use everything from coffee & tea to vegetables & fruits as their main ingredients. More than this, however, Bloom's recipes are unique, with a dash of sliced almonds adding both flavor and texture to banana muffins and pearl sugar enhancing the visual appeal of apple turnovers. I loved her recipes for coconut biscotti, jasmine tea cakes and spiced sugar coin cookies. Indeed, though I usually give away most of the goodies I bake, I couldn't bring myself to share the biscotti with anyone other than my husband. On a few occasions I wasn't entirely thrilled with the way a recipe turned out, but given my delight with other recipes I have to chalk this up to taste. One cannot expect every single recipe in a book to enthrall, after all, and modifications can always be made to suit your preferences.
Bloom's instructions are clear and easy to follow, though the way ingredients are presented took some getting used to. Instead of listing ingredients before the recipe, as most cookbooks do, recipes are divided into stages with the ingredients for each stage listed beside the instructions. At first I didn't like this aspect of the book, but as I continued to cook with it I realized that this arrangement a) forced me to read through the entire recipe before beginning, I'm a notorious improviser, and b) made it nearly impossible to become confused about which ingredient should be used where. Essential gear is listed along side the recipe, where helpful information is also included: storage tips, variations, and instructions for streamlining the baking process over more than one afternoon (i.e. How to begin cookies one day and finish them the next.) While I'm always appreciative of baking books that have photos for every recipe, the straightforward presentation of Bloom's recipes made it easy to visualize the final result without an image. Photos for twenty recipes are collected in the center of the book, representing the various chapters, which include: fruit & vegetables; nuts & seeds; chocolate; dairy products (milk, cream, cheeses); spices & herbs; and coffee, tea, liqueurs & spirits. The first chapter is devoted entirely to baking techniques, language and an overview of essential baking gear.
Recipes range in difficulty from easy to challenging, so this may not be the best book for a novice baker. Yet those with baking experience and a curiosity for novel recipes may want to check it out. From Key Lime Squares and Raspberry-Blueberry Galettes to Pomegranate Butter Cookies and Triple Vanilla Souffle, there is something in this book to pique everyone's interests.
An excellent general manual for occasional baker. Buy It........2007-05-11
`The Essential Baker' by professional pastry chef and culinary writer, Carole Bloom presents itself as a complete baking manual, with a distinctively different organization, by ingredient. For its size, price, and claims, the book begs us to compare it to the recent `Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook', which is also a comprehensive introductory baking text.
As I first open the book, Bloom's `Essential Baker' does not readily impress me when stacked up against Team Stewart. Like Stewart, the book does not delve into a lot of the more technical explanations of baking science (as one may find in Rose Levy Beranbaum's more advanced `Bibles' on baking technique), but then the average baker really doesn't need most of this, as long as they get the message that with baking, one really needs to follow the recipe closely, even down to the size of the baking pans. Bloom does go into just a bit more detail, and may get herself into a few questionable statements, as when she states that one should not use all purpose flour for baking bread (every book I've ever seen on bread baking uses and condones `all purpose flour', with a preference for the higher protein products such as those from King Arthur.)
Based on their enormous magazine publishing resources, it's no surprise to find Team Stewart's book with wonderful pictures all along the way, especially with good series of tutorials on some basic techniques. Ms. Bloom oddly has virtually no pictures, and all she has are in two middle of the book rotogravure sections, to keep the cost down.
Two more comparisons tend to favor Team Stewart. The first is that their organization is by end product and method rather than by principal ingredient. For an introductory manual, I simply find that more useful and intuitive. Unlike savory cooking, one is much more inclined to begin with `lets bake a cake' or `lets make a pie' or `lets make some cookies' or `lets make some bread'. One of the few cases where this may not be true is with some highly seasonal local ingredients such as rhubarb. Otherwise, my baking choices are largely based on birthdays needing cake, picnics needing pies, and Christmas needing cookies. The second is that Ms. Bloom does not cover yeast breads at all. There are recipes for quick breads such as biscuits and Irish Soda bread (under the subject of buttermilk), but that's it. Team Stewart has a 70 page chapter on yeast breads with 31 recipes, including muffins, bagels, pizza, Danish, croissants, and babkas. If this were the whole story, Team Stewart would have it all over Ms. Bloom. Ms. Bloom, however, has an ace up her sleeve.
