Rose's Heavenly Cakes

Rosie, Rosie, Rosie!! You are a queen upon a very special pedestal which has very few equals! And anyone who possesses this tome of baking knowledge will absolutely agree! Rose Levy-Beranbaum has outdone herself in her latest offering of baking excellence! Where her "Cake Bible" was a standard for many years, this has outdone even that book! The first time I met Rose was at a tiny little bookstore in Chicago many, many years ago. She was there for the signing of "Cake Bible" and she was the very first professional baker/chef that I had met on the beginning journey of my road to serious baking/cooking. She was most kind and gracious and I remember thinking of what a wonderful life would lie ahead for this sweet lady. Needless to say, her "Cake Bible" became a standard for many people but this latest offering from her talented mind is exquiste and is by far, one of the very best learning and reference books ever! Also, within the last couple of years, I have enjoyed her website/blog which makes her even more accessible for general or specific questions on baking. The journey she took us on while making this wonderful new book was a joy to follow. It is a large, heavy, detailed book of cakes, cupcakes, bars, baby-size cakes with excellent photography, all printed on heavy, high-end paper to for which you would expect of books of this quality. Immediately at the introduction of each recipe, you have the serving size and baking time, followed by a brief synopsis of what she feels is the essence of that particular recipe. Then the "Batter" ingredients are laid out in a graphic form in which you are given the ingredients, with the Volume listed next to it, then the Weights of each ingredient, in both American and Metric form. Under this graph of information begins the steps to be taken beginning with any special equipment that would be needed, oven preparation, then the actual preparation of the batter. Any variations that could be taken, as well as "Highlights for Success" are listed and very much appreciated in that sometimes, there are little tricks, sidebars of information, and alternatives that you can incorporate into making the recipe a bit easier or more grand. For example, I never realized that the leavening agents within cupcakes require that you bake them immediately or they will lose the power of that ingredient, so unless you have a large oven to bake all the batter at one shot, you're better off making the batter in batches. Also, the presentation of these creations can be made so much more impressive with just a little creative help such as gingerbread boys and girls encircling a "Ginger Cheesecake" (who would have thunk it?) or using ladyfingers as an upright band of crust for the "Cranberry Crown Cheesecake" which also have a lovely wide ribbon around their base for an extraordinary presentation. Being someone who appreciates photography in a cookbook, the photo's contained within are both superb and generous, with close-up shots that show detail. There is also single or sequential photography for certain cakes that require more intimate knowledge of preparation or assembly such as the "Holiday Pinecone Cake" (it acutal looks like a pinecone) or how to make "Spun Sugar" or how to pipe the "Ladyfingers", etc. Sometimes, just one little photo will clarify a question in your mind and Rose seems to know which step would benefit from a photo. Many of the cakes have their finished photo in this grand book but not all, though there are enough to satisfy everyone. Her book is constructed as such: Foreward Acknowledgements Introduction Rose's Rules of Cake Baking (Though you may know these tips, this is an essential read) BUTTER and OIL CAKES: Apple Upside-Down Cake, Plum and Blueberry Upside Down Torte, She Loves Me Cake (a standard batter using the Nordic Pan Daisy Cake pan), White Velvet Cake w/ Milk Chocolate Ganache, Heavenly Coconut Seduction Cake, Southern Manhatten Coconut Cake w/ Silk Meringue Buttercream, Whipped Cream Cake, Karmel Cake (that's spelled correctly per book), Spice Cake w/ Peanut Buttercream, Golden Lemon Almond Cake, Lemon Poppy Seed Sour Cream Cake, Woody's Lemon Luxury Layer Cake, Apple-Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake, Marble Velvet Cake, Chocolate Streusel Coffee Cake, Swedish Pear and Almond Cream Cake, Cradle Cake (a buttermilk batter with dacquoise cake), Sicilian Pistachio Cake, Gateau Breton (as Rose states, the outside looks like pastry but the inside is moist and tender), Sticky Toffee Pudding, Enlish Gingerbread