Martha Stewart's Cake Perfection - 100+ Recipes for the Sweet Classic, from Simple to Stunning - A Baking Book by Martha Stewart Living
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Web ID: 14737374Another Martha Classic
This book is full of wonderful, creative recipes that will help celebrate special occasions or celebrate any day. Her knowledge and tips for making the cakes more beautiful and delicious are invaluable. This book will inspire you whether you are an accomplished baker or a beginner. I am so happy to have it in my collection. I received a free copy from Ten Speed press for a free and unbiased review. What a treat for me!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great Cake Focused Recipes!
Cake! I've received a free copy from Ten Speed Press/Clarkson Potter in exchange for a free and unbiased review. Martha Stewart's Cake Perfection is out in Tuesday and has so many gorgeous, show stopping cakes in it! Like many people I don't have a lot of reasons right now for special occasion cakes, so the first one we tried was Lemon Glazed Sheet Cake. I made this on a weekday and to tell the truth it was a little more time intensive than I'd usually want to take on during the week. I screwed up several steps because I wasn't paying enough attention and I ended up with a cake that was initially kind of hard instead of soft and fluffy. The instructions called for it to sit in the fridge for at least two hours before serving but I found that it was quite a bit better the next day after the lemon glaze had more time to settle into the cake (and it softened it up). The lemon flavor was really strong without being overpowering. I'm looking forward to reasons to try some of the more complex cakes!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Cakes for all occasions!
I think Martha Stewart is generally great. She's consistently been my reference for how to do things right.This book, Cake Perfection, has some very good things in it, and I'm excited to bake from it. Thus far I've made three cakes: fudgy brownie cake, plum upside-down cake, and spiced snacking cake. They all are quick, one-pan bakes that don't require much dressing-up or extra frosting. I made the fudgy brownie cake in the middle of my workday (don't tell my boss) -- it was quick, easy, and very rewarding! I have some small points of contention. One, the plum cake assembly goes this way: combine the wet and dry ingredients, and then transfer the almost-finished batter to a new large bowl, wash the bowl and mixer attachment (can't have any remaining butter or egg yolk in the bowl or the whites won't aerate properly), and then whip the egg whites to fold in. I saw this, and did not do this -- I decided to whip the egg whites first, set them aside in a small bowl, and then assemble the cake in that egg white-y mixing bowl. I don't want to wash dishes when I'm in the home stretch of making a cake, I'll wash the dishes once the cake is in the oven. This is the kind of thing that maybe a more experienced home cook would notice, so I wish some consideration was made about creating dirty dishes. I guess my advice is to really closely read the recipes before you start baking! As other reviewers have noted, ingredient measurements aren't provided with weights. To me, that's a clear way to make perfect results, when one baker's flour and sugar volume measurements might be different from another's, weight will be the same. And additionally, this book is made for those who can eat white wheat flour, dairy, cane sugar, eggs -- there are no notations of how to substitute ingredients, and no recipes with dietary or lifestyle necessities in mind, though a clever baker could independently figure out their own modifications. Nevertheless, there are a lot of fun and interesting cakes to be made, especially if you're a fan of showstopping baking on TV, social media, etc: very cool chocolate brushstrokes, swirly mirror glazes, pretty piped succulents, and lots of color. It's funny to me that the book has separate chapters of "Show Cakes" and "Celebration Cakes", when maybe those could have been combined, but the final chapter, "Baking Basics", for cakes, fillings, frostings, and toppings is a great reference, like a capsule wardrobe for any occasion that calls for cake. This book is totally full of recipes, appropriate for everyday and for special events, and I'm really craving cake now! I received a free copy of this book from Clarkson Potter in exchange for a free and unbiased review.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Homemade Sprinkles! Who knew?
This book, literally, has something for everyone! There are cakes you can make from ingredients you have in your pantry right now; cakes you can make in a 9x13 pan; cupcakes; cheesecakes; and of course the special occasion cakes and "project" cakes that you would expect from Martha Stewart. Each recipe includes detailed instructions which, when followed, allows for flawless execution and delicious results. Every recipe includes a photo, so you know what the finished treat is supposed to look like. Beginning bakers will appreciate the precision provided by Martha Stewart. Experienced bakers will appreciate her tips and decorative flourishes. It is a great reference compendium to keep on your shelves, as there is literally something for every occasion. The Snickerdoodle Crumb Cake on page 131 comes together in no time, and likely doesn't require a trip to the grocery store, yet tastes SO much better than any coffee cake you would pick up from the grocery store! Same thing applies to the Spice Cake on page 162 - and the glaze has an uncommon twist for a spice cake that really highlights the flavors. Of all the recipes I've tried so far, however, I am most excited to add the Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake (p.217) to my Thanksgiving and Christmas menus this year. It is delicious, and very pretty. Martha Stewart is the person who taught me to make marshmallows from scratch. I haven't tried them yet, but I am looking forward to trying her recipe for Homemade Sprinkles included in the book. What a great garnish and conversation piece to add to one of her cakes from the book! Thank you Ten Speed Press for the free copy of this book to bake from, in exchange for this free and unbiased review. It's a keeper!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
From everyday cakes to showstoppers!