Only after reading the long and highly informative (but pictureless) introductory chapters in `The Essential Baker' did I discover that Ms. Bloom is hiding her light under a basket. While celebrating her ordering by ingredient, she neglects to trumpet the fact that her method for writing recipes is really superior. Everything is laid out in exactly the way one may wish to find it. And, on this count, she has Team Stewart beat hands down. But that's not all. I also find her recipes to be more interesting (albeit not necessarily more complicated) than those from Team Stewart. I compared at least a half dozen recipes and in all cases, Ms. Bloom had the more satisfactory recipe for the beginner. Stewart either tended just a bit too much to the simple or overembellished to fit her overriding motif of cooking for entertaining.
I'm still inclined to see Stewart's `Baking Handbook' as the superior book for the beginner, except for the fact that Ms. Bloom does something that is rare in bigger baking books. She does not `divide and conquer' by separating all her utility recipes for crusts and other pastries in a separate section, so that one must constantly be flipping back and forth when doing a pie or an icing. This is really an exceptionally good thing for the occasional baker, who wants `the recipe, the whole recipe, and nothing but the recipe' in one place.
And, although both books retail for $40, Ms. Bloom has about 200 more pages, with a corresponding 30% more recipes. She also has an exceptionally good list of sources, the best I've seen in quite some time (although Miss Martha does a good job here too).
On the arrangement by ingredient, I'm still a bit agnostic about it, and it would have been nice to see a supplementary table of contents by type of recipe, but if you happen to really like books such as Aliza Green's `Starting With Ingredients' or books on vegetable or fish cookery, you will love this book. Otherwise, you may just like it very, very much.
Viva Coconut Biscotti.......2007-04-14
Though I love to cook and entertain, I seldom bake. Somehow, in planning my meals, dessert is often an afterthought. Thus, when a friend gave me Carole Bloom's latest tome, The Essential Baker: The Comprehensive Guide to Baking with Chocolate, Fruit, Nuts, Spices, and other ingredients, I thanked her profusely and thought I would relegate the exhaustive 650 page book to the upper reaches of my kitchen shelf. Last week, in need of an easy dessert recipe, the stunning chocolate madeleines on Bloom's book cover came to mind. What delights might I find within its pages, I wondered? I thumbed through it, looking for something simple to complement a bowl of fresh strawberries. The Coconut Biscotti on page 229 caught my eye.
I followed Bloom's instructions to the letter. The author of Chocolate Lovers' Cookbook for Dummies, among eight other books, made it all the easier thanks to her clever organization: ingredients and their corresponding usage are laid out side by side on the page rather than one following the other as is usually the case. I assembled the dough in minutes, shaped it into two loaves as instructed, and popped them in the oven. I waited for them to cool before slicing them into biscotti, and returned them to the oven a few minutes longer. Twenty minutes later, "my" biscotti looked like those sold by the piece at an extravagant price in upscale coffee shops--sweet and crumbly and ready for dunking. "Those are the best biscotti I have ever tasted," opined my husband, a cookie connoisseur from way back.
The Essential Baker may not turn me into a pro but the clarity of recipes inspire me to try the Cherry Clafouti(page 61) and the Pineapple Tarte Tatin (page 247). I may even read through Bloom's extensive Baking Essentials section to expand my newfound skills!
Book Description
A melt–in–your–mouth chocolate cake is the perfect metaphor for where we can land if we introduce the correct ingredients into our lives. When the ingredients merge and melt together, we become spiritual warriors able to take the slings and arrows of our lives in stride with grace and a grin. The ingredients? Living life as an adventurer, being a true friend, genuine generosity, extreme tolerance, energetic effort, clear headedness, opening our arms to crazy wisdom, ethical conduct with a strong subset of whistle blowing as an art form, and bringing so much wisdom to our own tables that we might as well change our middle names to Yoda.