Cake, Fruitcake Wreath, Rose Red Velvet Cake, Chocolate Tomato Cake w/ Mystery Ganache (you actually use a can of tomato soup!), Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cake, Chocolate Banana Stud Cake, Devil's Food Cake w/ Midnght Ganache, Chocolate Layer Cake w/ Caramel Ganache, Bernachon Palet d'Or Gateau (the cover cake, "merci Rose!"), Double Choclate Valentine, Chocoalte Velvet Fudge Cake, Black Chocolate Party Cake, Classic Carrot Cake w/ Dreamy Creamy White Chocolate Frosting, Pumpkin Cake w/ Burnt Orange Silk Meringue Buttercream, Many-Splendored Quick Bread, Banana Refrigerator Cake w/ Dreamy Creamy White Chocolate Frosting, German Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Ice Cream Cake or Sandwich SPONGE CAKES: Angel Food Cake, Chocolate Tweed Angel Food Cake, Chocolate Apricot Roll w/ Laquer Cake, Genoise Rose, White Gold Passion Genoise, True Orange Genoise, Genoise Tres Cafe, Chocolate Genoise w/Peanut Butter Whipped Ganache, Moist Chocolate Raspberry Genoise, Red Fruit Shortcake, Catalan Salt Pinch Cake (a great story with this cake), Almond Shamah Chiffon, Orange Glow Chiffon Layer Cake, Lemon Meringue Cake, Torta de las Tres Leches, Apple Caramel Charlotte, Chocolate Raspberry Trifle, Saint Honore Trifle (beautiful presentation with spun sugar!), Holiday Pinecone Cake MOSTLY FLOURLESS CAKES and CHEESECAKES: (for those with celiac or gluten allergies, this is great!) Cranberry Crown Cheesecake, Pure Pumpkin Cheesecake, Coconut Cheesecake w/ Coconut Cookie Crust, Ginger Cheesecake w/ Gingerbread Crust, No-Bake Whipped Cream Cheesecake, Lemon Canadian Crown, Ladyfingers, Tiramisu, Sybil's Pecan Torte w/ Coffee Cream, Chocolate Feather Bed (a mousse-like cake), Hungarian Jancsi Torta (moist chocolate cake w/ nuts), Le Succes (almond cake w/ tea ganache), Zach's La Bomba BABY CAKES: Yellow Butter Cupcakes, Chocolate Butter Cupcakes, White Velvet Butter Cupcakes, Golden Neo-Classic Buttercream, Dreamy Creamy White Chocolate Frosting, Chocolate-Egg White Buttercream, Designer Chocolate Baby Grands, Gold Ingots, Chocolate Ingots, Peanut Butter Ingots, Plum Round Ingots, Financier-Style Vanilla Bean Pound Cakes, Mini Vanilla Bean Pound Cakes, Baby Lemon Cheesecakes, Quail Egg Indulgence Cake, Marionberry Shortcake, Coffee Chiffonlets w/ Dulce de Leche Whipped Cream, Individual Pineapple Upside-Down Cakes, Caramelized Pineapple Pudding Cakes, Classic Brioche, The Bostini, Deep Choclate Rosebuds, Molten Chocolate Souffle and Lava Cakes, Chocolate Bull's-Eye Cakes, Barcelona Brownie Bars, Baby Chocolate Oblivions, Two Fat Cats Whoopie Pie (remember those as kids?), Mud Turtle Cupcakes WEDDING CAKES: (oooh-la-la!!! While these are not elaborate cakes that you would get in the single-subject wedding cake books, they are delicious batter recipes for which you can then build on your own from that solid foundation. There are definite written and photographed instructions for building and decorating the basic wedding cake and that's the strength of wedding cake knowledge which she provides most adequately.) Tropical Wedding Cake, Golden Dream Wedding Cake, Grand Marnier Wedding Cake, Deep Chocolate Passion Wedding Cake, Double-Chocolate Whammy Groom's Cake, Wedding Cupcakes Special Effects and Techniques: This is pretty much your decorating section with the basics of cake preparation and such; working with chocolate, making flowers from fruit peels, etc Ingredients and Basic Recipes: Discussion of what the ingredients do and how to work with them, as well as cream recipes, how to use fruits, spices, nuts, and substitutions Ingredient Sources: A wonderful directory of resources! Equipment: A must read section to ensure perfect recipes! Plus a very appreciated cake pan sizes and volume chart Equipment Sources Appendix: Recipes using only egg yolks, recipes using only egg whites, quick-and-easy recipes Index I have since made the Lemon Poppy Seed-Sour Cream Cake as well as the Individual Pineapple Upside-Down Cakes and they were excellent! Do I believe in the delicious outcome of the rest of the recipes? Absolutely...............many years of referring to Rose's "Cake Bible", "Bread Bible", and "Christmas Cookies" have made me a ardent follower and trusting devotee of Rose. This is without a doubt one of the best books that I've seen and I would absolutely rank this as an instant classic. I would describe this not only as a wonderful book of recipes but an excellent teaching tool and reference guide to place on a more prominent part of your book shelve. A deep bow of gratitude to our Rosie!!

