Anyone who has has the great and absolute pleasure of spending time in the the tent watching The Great British Baking Show understands the importance of a perfect Victorian sponge, the beauty of a sublime mirror glaze, the rustic ingenuity of a semi-naked cake. You’ve seen bakers struggle under the eagle eyes and scorching judgment of Paul Hollywood (I could add “and Prue Leith,” but she’s not nearly as scary a judge).
As a longtime fan of the show, I know I hold my breath when the knife slices through the frosting, when that first slice is pulled out, when the judges’ forks glide through that tasty treat that is an amazing cake. Now we Americans can have those moments in our own kitchens, because for the first time there is an Americanized cookbook celebrating the cakes of The Great British Baking Show.
The Big Book of Amazing Cakes pulls recipes from the most current season as well as some classics that couldn’t be left out and offers them to home bakers on this side of the pond along with all the tips and tricks you need to create your own impressive desserts. Need help understanding the chemistry of baking? It’s in there. Want ideas for frosting cupcakes (aka fairy cakes)? Yup, it’s included. Want to learn more about decorating with chocolate? You know they put it in here. And each recipe comes with exact times for how long it will need to bake, how much time you need to put in hands-on, and there are gorgeous, mouth-watering photos of all the cakes.
Now you can have your own recipe for the ultimate Victorian Sponge, Lemon Drizzle, Battenberg, Madeira Cake, Carrot Cake, and Swiss Roll. There are recipes for Baked Cheesecake, Fruitcake, Almond Poppy Seed Cake, and Sticky Gingerbread Loaf. And there is an entire chapter on chocolate cakes, including recipes for Devil’s Food Cake, Black Forest Gateau, Hazelnut & Chocolate Financiers, and Chocolate & Salted Caramel Brownies.
And for those with food allergies or special diets, there are recipes that are gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free and low or natural sugar. Vegan Lemon Drizzle, Dairy-Free Hazelnut Mocha Cake, Gluten-Free Berry Cheesecake, Vegan Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes, and Naturally Sweet Carrot & Walnut Cake, to name just a few, Anyone who wants cake should have a way to make an amazing cake, one that could even end in a rare Paul Hollywood handshake.
The Big Book of Amazing Cakes is the perfect gift for fans of The Great British Baking Show, for beginning and intermediate bakers, for anyone who loves cake, and for yourself. Buy it for the recipes. Buy it for the nostalgia. Buy it to be a better baker, or better yet, buy it because it makes you happy.
I mean, who doesn’t love cake?!?
A copy of The Great British Baking Show Big Book of Amazing Cakes was provided to me from Clarkson Potter for their Potter Previews program, with so many thanks!