The Chocolate Cake Sutra is about how everyone and everything is precious. Lots of traditions say everyone and everything is holy.....maybe we all say that. But, this book holds that particular behaviors can actually lead to, or feed, this experience. Chocked full of moving and enlightening stories, everywhere from the life of the Buddha to living in innercity Detroit, this book will charm and inspire––comfort food for the soul. "Is everyone and everything holy?" If our answer is anything but, "of course," there is work to be done, and The Chocolate Cake Sutra will help sustain you along the way.
Customer Reviews:
This book has started me on a new path.......2007-03-12
First off I do not as a rule write many review. But, this book and ALL of her books deserve high praise and have really spoken to me on many levels. I fell into this book by reading a review from my latest Body and Soul Magazine. And , I couldn't be happier that I decided to take their advice and purchase it. I read this book in 2 days...could not put it down. It spoke to me on SO many levels! Geri writes as tho she is your best friend sharing her journey with you and I could relate to SO many of her examples. I had purchase other books on Buddhism but struggled to understand them many times...I have a VERY busy schedule ( which after reading this I realize I MUST slow down) But, the other books left me a bit frustrated and frankly wanting to just fall asleep. This book was uplifting and down to earth. No pretense here...Just one person who is on a path of enlightenment expaining to another the ups and downs to acheiving it and what the path entails. I felt as I was reading that we were almost sitting together over a cup of tea or coffee and I just listening to her. I felt very comforted and also found myself laughing out loud many times at her own trials and tribulations that I could really relate to. I was very disappointed to learn that she had moved to Seattle however. I live only 2 hours from Detroit and Ann Arbor and felt saddened to learn that she was so close to me and I might have made a journey to the Temple to meet her had I discovered her earlier...and now she is thousands of miles away. But, there is a reason for everything and so instead I promptly ordered every other book she has written and finished one of them already. These are books though that, even if they are an easy and fast read, have a lot of "meat" in them and I will be referring to them again and again...re-reading each one until the pages are sure to be worn. Thank you Geri Larkin for being you and for writing these amazing books! I am so happy to have "stumbled" upon you on my path toward enlightenment!
If Emily Dickenson..........2007-02-28
If Emily Dickenson had been a big time business consultant before coming to poetry, she would have written books of humane and human wisdom as Geri Larkin does after having become a Zen priest herself. Geri puts down raw experience that one recognizes as one's own , and tempers it with insights that makes one feel proud for having shared and come through such experiences.
Let Them Eat Cake!.......2007-01-28
If you've read anything else by Larkin, you know. She's witty, wise, and worldly. As the cover may give away, this isn't some preachy, "thou shalt" and "thou shalt not" book of Buddhist directives. Larkin speaks in the voice of one who has been there. Practically everywhere. Her words hit home and her teachings are nestled in the familiar. Loaded with personal stories to illustrate time-tested points, The Chocolate Cake Sutra provides the perfect soul food. Pun unapologetically intended.
A Delicious Treat from One of the Best Buddhist Bakers!.......2007-01-22
Geri Larkin is so many things; a Zen Buddhist; a former female executive; the founder of a Detroit-based retreat center; a talented and accomplished writer. What she ISN'T is a disconnected guru with an out-of-touch perspective on modern life.
No, she's one of the few contemporary Buddhist writers who remains fully engaged and committed to our modern world and its frenzied pace. What sets her apart from the masses is her ability to eloquently, and sometimes even humorously, pair Buddhist teachings with commonplace scenarios to which everyone can relate. More than that, she speaks to her audience from a grounded location & never seems the least bit self-righteous or haughty. In fact, she embodies the spirit of humility to which most Buddhists strive.
In this latest installment, Larkin uses the image of a delectable pastry to illustrate the the steps one must follow in order to attain a more peaceful, calm, and compassionate lifestyle & outlook. Each chapter introduces a spiritual ingredient which must be added to the mix in order for the results to be optimal. As Larkin explains, one can opt to only include those components which are straightforward and generally effortless to summon however, in doing so, one must accept that his or her daily dessert will suffer as a result. The richest and most rewarding life is one in which all ingredients are included and Larkin's recipe followed to a T.
