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The Perfect Cake

About the Book

BAKE YOUR WAY THROUGH KITCHEN-TESTED RECIPES AND ENJOY LEARNING ABOUT HOW CAKE BAKING WORKS ALONG THE WAY

Cakes are the all-occasion dessert—the center of attention at birthdays, holiday celebrations, and dinner parties, and the most welcome brunch, after-school, or teatime snack. America’s Test Kitchen’s first all-cake book, The Perfect Cake, is the definitive guide to any cake you crave from Classic Pound Cake to enjoy anytime to a stunning and impressive Blueberry Jam Cake with brilliant jam stripes and ombré frosting. Our years of test kitchen knowledge on the art and science of baking cakes provide all the tips and tricks you need for executing perfect cakes every time.

Strawberry Cupcakes
Chocolate-Pecan Torte
Rhubarb Fool Cake

The Perfect Cake contains an impressive roster of recipes, from multilayer cakes to rustic fruit-topped treats, elegant tortes, beautiful Bundts, filled cupcakes, and even fun cake pops. And each of the more than 240 recipes is kitchen-tested to work—every time. Even standards like Fluffy Yellow Cake surpass expectations: Since yellow cake can turn out dry or cottony, we switch up the mixing method, abandoning the formerly sacred creaming of butter and sugar and instead folding in whipped egg whites, for volume and light texture. Challenge recipes are a cinch to make look professional: The shiny ganache and nutty embellishments on Chocolate-Espresso Dacquoise wouldn’t be out of place in a fine patisserie. The holidays are covered with a modern Yule Log. And there are plenty of bulletproof recipes that transcend the traditional like Saffron-Orange Bundt Cake, Blackberry-Mascarpone Lemon Cake, and Red Velvet Cheesecake. There’s also a chance to develop unique cake creations with the book’s appendix of cake layers, frostings, and fillings.

Hazelnut-Chocolate Crepe Cake
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Red Velvet Cake

In addition to foolproof recipes are features that make towering 24-layer Hazelnut Chocolate Crêpe Cake as approachable as Applesauce Snack Cake. Sidebars include step-by-step photography for cakes with more advanced techniques like piping the ribbons of frosting that help give beautiful Rhubarb Ribbon Cake its name. And an informative front matter section discusses the mechanics of cake baking and the equipment and pantry items that will help you make perfect cake every time and any time.

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On Sale January 16, 2018 
ISBN: 978-1-945256-22-6
$35.00, 416 pages, jacketed hardcover, four-color throughout

Buy the Book

The Definitive Guide to Cakes for Every Occasion The Perfect Cake

Gathering together years of baking knowledge in our first-ever cake book, this comprehensive collection features recipes for any cake you can imagine—from better-than-the-rest yellow cake layers for birthday parties to fanciful creations and elegant holiday desserts.