Let me start by disclaiming three things: From everyday cakes to showstoppers- this book has you covered! Let me start by disclaiming three things: First, I received this book from Clarkson Potter for free in exchange for a free and unbiased review. I didn’t know ahead of time that I was going to receive it. Second, I love Martha Stewart. Third, I like cake. I only had time to make one recipe from the book – the Tropical Pound Cake (as you can see in my photo I didn’t sift my confectioner’s sugar very well, but it still tasted great!). I live in a household of two, and since we aren’t socializing during the COVID-19 pandemic, we don’t have the ability or help to eat a lot of baked goods. That said, the pound cake was incredibly easy to make. I whipped it up on a Monday night while dinner simmered on the stovetop. This recipe was in a section with “Everyday Cakes,” all of which seem similarly simple to make. Interestingly, the book is organized with “showstopping” cakes in the first section. But it’s clear that these particular cakes are meant to be fancier or for special occasions. There’s a pistachio and ricotta cake in this section that looks divine – I’m hoping for a special occasion when I might be able to make and share it. Some decorating techniques are more complicated than I know how to do, and that may be true of other bakers. But many cakes in the book have simple decorations, or would be tasty without decoration. There’s a recipe for homemade sprinkles, which I’ve never done, but I’d like to try. There’s a mix-and-match section in the back for basic cake recipes and basic frosting recipes, to help create your own cake creation. The recipes generally seem to be well-edited and easy to follow. There’s a photo of every cake, which is helpful. Because it’s Martha, there are some recipes that have hard to find ingredients, like rose petals, or orange blossom water. I don’t find that to be off-putting, though. In most cases those ingredients aren’t vital to the recipe, and the cakes would work well without those isolated ingredients. I do appreciate that the recipes all seem to call for all-purpose flour and don’t require a regular home baker to have eleven different kinds of flour in the house.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great recipes, but wish for a bit more
Martha Stewart's Cake Perfection includes everything from everyday cakes to special occasion items to impress. Recipes are broken down into the following sections: Show Cakes, Layer Cakes, Everyday Cakes, Sheet Cakes, Cupcakes, Celebration Cakes, and Baking Basics. I believe every cake recipe includes a picture which is great for a baking book. The pictures are also quite lovely and inviting. In the introductory chapters there are golden rules, essential ingredients, essential tools, and basic frosting tools. These sections are short but informative which I like. I have made two recipes so far, the blueberry cupcakes and the double orange bundt cake. Both recipes were easy to accomplish and I didn't have any issues with the recipe instructions. The double orange bundt cake in particular had a great light crumb I really liked, and the orange/butter glaze tasted so good. My cake didn't have the beautiful shine the picture in the book does which was a bit disappointing, but oh well. A couple items I think would make this cookbook even better. Weight measurements! I just don't understand why US baking books don't always include weight and volume meansurements. Wouldn't it be nice for a person in another country to be able to also use the book? Or people like myself that just prefer to use a scale? Second there don't seem to be any options for alternative bakes (ex. gluten free, dairy free, vegan). A chapter including these items would have made the book more rounded. I've received a free copy from Ten Speed Press/Clarkson Potter in exchange for a free and unbiased review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A great "any occasion" cake cookbook
Another stunner from Martha Stewart. This book has 6 sections of types of cakes to make and they range from simple to more complicated but all are stunners. The photography is absolutely beautiful. As someone who likes to bake but doesn't have every baking ingredient under the sun or every tool a pastry chef has, this cookbook is very approachable for the average home baker. Yes you need more than measuring cups and 1 cake pan, but if you have a decently stocked kitchen you'll be just fine. Another part of this cookbook I liked was the range of sizes the recipes make. They don't all make cakes for 15. I made the Molten Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes that only made 6 cupcakes, which is great for a household of 2. They are absolutely delicious and I'll be making them any chance I get. I only needed to get 1 ingredient at the grocery store to make them (heavy cream) which made it even more appealing. I'd recommend this cookbook for anyone who likes to bring cakes to events or to spoil your family with them. There are a ton of options and plenty of ways you can mix and match different cakes with different toppings. The recipes are well written and easy to follow. I've received a free copy from Ten Speed Press in exchange for a free and unbiased review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
New Ideas for Cake Baking and Decorating
Martha Stewart was right on the mark, as always, when she chose to highlight cakes during this COVID-19 time when "let them eat cake" has more or less become a theme. When I received a free copy of Martha Stewart's Cake Perfection in exchange for a free and unbiased review, I thought at first it would appeal mostly to experienced bakers, looking to try something new, but as I began reading the recipes it became clear how very easy many of them are. Even someone who never greased a cake pan before the March lock-down could awe their family and friends with any of the 100 masterpieces beautifully illustrated here. The Chocolate-and-Vanilla Zebra Cake gracing the cover looks complicated but actually is easy-peasy. It's all in the way the cake batters are arranged. There's help for the less experienced in what are termed "Golden Rules" in the beginning of the book, instructions how to begin the cake-baking process and then preparing the finished product for decorating. And some basic piping instructions are offered as well. Martha, perhaps thinking of how desperate we are for amusement and joy these days, has a very playful hand with these recipes. She offers us Neapolitan Cupcakes, inspired by the famous ice-cream flavor, and consisting of chocolate and vanilla layers topped with a strawberry buttercream. Her Milk-and-Cookies Cake features frosting dotted with mini-chocolate chips, creating an almost lace-like effect. The book also puts twists on the traditional, turning German Chocolate cake into a bundt offering. Another cake is made of 30 layers of crepes in place of the usual cake batter. For romantics, there are two offerings, a heart-shaped cake that is perhaps the loveliest in the book, and cupcakes using both heart-shaped pieces of cake and heart-shaped icing as toppings.. Perhaps my favorite part of the book is the Mix-and-Match final section. Here you will find recipes for classic cake batters, fillings, numerous frostings and even garnishes, for a baker to combine for whatever effect they desire.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com