Per her usual, Larkin's writing style is witty, whimsical, and wise. Her message is coherent and the execution concise. She writes in a way so that her message is incredibly accessible to both Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. The only criticism I can possibly offer is that the work is just a tad too short. After finishing the last page, I was left craving more. Then again, such is inexorably the case after one devours a treat as delightful as this!
An enlightening read... .......2007-01-14
The author takes often complex issues and presents them in a way that makes it easy for readers to relate them to their individual lives. Using chocolate cake as a metaphor is an interesting approach, and it works very well.
Anyone who has read Ms. Larkin's previous books knows her easy-to-read style and will find even more insights in this book.
Average customer rating:
- A GREAT FINISH TO A GREAT SERIES
- Specialist book
- Specialist book
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French Professional Pastry Series : Decorations, Borders and Letters, Marzipan, Modern Desserts
Roland Bilheux , and
Alain Escoffier
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Chocolate
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| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
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Creams, Confections, and Finished Desserts (French Professional Pastry Series)
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Doughs, Batters, and Meringues (French Professional Pastry Series)
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Special and Decorative Breads: Traditional, Regional and Special Breads, Fancy Breads - Viennese Pasteries - Croissants, Brioches - Decorative Breads - Presentation Pieces
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A Modernist View of Plated Desserts (Grand Finales)
ASIN: 0470250003 |
Book Description
Volume 4 outlines techniques of decoration, illustrates techniques and patterns for borders and letters, and covers modeling with almond paste.
Customer Reviews:
A GREAT FINISH TO A GREAT SERIES.......2007-10-10
This is the fourth book in a series of four and it a competent companion to the other three books.
It deals mainly with the decoration of finished desserts, lettering and writing with a variety of ingredients (chocolate, fondant etc), marzipan decorations, edible color painting, decoration and exhibition pieces and finished desserts among others.
As it is part of a series you need to get the recipes for the preparations and bases from the other books, especially the first two (bases and fillings). The second part of the book deals with modern desserts (tortes, gateaux) that one can find in patisseries around France. If you live in Europe you might find some of the dessert decorations somewhat dated, as this book has quite a few years on its back. If you live in the USA though, the desserts and decorations here are rarely if ever seen in american bakeries.
The last part of the book deals with exhbition pieces and alone is worth the price of the book. Excellent craftmanship and endles inspiration for the pastry chef.
The book has gloss pages, it is full of colored photographs, depicting both the procedures and the finished products and it has Metric weights as sould be expected from a professional book.
The price has decreased recently so it is a great buy for the professional.
Specialist book.......2000-05-30
This is a very nice book, that teaches you to make French pastry-chef quality letters and borders to decorate your cakes. It has extensive examples and instructions for modelling animals and flowers in marzipan. It also has a gallery of special delicious looking cakes, unfortunately though, if you want to try those, you are referred to the author's other volumes for the recipes.
Specialist book.......2000-05-30
This is a very nice book, that teaches you to make French pastry-chef quality letters and borders to decorate your cakes. It has extensive examples and instructions for modelling animals and flowers in marzipan. It also has a gallery of special delicious looking cakes, unfortunately though, if you want to try those, you are referred to the author's other volumes for the recipes.
Amazon.com
No doubt about it: chocolate rules. Celebrating this happy fact is Marcel Desaulniers's Death by Chocolate Cakes, another installment in his bestselling Death by Chocolate series. These books bring chocolate sweets to, well, heart-stopping heights. Cake, which contains 50 or so recipes for goodies such as Chocolate Heart of Darkness Cakes (dense chocolate cupcakes with a molten chocolate-truffle center) and Excessively Expressive Espresso Fantasy (chocolate ganache-filled chocolate espresso cake topped with espresso mousse), also includes formulas for chocolate ice creams, drinks, and sauces--all in all a true debauch. Though its recipes are painstakingly written and easy to follow, most require multiple, technically exacting preparations; aside from chocolate voyeurs, they'll be of greatest interest to reasonably skilled bakers with time to spare.
