I Love Desserts: Cake Keeper Cakes

the appetizer:

Cake Keeper Cakes: 100 Simple Recipes for Extraordinary Bundt Cakes, Pound Cakes, Snacking Cakes, and Other Good-to-the-Last Crumb Treats by Lauren Chattman, includes recipes like Red Grape, Polenta, and Olive Oil Cake; Stout and Chocolate Snacking Cake with Chocolate-Stout Glaze; and Cranberry-Walnut Bundt Cake with Maple-Espresso Glaze; as well as information on Bundt Pans.

Cake Keeper Cakes
100 Simple Recipes for Extraordinary Bundt Cakes,
Pound Cakes, Snacking Cakes, and
Other Good-to-the-Last Crumb Treats

by Lauren Chattman

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In the good old days, before cake was relegated to special occasions, recipes for plain cake were in every home baker's repertoire and most homes had cakes beautifully displayed under cake keepers inviting people in for a taste. Last Mother's Day, pastry chef Lauren Chattman was given a beauty from her family and since then it has been her mission to keep a simple but delicious cake on top of her counter at all times.

After baking and eating cake every day for almost a year, Chattman shares her favorites in Cake Keeper Cakes: 100 Simple Recipes for Extraordinary Bundt Cakes, Pound Cakes, Snacking Cakes, and Other Good-to-the-Last Crumb Treats.

A unique collection of 100 recipes for unadorned cakes, Cake Keepers' cakes were designed to be simple enough to bake in the space between homework and dinnertime, but interesting enough to present with a flourish at the end of a dinner party.

Made from only the most wholesome ingredients, Lauren's heavenly creations include updated versions of old favorites like Peach-Buttermilk Upside-Down Cake and Blueberry Buckle as well as innovative recipes like Apricot and Olive Oil Cake and Pistachio-Polenta Pound Cake. Most importantly, they are fun to make and even more fun to eat. Organized by cake type, Cake Keeper Cakes makes it easy to find just the right cake to satisfy your craving. Here are a few you won't want to miss:

Snacking Cakes: Great for coffee breaks, after-school and bedtime snacks, even breakfast the next day (don't worry, no one's judging you!). Try Graham Cracker-Chocolate Chip Snacking Cake, Cinnamon Pudding Cake, Neoclassic Gingerbread, Sour Cream and Lemon Cake, and the World's Quickest Yeasted Coffee Cake.

Round Cakes: Quick to make but never boring—Almond Brown Butter Cake, Cream of Coconut Cake with Chocolate-Coconut Glaze, Pear Cake with Sea Salt Caramel Sauce, Zebra Cake, and Classic Pineapple Upside-Down Cake.

Loaf Cakes: Resembling a humble loaf of bread, this kind of cake conjures ideas of homebaked goodness—Orange Blossom Honey Pound Cake, Lavender and Lemon Pound Cake, Nutella Swirl Pound Cake, Rich Yellow Loaf Cake, Tea Cake, and Walnut-Whiskey Pound Cake with Whiskey Glaze.

Bundt Cakes: Invented in 1950 by H. David Dalquist, the founder of Nordic Ware, the Bundt Pan is the world's best-selling cake pan, with more than 50 million sold worldwide, which may be why it merits its own holiday—November 15 is National Bundt Pan Day. Try some of these beauties and you will remember why Bundt cakes are so popular: Applesauce Cake with Oatmeal Streusel, Dulce de Leche Coffee Cake, Mississippi Mud Cake with Espresso Bourbon Glaze, Pumpkin-Sage Ring, and Peanut Butter-Sour Cream Bundt Cake with Butterfinger Ganache Glaze.

Crumb Cakes (and other cakes baked in a springform pan): Who can resist Coffee Heath Bar Crunch Cake, Rhubarb Streusel Snacking Cake, Cherry Almond Crumb Cake and Coca-Cola Chocolate Cake?

Chiffon and Angel Food Cakes: Sweet and ethereal, "foam cakes" like Coffee Angel Food Cake with Hazlenut-Coffee Glaze, Lemon Poppy Seed Angel Food Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze, Lime Chiffon Cake and Banana-Macadamia Nut Chiffon Cake are a real treat.

Chattman also shares invaluable tips and techniques she has gleaned from her years not only as a professional baker but as a mom, including:

Selecting the best cake pans—6 pans is all you need: an 8-inch square pan, a 9-inch round pan, a 9-inch loaf pan, a 12-cup Bundt pan, a springform pan, and an angel food cake pan. Chattman offers some shopping tips for all of the above to help you buy the one that will serve you the best.
Essential cake-baking equipment—besides the six pans listed above, every home baker needs cake testers, an electric mixer, a fine strainer, measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowls, parchment paper, spatulas, wire racks, and wire wisks. Find out why.
Stocking your pantry the right way—Chattman lists the items she likes to stock in her pantry, refrigerator, and freezer so you, too, can bake at a moment's notice.
How to grease your pans—it is a sad, sad thing when the cake you've baked and are eagerly anticipating eating refuses to come out of the pan or, even worse, mostly comes out of the pan. To avoid this tragedy, follow Chattman's foolproof instructions for preparing your pans properly.

About the Author

Lauren Chattman apprenticed under Francois Payard at Restaurant Daniel in New York and was pastry chef at Nick & Toni's in Easthampton. She is the author of ten cookbooks and coauthor of numerous other books including Dessert University with former White House pastry chef Roland Mesnier and Local Breads and Panini Express with Daniel Leader. She has appeared on the Today Show and her recipes have been featured in many national publications including Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, Cook's Illustrated, Fine Cooking, The New York Times and Redbook. She lives in Sag Harbor with her husband and two daughters.

Cake Keeper Cakes
100 Simple Recipes for Extraordinary Bundt Cakes,
Pound Cakes, Snacking Cakes, and
Other Good-to-the-Last Crumb Treats
by Lauren Chattman
The Taunton Press 2009
$17.95; Paperback Original
ISBN: 1600851207
ISBN 13: 978-1-60085-120-9
Information provided by the publisher.

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