Customer Reviews

A Piece of Cake

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Unlike many cook books that are simply collections of recipes and a few photos of what the finished product should look like, Purdy's "The Perfect Cake" goes further. It is a "why" book, explaining how the different ingredients interact as you mix them then bake them. It also discusses the different qualities those ingredients have and offers advice on what you should choose and why. And perhaps more importantly, why not.

The book also gave me the confidence to experiment with some of the basic recipes. And I didn't mind eating the results, thank you very much.

I borrowed a copy of the book from my local library, learned a lot, and enjoyed it so much that as soon as I submit this review I will buy my own copy.

The Perfect Cake: 150 Cakes For Every Taste & Occasion by baking expert Susan G. Purdy is quite simply a definitive, single volume compendium designed to enable the family cook to have a wealth of delicious, imaginative, desert choices for any occasion from daily family dining to special celebratory events. Enhanced with a wealth of "tips, tricks and techniques" for everything from measuring ingredients to preparing pans for baking, the profusion of cake recipes are grouped into Butter and Shortening Cakes; Cheesecakes; Sponge and Foam Cakes; Elegant and Special Cakes; as well as Filings, Frostings, Icings and Glazes, Sauces and Syrups. Of special interest is the section on Decorating Cakes covering special effects, flavorings, and decorative techniques. Before you bake your next cake, browse through Susan Purdy's The Perfect Cake!

I borrowed this from the library and have renewed it twice. I'm ready to buy! My son and husband fought over the last slice of the 1-2-3-4 Cake and want me to make it again. I prefer to bake cakes from scratch; they prefer that "light, airy" texture of boxed cakes. This cookbook convinced me to sift the flour - and it made the difference. I like the detail given; it's not just do this, do that. I got an understanding of why the steps were included. A really terrific cake-recipe book!

I spotted this book at the local library and it inspired me to bake a birthday cake for a coworker. The carrot cake was a hit and I heard, over and over, that it was "the best carrot cake I've ever eaten in my entire life!" Requests followed for the next birthday and once again, I heard, "This is best cake I've ever had in my entire life." Past attempts have received compliments, but never to this extreme. I certainly couldn't take the credit for Purdy's recipes, tips and variations. As previous reviewers have written, Purdy goes beyond the recipe to explain (simply) the chemistry behind things. I learned that the processing of the cocoa makes all the diverence in achieving the red velvet color of the cake of that same name. The only negative comment that I could possibly have is to say that I was disappointed to not find a recipe for a German Chocolate cake. I've checked this book out repeatedly from the library and now plan to buy my very own copy!

Susan Purdy describes the ingredients added to her cakes so the baker can understand how each addition will change the final product. The early chapters thoroughly explain overall techniques, equipment and ingredients. Each recipe chapter describes the concerns and pitfalls to keep in mind while putting ingredients together; when technique really matters, and why. She even describes the finished product, allowing us to compare different end-products, and learn why our cake looks a certain way, or sometimes does not look a certain way. Most importantly - the cakes are delicious

The recipes in this book are just plain yummy! Simply delicious cakes that are not too hard to make. Try the chocolate buttermilk cake--it is DIVINE! Mmmmm...so good:)

Have used this one for years. Concise and no nonsense approach combined with fanatasic recipes is a sure winner. The first few chapters are a great source of info for even the experienced bakers. If I could only have one book on cakes this is it.

The aeration process advocated for shortening type cakes really turns out a light fine textured cake. In addition to great extra cake recipes this book also marches pretty much in lock step with the Betty Crocker Red Book basic tutorials such as for egg, cakes and the ingredient sub list, which is something that I really like.

Susan Purdy explains cake making for the home baker. I truely appreciate her providing the recipes with weights. Makes baking much easier. She also provides several pages of many conversion tables that I found very useful. Recommend this book for the new and experienced baker. Bake and enjoy, your table companions will appreciate your efforts.

This book is simply amazing. I am very new to baking. Very new. Not so new to cookig. As I go along, I find books, my library of anything you can eat books continue to grow and I just sit back and watch...
To the book, Susan G. Purdy's book, A Piece of Cake is the holy grail when it comes to learning about cakes. She teaches you EVERYTHING you need to know about making cakes. The when, whys, hows, and even wheres. I considered cake my enemy when it came to baking it because I could barely bake a good box cake. So when it came to cake from scratch, I was mortified. Now that I am a proud owner of her book, I can say that I am no longer afraid. Today I make her Sour Cream Pound Cake and it came out absolutely delicious. It was soft, buttery, nicely moist (not overwhelming) had a nice gentle crunch to the outer part. Everythng you desire in a cake. It was not heavy thus making you feel weighted down like those store bought cakes. The only thing I did to the cake was leave out some of the sugar as I do not care for sweet cakes/pastries. I like to taste as many of the ingredients as I can. This was my triumph. Now to ATTEMPT the basic yellow and white cakes... EEEEE. But i'm pretty sure Purdy will walk me through it with great results. I will be back to comment on my try.
If you can get this book, do not hesitate. There are no pictures, few diagrams (very usefuly) and a plethora of laymans term directions which can save anybody in the kitchen. Susan G. Purdy is a great teacher.