Desaulniers divides his recipes into chapters such as "Baby Cakes," "Mom's Cakes," "Celebration Cakes," and "Sky-High Cakes." This portioning is somewhat arbitrary as the drill is usually a lusciously filled and topped layer cake. Delicious exceptions include My Little Kumquat Cake and Uncle Sam's in the Black Cake. If Desaulniers is given to a jokey cuteness (as evidenced by the above recipe titles), and neglects sometimes to describe his cakes so readers can make informed baking choices, he is careful to provide illuminating tips on equipment and techniques throughout. With 50 mouth-watering color photos, the book should bring great pleasure to all chocolate lovers, on the page and at meal's end. --Arthur Boehm
Book Description
For the chocolate lover, there is nothing like biting into a rich, dark slice of chocolate cake. More than a mouthful of something wonderful, it's a chocolate celebration. And nobody knows how to celebrate chocolate cakes better than the "guru of ganache," chef Marcel Desaulniers.
In Death by Chocolate Cakes, Marcel serves up some of his most inventive, most sinful, most seductive chocolate creations ever. His Chocolate Heart of Darkness cakes are the ultimate cupcakes. The secret--a melted chocolate truffle center. For an unforgettable birthday cake, serve the one he created for Julia Child: a ganache-covered chocolate almond cake with red raspberry mousse.
Have the desire for something that towers over ordinary chocolate desserts? Look up Excessively Expressive Espresso Ecstasy or Chocolate Strawberry Teardrop Cake. These are exactly the things when "over the top" is what you want. And for an elegant taste of Paris, try Marcel's Chocolate Pistachio Madeleines.
When you just can't wait for that chocolate fix, Marcel has plenty of quick-and-easy recipes, some of which come from Marcel's mom's circle of chocolate-lover friends. Pour yourself a cold glass of milk and dig into Margie's Golden Raisin Heavy Fudge Cake, Virginia's Cocoa Pound Cake with Warm Buttered Brandy Berries, or Mimi Montano's Chocolate Zucchini Cake. As a bonus, there is a collection of ice creams, sauces, beverages, and other delectables that are the perfect partners to Marcel's creations and an informative section on equipment, ingredients, and techniques.
Death by Chocolate Cakes truly takes the cake and then takes it to where it's never been before.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful!!!!.......2006-08-03
This is the best book on chocolate cakes. When I am entertaining I reach for this book. The directions are many but they are helpful. It is well written, funny, and the recipes are wonderful!!! The pictures are great too!!
Delicious but difficult for beginners.......2006-02-23
The recipes are outstanding, and include a large variety of desserts beyond chocolate. The book presumes that basic cake baking techniques are understood. Although not a problem for any seasoned baker, a beginner will likely make errors. Now that I have learned more (from other sources) this book will be an excellent source for phenomenal recipes. Good luck.
The most luscious cakes you'll ever taste!.......2004-05-21
Marcel Desaulniers is the most consistently amazing dessert cookbook author I've ever come across. Take, for example, Martha's Chocolate Freckles Fresh Blueberry Ice Cream Cake. It's based in a "Chocolate Freckles Cake," which is a non-chocolate cake with finely-chopped or grated chocolate mixed into the batter. A homemade blueberry ice cream fills the space between the layers - this is honestly one of the best ice creams I've ever had, with a tart flavor created by the sour cream, cream cheese, and lemon juice. The topping is sweetened, vanilla-flavored whipped cream, and further fresh blueberries are ringed around the top.
Next we made Marcel's First Birthday Chocolate High and Fluffy-on-Top Cake. This is a chocolate cake with a vanilla frosting. It sounds so simple, but it's so delightful! This is truly the ultimate icing: sweet, not too buttery, and remarkably fluffy. I have never had such a fantastic icing before, and intend to use it on cake after cake in the future.
You'll find everything in here from Chocolate Rocky Road, to Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake, Chocolate Caraway On-the-Rocks Trifles, Chocolate-Dipped Orange Fry Cakes with Coffee and Cream, Uncle Sam's in the Black Cake (with a toasted oatmeal raising topping), Chocolate Tender Passion, and much more! Each recipe comes with a gorgeous picture. The recipes are inventive and of consistently excellent quality; the directions are thorough without being labyrinthine. They're several pages long for each recipe, but I never feel lost. Marcel repeats the amounts of the ingredients in the instructions so you don't have to flip back and forth to the ingredient amounts.