First off, I used to not like cakes, mainly because commercial American cakes were just too darn sweet! Sugar, sugar, sugar would be what I tasted (just had a sugar loaded cupcake from a popular upscale bakery yesterday and couldn't get beyond the first bite). However, recipes fro this author has converted me to a cake lover (maybe not so good for me). This book produces cakes that are much more sophisticated in flavor than what you get from the grocery store or even some bakeries and not too sweet. They are also not too difficult to produce, mainly because the author's instructions are precise and clear. Sure, some of them are more time consuming, but the results are rewarding. My philosophy is that if I'm going to feed myself something unhealthy, like cake, I would rather have the best tasting cake and not waste my calories on mediocre or subpar cakes using cheap, ingredients that are meant for mass production. This book is not for those who do not like detailed instructions, who are in a rush, who thinks that a cake from a fast food joint is delicious. They may find this book frustrating, too demanding or cakes not sweet enough. What I also like is that she does offer some alternatives - for example the Red Velvet cake had instructions for using beet juice as an alternative to food coloring. I have made it using beet juice for the color and it turned out fabulous! The picture are fabulous and help me decide on what to make. I own this book for about a year now and have not had a bad cake yet. Tiramisu had rave reviews from the wedding guests. Pumpkin cake was gobbled up by hubby who doesn't like cakes! White chocolate cream cheese frosting is to die for. Carrot cake was great! Can't wait to make the coconut cake this week! With regards to using weight measurements vs. volumetric. Most of the world (outside of the US) uses weights and metric system for baking because it's more accurate (flour and other dry ingredients settle in their containers). Even the amount of cereal in boxes are listed by their weight. So, I appreciate that the book lists the ingredients by weight. It's also nice that it lists volume as well. I, too, own the Cake Bible and I like that this book has oil based cakes. They make better cupcakes than the butter cakes from the Cake Bible. Better means that I no longer have problems with the cake pulling away from the liner (both sides and bottom) with the butter cakes. Did lots of searches and concluded it may be due to higher fat content. If anyone knows or has link to recent answers to this perplexing problem, I would appreciate feedback!

I'm a from scratch baker. I considered baking each recipe in Rose's Heavenly Cakes, from start to finish, until I read the weighing eggs part. I'm not a lazy baker, I enjoy baking. I suspect I will be making a wedding cake eventually. I love this book, despite the weighing eggs and superfine sugar, and I love that part also. There are over 300 recipes included, each carefully and mathematically written down to weighing the eggs. I appreciate Rose's spirit when it comes to baking. I envision her in a certain mode. It is quite possibly, one of my more pictorial cookbooks with succulent photographs, but lacking in cupcake photographs. For example, the red velvet cake is made in a heart shape cake pan. (I am the type that will own a heart shaped cake pan, it's next on my list.) The pan makes it interesting to decorate. The recipe lists 3 ounces of egg whites...Maybe Rose has the key, maybe it is weighing the eggs. And I have enough baking ocd, I see myself weighing eggs. The cakes are beautifully represented, and I like how the instructions are easily read. The way to do these recipes is get the staple ingredients before even attempting the recipe, and have a decent kitchen scales. If the recipe calls for superfine sugar, be sure it's on hand. I do use cake strips, mine are by Wilton, and I'm not going the extra mile for silicone bake strips as mentioned in this book. Read and understand the recipe, get the essence of what is said, gather all needed ingredients, pans and otherwise, and then slowly jump in. For example: Chocolate Featherbed (I'm not that into chocolate, but it caught my eye.)I buy my spices from a local Penzey's. It calls for superfine sugar....I'll have it on hand before I make the cake....hmm...I will read all the ingredients on the dark chocolate, and know, I might need to run to a cake shop to buy it if it's not exact. The pan is a baking sheet type pan. In this book, each cake is art, and they take time. As you began baking you'll find yourself using certain pans repeatedly. Those are the one to buy. I doubt if I buy a wreath pan. The cakes in this book might not be basic cakes, but they are the next step. The more basic cake recipes are found in the Cake Boss cookbook. As a near professional hobby baker, I am glad to own both books. This book is my challenge. I love this book, and am so glad I ordered it.

