Southern Cakes: Sweet and Irresistible Recipes for Everyday Celebrations

Locale Selector - Click for default
|

ttStore Home
Show Featured Items

Southern Cakes: Sweet and Irresistible Recipes for Everyday Celebrations

Author(s):

Nancie McDermott

Label: Chronicle Books
Publisher(s):

Chronicle Books

Studio: Chronicle Books
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
Binding: Paperback
List Price: $19.95
Our Price: $17.95
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Taste the chocolatey goodness of Mississippi Mud or marvel at the extravagant elegance of the Lady Baltimore and there will be no doubt that Southerners know how to bake a cake. Here are 65 recipes for some of the most delicious ever. Jam cakes and jelly rolls; humble pear bread and peanut cake; whole chapters on both chocolate and coconut cakes each moist and delicious forkful represents the spirit of the South. A Baking 101 section offers the cake basics, some finishing touches (that means frosting and lots of it!), and the how-to's of storing each lovely concoction so that the last slice tastes as fresh and delightful as the first.

Customer Reviews

A pleasing sampler of Southern-style favorites

Nancie McDermott's Southern Cakes gathers some of the South's most well-known delights: pristine fluffy coconut cakes, deliciously oozy jelly cakes, red velvet cake, pineapple upside-down cake, Mississippi mud, all the way to that towering confection, Lady Baltimore cake, rich with raisins, figs, pecans and brandy. Along the way, she shares plenty of stories of the origins of the various recipes, many from family and friends or from various regional cookbooks.

There are numerous variations on pound cakes (classic, chocolate, marble molasses, brown sugar, cream cheese, blue ribbon, bourbon, sweet potato) that are easy to whip together; these are perfect for impromptu afternoon teas or to give as gifts. There are light and fluffy coffee cakes, oatmeal cake, and date-nut cake. I also loved the addition of "ethnic" baking recipes such as a Russian Jewish babka (yeast bread), a tres leches cake (a traditional Hispanic favorite that blends milk, sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk), a Rosh Hashanah honey cake and a Passover torte that are perhaps not as quickly associated with Southern desserts.

Also included are heirloom and antique recipes such as a tomato soup cake, Ozark pudding, and a cake recipe dating from 1898. I loved some of the more offbeat creations such as chocolate mayonnaise cake, pumpkin-raisin cake, a "Japanese" fruitcake, and the divine fig cake and pear bread.

Finally, a chapter on icings rounds out the cakes, with recipes for seven-minute frosting, cream cheese, browned butter, chocolate fudge, classic boiled, and never-fail chocolate icings, a caramel glaze, and an easy lemon curd (which is super-expensive if you buy it at a specialty store).

The ingredients are ones that you probably already have in your pantry (except for the Southern staple of self-rising flour, perhaps), and the instructions are very easy to follow (they're broken down by paragraph, with the first line of each printed in an easy-to-read red and a less-easy to read light blue). The text runs on the small side, which might be harder to read for older readers. In the back are a bibliography, a selection of sources online, and a conversion chart.

This is a nice addition to your baking library if you love to whip up frosted layer cakes or you're looking for some lighter ideas perfect for brunch or tea (the pound cakes and coffee cakes). It's easy to use, and Nancie lists many intriguing Southern cookbooks if you're interested in learning more about the cuisine of a particular region.

Very good book

Very good recipes, or at least they seem to be. I didn't get a chance to try any yet.

southern cAKES

this book is really great it explains in simple terms ,, the only down side is that some of the cakes are complexed and ..I was looking for "literatly southern cakes" like pound cakes etc . But over all the book is great.

Southern Cakes

This book has been a blessing to me it has given me lots of new recipes for me me to try and share with my family.

Great Recipes and well-written

My son bought me this book for Mother's Day. I love it. I love the background stories behind the recipes. I made the Cream Cheese Pound Cake this past weekend. Everyone loved it!

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT SOME OF THE CONTENT THAT WE MAKE AVAILABLE TO YOU THROUGH THIS APPLICATION COMES FROM AMAZON WEB SERVICES. ALL SUCH CONTENT IS PROVIDED TO YOU "AS IS." THIS CONTENT AND YOUR USE OF IT ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND/OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.
Powered by PNAmazon © 2003-2007 ttgapers.com