You'll probably not want to get this book unless you have a stand mixer--the key to many of these delights is loooong mixing times, sometimes of stiff batters. Other than that, however, Marcel tries to limit himself to common household equipment and time-scales. In short, if you like to cook and love chocolate cakes, buy this cookbook!
Talk About "Have Your Cake!".......2003-12-27
You won't find such creative stuff anywhere else, trust me, one who's a cookbook addict collector and searches many sources for great recipes. Marcel is truly creative and stand alone in his relentless search and publication of such collections, all geared not for restaurant or competition but for us home chefs. Ingredients, equipment and techniques are all tried and prepared with us in mind.
This volume on cakes is divided into five groupings: Baby cakes, Mom's cakes, Celebration cakes, out-of-state cakes, and sky-high cakes, with the common theme of chocolate. This guy really knows how to get to my sweet tooth, with nuts and fruit and decadent chocolate.
Try the likes of: "Chocolate Porto Enchantment Cake"; "Milk Chocolate Peach Pecan Upside Down Cake with Peach and Bourbon Ice Cream" or "Chocolate Mai Tai." Truly, there is too many good ones, but feast your tastebuds on: "Martha's Chocolate Frecles Fresh Blueberry Ice Cream Cake" "Chocolate Caraway On-The-Rock Trifles" "Chocolate Tender Passion"
As with each of his cookbook offerings, there is the super photos, Chef's Touch section with its fascinating background and prep and serving tips, and section on sources, ingredients and techniques, one especially awesome here is a Table of differing chocolate melting times using both double broiler and microwave methods.
This one does take the cake
Amazing!.......2003-10-18
I love this book! I've already made several cakes from it and, although they are time consuming, the results are fabulous! The directions are easy to follow and the stories are the icing on the cake. I went out and got the other books as well, and I'd recommend all of them to any chocolate lover out there.
Book Description
A collection of 75 mouth-watering recipes in the same user-friendly format and fun design as the successful A Baker's Field Guide to Christmas Cookies. America's favorite cookie gets star treatment. Every cookie is photographed in full color, with a description.
Customer Reviews:
Cant wait.......2007-02-01
I cant wait to try these recipes. They are all so different when you read the descriptions of the ingredients. She has the book very organized and tells you what cookies can be mailed as gifts and how long they will last. There are also some great recipes for dark chocolate 70% cocoa cookies, which I love. Have fun eating!!!
Great little book!.......2005-12-14
I was pleased with clear recipes, and that they were laid out so you could lay the book flat and see all the ingredients and directions at once. And the results were delish, too!!!
A Baker's field guide to Chocolate Chip cookies.......2005-03-03
Dede Wilson is one of the best bakers out there. Her cookies are amazing! There are cookies you can make with kids, and very scrumptious cookies for adults. You have to try the Anytime S'mores Cappuccino Biscotti Dunkers, Chewy brownie Chip drops, and the chocolate polka-dot mint crackles. Also make sure to check out the chocolate chip peanut butter hills that her friend chelsea brown made- yum. All of the cookies in this book are amazing!
Showcasing 75 recipes .......2004-12-09
Dede Wilson's A Baker's Field Guide To Chocolate Chip Cookies is a chocolate chip cooky enthusiasts dream come true! Showcasing 75 recipes that range from kid-friendly classics to unexpected innovations, this outstanding addition to any kitchen cookbook collection is enhanced with full color photography; a fund field guide formate offering the details of cookie "species" with entries on Type, Description, Field Notes, Lifespan, and Related Species. There are special graphic icons identifying which recipes are good to make with kids, which cookies freeze well; and which are especially quick & easy to make. From Apricot Almond White Chocolate Chip Cookies; Cappuccino Chocolate Chip Boscotti Dunkers; and Chocolate Polka-Dot Mint Crackles; to Double Chip Browned-Butter Oat Scotchies; Hazelnut Gianduja Chunk Cookies; and No-Bake Chocolate Chip Drops, A Baker's Field Guide To Chocolate Chip Cookies offers a cookie for any dining occasion from the school lunch bag to elegant celebatory dinner parties.