I just recently purchased this book so I haven't had time to try any of the recipes within but I found that there were a lot of things about the book i liked/appreciated at first glance. First off, Ms. Beranbaum has a unique way of listing her ingredients. All ingredients are listed in a table format with the ingredient first and then the amounts for each ingredient listed in cups.ounces and grams follow. Each recipe is then divided into steps that are clearly defined by title in bold, and notes are often included at the end as is a little descriptive or story about the recipe,that is included in the introduction to the recipe. As for the cakes within, a majority of them seem to be quite simple to make, but there are a variety of cakes that range from the simple bundt cake to the more complicated wedding cake,which seems to make this a perfect book for every baker, from the beginner to the more experienced of us. Also included in the book is a long list at the back of the book of sources for both ingredients and bake-ware. All in all, it looks to be a cookbook that I will enjoy for many years to come. My only regret is that it is that I purchased it in digital form. Although I now purchase most of my books in digital form, when it comes to cookbooks, I'm still an old-fashioned girl. I like the ease of flipping through them at a whim and the beauty of them gracing my shelves. The only reasons I bought this book in digital form was because the price was hard to beat compared to the printed version and I wasn't sure I would like it, so i thought it would be less of a risk. I now think I may just purchase the printed version too.

This book is just busting at the seams with great cake recipes! I bought this book as gift for my wife and it has got to be her all time favourite cake book! This thing sees less shelf time than it does time in the kitchen! We have yet to be disappointed with the results from any recipe in this book... albeit we have not tried every single recipe in the book, but we have tried the majority. To prove my point, I used to hate carrot cake... never touch the stuff, my wife had tried several recipes and variations on carrot cake, but I never liked it. She tried the recipe out of this book and it has instantly become one of my top ten favourites. I find that one of the main reasons my wife enjoys this book is because of the already converted measures for each recipes. Whether you are used to cups or weights, not a problem! You will find both for each recipe! Instantly eliminating the guess work and conversions! Some recipes are quite simple and straight forward with a reasonable amount of steps involved, however there are some recipes that do require more time and more attention to details to prepare... in either case, the results are well worth it. Trust me! You will also notice that with some recipes, you will have to deal with a relatively stiff batter and when you mix it with a wooden spoon it can become a somewhat tedious job. However, my wife has been cooking up a storm ever since we got a professional stand mixer (worth investing in if you really enjoy baking)! I love the fact that this book is a hardcover book, with medium gloss paper with almost a picture for every cake in this book (a crucial point for a lot of people)! All these make this book both durable and a joy to read and just flip through. Overall a great book with plenty of classic recipes and creative ones as well. This book is a must for anyone who enjoys home bakery! If you don't have it then you are seriously missing out!

I must first agree with the other reviewers that this book is yet another amazing book by Rose, but I believe there are probably many of you who, like me, own and love The Cake Bible (CB), but aren't sure if we *need* Rose's Heavenly Cakes (HC). My answer: while you probably don't need it, you will surely love it if get it. Some comparisons: Logistics: * HC has color throughout, color pictures for most of the cakes, and good quality paper. * HC keeps the ingredient measurements in three columns (volume, ounces, and grams), but the formatting makes it easier to read than CB. * Most HC recipes are for 9" x 2" round cake pans instead of 9" x 1 1/2" pans (Huzzah! No more sticky notes all over the book with conversions for 2/3 or 1 1/3 of the batter!). Other recipes are for equally easy to find pans (such as 10-cup tube pans). * She has omitted the pictures of the pans that go with the recipe (which for some reason I liked), and the picture of cake equipment (CB 446-447). * The organization is different. Cakes and adornments are listed together. It's nice because you don't have to have three different bookmarks when making a simple cake as in the CB. The organization can make it a little bit harder to find recipes, especially for adornments, though. The index is good, but instead of going to the frostings or fillings section of the CB, you would need to look up Buttercream, Cream cheese-frosting, Curd, Fillings, Frostings, Ganache, Glaze, Whipped Cream, etc... It's not hard, but not as easy to flip through and compare recipes. Content: * From reading the intros, many of the cakes have been updated, and there are new ones such as gingerbread, German chocolate, and molten chocolate cakes. Of course, as with all Rose's recipes, she makes them her own, and avoids getting things too cloyingly sweet. * Rose admits that she now "embraces less buttercream and less fancy décor." You can see that not only in the pictures, but also in the content. The piped decorations section is one page and includes only the star, shell, and bead, and Rose says, "the only time I pipe decorations on a cake these days is when I use a whipped cream topping." To surprise me even more, the Miette Rose cake even calls for a purchased royal icing rose!! I'm ambivalent about this change. On one hand, I love the simpler décor and I think it will be more accessible to others; I know I avoided buying CB for a long time because I thought it was just pretty, not yummy (which it's not, of course). With HC, however, no one will feel bad for making the Blueberry Swan Lake cake without the swans again! On the other hand, CB's 25 pages of piping decorations were clear and fun to play around with. HC does have some new decorations such as orange peel roses and the new lacquer technique used on the cake features on the cover. * The shift away from buttercreams also means that there isn't the endless supply of buttercream variations that are in CB. Overall, I am very pleased with this book and look to try more new recipes and techniques. I will probably start with HC instead of the CB when I want to make a new cake, but I'm still glad to have the CB around.

