Customer Reviews

Debbi Fields' Great American Desserts: 100 Mouthwatering Easy-to-Prepare Recipes

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I too was lured into purchasing this book because of the over-the-top recipes but that actually proved to be the downfall. After trying out several I gave up on this book because they either were too hard, didn't work out or were just OK. I made the Carrot Cake twice and it ended up just falling apart both times when I took it out of the pan. And this was after about an hour & 1/2 in the kitchen. Other things like the Flourless Fudge Brownies were way too sweet & rich and made me a little sick to my stomach. I consider myself an experienced baker and there are so many other books which are more helpful and less of a waste. Try the Cake Bible or Betty Crocker books.

I regret purchasing this book. Okay, I must admit that the raspberry cream cheese coffee cake was beyond fabulous, and I have made it repeatedly, even in a triple batch for a large crowd at an official function. However, I have had more disappointment than satisfaction when trying other recipes in this book. The yellow cake, for example, was absolutely horrible. My husband and I each took a bite or two from our first (and only) slices of that cake, and promptly threw away not only the remainder of our slices, but the entire rest of the cake as well. Also, I did not like the blueberry muffins. I have tried literally dozens of blueberry muffin recipes over the years, searching for the perfect one, and this recipe ranked low on the list. I found the shortbread recipe only mediocre. So, while there may be other excellent recipes in this book, I am reluctant to try any more, because I don't want to waste my time (and ingredients) on recipes from an unreliable source.

I have tried both the devil's food and the yellow cake recipes in this book. Both times I cooked the cakes under the recommended amounts of time and both times the cakes came out very dry. After all of the time and money I put into these cakes, I ended up throwing them out! I also tried the blueberry cream cheese tart. This was only mediocre. I will not try to make any other recipes in this book, as I don't want to waste my time or money!

I bought this cake a few days ago and made the chocolate carrot cake but I used a different frosting... just a regular cream cheese frosting. It was delicious and very easy to make! Yummy, very well worth the dollars I spent buying this book. However, a word of caution. I really don't think this book should refer to itself as "easy". Some of the recipes do look a bit complicated and the ingredients aren't on your local grocer's shelf. For example, I'd like to make the tripe truffle cake but I just can't find some coffee liquer... and Debbie doesn't tell you if you can substitute it for another ingredient. In fact, she really doesn't give you many tips about ingredients or about baking in general or about the recipe in particular. I think this book is more for the intermediate baker not the beginner. Oh well, the pictures are great and I do plan to try some of the other recipes. The blueberry muffin recipe seems too sugary and doesn't sound good. Some of the desserts I just wouldn't care for making. But, man that chocolate carrot cake is a big winner at our house!!

After reading other readers' reviews I feel compelled to come to this book's defense. Yes, my yellow cake came out dry also. However, I cannot imagine more delicious coconut cake, citrus fruitcake, blondie brownine, or flourless brownie recipes. Friends and family always request these favorites. Some recipes can be compicated, but give this book a chance - you won't regret it.

I've tried two cake recipies from this book, the carrot cake and the german chocolate cake, and threw both out after hours of work. The cover says "easy-to-prepare," but these recipies are so poorly written that they require the cook to figure out a strategy. For example, the carrot cake doesn't mention that you need to prep the carrots, apple, yam, and pineapple ahead of time. Your batter could sit for 1/2 hr while you prepped these ingredients. The recipies are also wasteful. I threw out 2/3 of the oversweet frosting, which took 40 minutes to make and called for 2 pounds of confectioner's sugar. The german choc cakes were flat and the frosting goopy. Don't waste your time with this book.

Your and your tasters will be brought to heaven. Some of the cakes are time consuming to make but the results are OUTSTANDING - the best German Chocolate Cake and Carrot Cake you can sink a tooth in. Good directions and color pictures make a fine presentation. The stains in my book attest to its use and appreciation. To date, I have bought two more copies as a gift for friends.

I have made several recipes out of this cookbook. The Georgia Peach Rum Cake (I think that's the name of the recipe off the top of my head) was a huge success at a family luncheon. It was gone before I knew it. I have also made the chocolate wedding cookies, but because hazelnuts were hard to find at the time I used pecans instead. They are wonderful and now that I have some hazelnuts I plan to fix them again real soon. The other dessert my family has really enjoyed is the Apple Pandowny. It is better than cobbler.

Cookie aficionados have known for years that no one does moist, chewy, gooey cookies better than Mrs. Fields. With her latest, gorgeously photographed book, "Great American Desserts," Mrs. Fields gives her legions of admirers more reason to celebrate. The superb recipes I've tried include Flourless Fudge Brownies, Paradise Key Lime Pie, Butterscotch Blondies, and Peanut Butter Mississippi Mud Bars. Those are just a few standout recipes - I can't wait to try more of the 100 classic desserts in this book, which often contain a wonderfully surprising, updated twist. The Paradise Key Lime Pie, for instance, uses heavy cream instead of sweetened condensed milk, and the results are superb! I'm not a vastly experienced baker, just a longtime dessert lover who has gradually taken up baking. I have high expectations for dessert recipes, and will never repeat a recipe that fails the taste test. The recipes in "Great American Desserts" are a feast for the senses! The next desserts I plan to try are the Truffle Cake, and Debbi's Ice Cream Cake. If the results are even half as good as what I've seen previously, I should be in dessert heaven!

If you like to make desserts, you need this book. The recipes can appear to be long, but they are filled with little hints that make baking easier. I have made several of the desserts and they have all turned out great. The book has recipes for basic pies and cakes and recipes for more complex desserts. My only complaint about the book is that I wish it was on a spiral binding so it would lay flat while I'm using it. The biggest complement for this book is that my mother-in-law, who is a great cook, couldn't wait to get her own copy after seeing the desserts I prepared from it!