Book Description
This beautiful book features a stunning selection of chocolate celebration cakes to suit any special occasion-from birthdays to balls, weddings to anniversaries, Christmas to christenings. This unique book features over 20 spectacular chocolate cakes from the simple one-tier to the more extravagant five-tier creations and amazing chocolate table centerpieces. Chocolate Cakes for Weddings and Celebrations includes practical information on selecting from the range of dark, milk, and white chocolates, working with chocolate, and storing chocolate cakes.
Customer Reviews:
spectacular chocoholic's dream!.......2007-07-15
As an avowed chocoholic, I had to have this book also. It runs the gamut from dipping strawberries, making roses from chocolate paste and the best [in my opinion] on page 32, is a 3 tiered wedding cake with a marbled chocolate drape adorning all three tiers and secured at intervals with chocolate roses. There's also centerpieces, truffles, a list of suppliers, etc.
This is a must have for your library. The photos are incredible, everthing is clear!!!
Good, but not perfect.......2003-10-13
Beautiful photos. Great Ideas. Lots of instructions. What's not to like? Well, there isn't a mention of portion size or number anywhere to be found. I figured out that the larger cakes serve 150 wedding portions by finding one that is made of 150 molds filled with chocolate mousse. If you don't really know how to work with cakes and their decorations this book is a bit advanced- I'm a pastry chef and had problems with the first one I tried. It was worth the effort- a tasty cake and wonderful to behold. I'm going to try another of the cakes in a few weeks-and now I know how much time it might really take. YOU MUST PLAN AHEAD when using this book-like a week in advance. Otherwise- go for it, you'll definitely learn a lot
WOW, what a book!.......2003-04-16
Beautiful cakes! Wonderful detailed instructions for recreating the cakes and recipes too.
Book Description
Celebrating rich, buttery, over-the-top treats, award-winning baker and author Judy Rosenberg shares 150 inspired but easy-to-make cookie recipes that never stint on the good stuff. Think chocolate chips and chocolate chunks, mounds of jam and heaps of nuts, the butter crunch of real shortbread and the tender chew of a gooey bar.
Cookies and milk will never taste the same again. Among the old favorites and new classics: Noah's Chocolate Chocolatey Chocolate Chips, Hazelnut Crisps, Banana-Nut Chocolate Chunks, Almond Biscotti (low-fat, but don't tell anyone), Coconut Dainties, Pucker-Your-Lips Apricot Linzer Bars, and adorable little custard-filled Boston Cream Pies.
76,000 copies in print.
Customer Reviews:
Drooling, as I read.......2007-06-10
This is one of those satisfying recipe books that includes the reader in. The dialogue is chatty and warm and the recipes all sound delicious. Just as her original Baking Book is. A winner !
Quantity over quality . . . .......2007-01-10
I'll give her credit, Rosie has a large selection of recipes to choose from, but the basic layout of this cookbook is not ideal, and her measurements are a bit freaky. You'll see 1 cup + 6 tablespoons of flour(isn't that a third of a cup?) Or 12 tablespoons of butter, or 6 tablespoons of milk . . . Again, couldn't that be converted to something more mainstream, like liquid ounces? And the recipes are frequently not all on one page, so you get to flip back and forth from the ingredients to the directions. Her writing is very chatty and comforting, but the recipies I've tried (and there have been several) have only been OK - not memorable.
Such a great compliment to Rosie's baking book!.......2006-06-06
I enjoy this book as much as I do the baking book. I have never had a cookbook with so many 5* recipes. The recipe people request the most is the Baker's Best Snickerdoodles. Unbeatable.
This Is The Best Cookie Book Ever!!!!!.......2005-12-23
I couldn't beleive how good the cookies are in this book. She is so on the money with every single one. The one that really rocks are the Fudgie Wudgies cookies. Every time I make these, people want more. The 1st time i tasted one fresh out of the oven. I thougth the top of my head was going to come off. I can't wait for her to come out with another cook book. I bought her cake cook book aswell. And that is just as good as the cookie cook book.