I’m going to be straight-up with you: Baking is a precise art. It’s what separates home cooks from master pastry chefs. If you follow the instructions of this book… you will get on the playing field of a master pastry chef. Sure, the recipes are precise and exacting… however, that’s what baking is all about. This book will train you like Ms. Levy Beranbaum is right there next to you, guiding you through each step. Believe me, I’m not the best of cooks, but I certainly feel more comfortable about baking if someone is holding my hand as I go along. That’s how I felt with this book. The instructions are clear, and easy to understand. There are often notes with tips on how to make your creation a success. The photos are rich and luxurious, absolutely mouth watering really. I especially like that certain techniques are illustrated in a series of step-by-step photos. If you are ready to go “next level” on your baking, then this is the book for you. I wish you much success in your baking journey!!

First of all, I am a seasoned amateur baker, not a professional pastry chef. If I could bring more than 5 stars, I will As soon as I received this book, I started to check out the recipes. They are just fantastc!!! I do love baking so I have quite a few baking books. This is one of the best: Rose Levy gives you all the directions step-by-step through the instructions for making wonderful cakes: from the ingredients in volume (cups, tsp,...) and weight (ounces and grams), which is very helpful for me. Includes author notes, special equipment you will need and some tips... and photographs of every finished cake (which, in certain way, helps me a lot!) This book contents soooo many recipes separated in different cathegory: Butter and oil cakes, Sponge cakes, cheesecakes, Weeding cakes... It also contains "the golden rules of cake baking". In it, the author gives advices on what type of flour, butter, chocolate use, how to fill a cake pan. There is also guidelines for storing cakes and frostings.... and much more I'm so excited with this book but specially with the way the author explains every recipe (that I've already ordered "Rose's Christmas cookies" and "The pie and pastry bible") I've already prepared the Barcelona Brownie (it is my husband's favorite!), Lemon Poppy seed cake, White chocolate frosting, Banana cake, carrot cake, and some others... They all are Amazing!!!... I just followed the directions and everything came as beautiful as shown on the pictures on the book. If you are interested in learn new recipes, in get new ideas or just looking for a book to start baking, this is the one you have to order (now!) Totally recommended!!!!

Boek was snel geleverd, was als verwacht.

good

Amazing recipes with an easy understanding of them all. And the pictures are very yummy.

Estas tartas son realmente manjar de dioses. No he hecho todas las recetas, pero las que he hecho han sido para ocasiones especiales y he quedado muy bien con ellas. Lo volvería a comprar, y tiene un lugar muy especial en mi estantería.

何年か前にAmazonでこの本を買って自分で作れそうなケーキを密かに作っていました。レシピが沢山豊富でバナナケーキにズッキーニケーキは誰でもつくれちゃうと思うし。ここでは書ききれないまだまだ沢山の初めてさんでも何とか作れそうなレシピ、やっぱり少しお菓子を作りなれた方にもおすすめのレシピがすごく書いてあります。私自身はといえばあまり沢山のレシピは作れなかったけれども後々応用がこの本によって効きました。優れものの一冊です。