Thank you so very much for writing these 2 cook books.
This is a REAL cookbook!.......2005-04-02
Every young bride should start with a cookbook as good as this one! The cookbooks that use 'quick' items, or 'premixed' items are not really for cooks that enjoy the entire process of making recipes. If you enjoy the process of really cooking, this book is for you! I am an exprienced cook, I don't really need all the detail, but it is much appreciated anyway. I don't know everything there is to know, the amount of time to stir, cook, and what the item looks like after you bake it are all very helpful. There are not pictures in this book, but I am having no problem finding recipes to make. Each one has been better than good. The brownies! UGH! They are to die for, they have started me on a brownie baking frenzy. All I can say is thank you so much for making the 2 cookbooks. I am so glad I do not live close to the bakery that she owns, I would not be able to keep away. I bought Kitchen Aid Mixers for several brides that I knew, it is my firm belief that all young brides should own one, if I would have known about this book, they would have gotten it, also. cindy
Book Description
Chocolate Cake for the Thighs - The Anti-diet Book for Women is obviously not another weight loss / diet book. If anything, it is closer to a self help book. True, there is a lot of talk about food, but that's because there is a lot of talk about food in your day to day living. You will notice the book makes meal suggestions but never offers recipes. It makes reference to meal planning but never offers a meal plan. And nary' a tip mentions weighing and measuring food or counting calories. Instead, the focus is on making choices that move you in a positive way without extreme sacrifice. It's time to say "no" to the yo-yo of perpetual weight gain and loss, and unrealistic diets that do not meet the daily needs of the average woman. Through observation, attention, journaling, and desire, any woman can achieve her ideal body. The idea is simple. Start today with the small things you can do that make a difference like a walk after dinner, (or any of the other 100 tips in the book) and see how quickly they positively affect and improve the way you look and feel about yourself. As you add things on, you will CONTINUE to maintain mastery over the previously chosen tasks. By cutting out bad food and lifestyle habits, one at a time, and adding beneficial physical and mental activities, one at a time, you are taking yourself successfully forward, step by step. This way, by the end of a year, you'll have improved the quality of your life by at least 40 actions! #1 Never eat ice cream out of the carton. or a cereal bowl. Use a teacup so one big scoop seems like a lot. #27 Whenever possible, eat your lunch "topless." You know.when you order a sandwich without the top bread. Some call it "open faced" but it's called "topless" in my neck of the woods. Besides, it got your attention didn't it? #51 Look at the bright side. No matter how much weight you want to lose, there is someone out there who needs to lose more. Your current weight is probably someone else's "goa
Customer Reviews:
Chocolate Cake for the Things.......2007-05-18
The book was funny, interesting, suggesting things I have not thought about to help me not be on a diet.
She includes her family too, and as we all know it takes the whole family to help to not eat junk food, etc.
have sent copies to other women and they all loved it.
I even met the author when I was in Hawaii and she signed my book and I talked to her. What a wonderful, interesting womem.
Chocolate Cake for the Thighs.......2007-03-07
Love this book! Great tips & quips to get you motivated toward a healthier lifestyle. This is a must have for women of all ages and sizes!
Books:
- Cook Right 4 Your Type: The Practical Kitchen Companion to Eat Right 4 Your Type
- Cooked: From the Streets to the Stove, from Cocaine to Foie Gras
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- Cooking from Quilt Country : Hearty Recipes from Amish and Mennonite Kitchens
- Cooking with the Bible: Biblical Food, Feasts, and Lore
- Damon Lee Fowler's New Southern Kitchen: Traditional Flavors for Contemporary Cooks
- Dishes from the Wild Horse Desert: Norteño Cooking of South Texas
- Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste
- EatingWell Serves Two: 150 Healthy in a Hurry Suppers
- El Charro Café Cookbook: Flavors of Tucson from America's Oldest Family-Operated Mexican Restaurant
Books Index
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The Cake Mix Doctor
Cupcakes: From the Cake Mix Doctor
The Dinner Doctor
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