I see Mr. Schloss has written other books of a similar nature - one on cookies, chocolate, pasta, and another using 3 ingredients for meals. Haven't checked those out but this cake book is great. Rich simple cakes, what's not to like? Going to try the lemon poppyseed today and I already have the ingredients for the sauerkraut cake and the sesame one. (Shucks, I'll just xerox the recipes I'm dying to try since I can't find a copy of the book).

I just happened to have checked this book out of our local library and it is breaking my heart to return it!
I've gone from hearing,
"This cake tastes like bread, Ma" and
" Whats wrong with the cake, Ma?" and
"Jen, maybe our oven is a bit wonky"
To hearing this:
" This is the best cake EVER Ma!" and
" My goodness, Jeni, I have got to get this recipe from you!" AND my husband-- who usually claims to not enjoy baked goods--is eating his words---and my cakes now! I only wish that I could afford the... price tag! I'll just have to write down nearly every recipe in the book!
If you can afford this book----BUY IT!

We do a lot of large group entertaining, intimate dinners for small groups, and carry dishes to church, school, and people's homes. This book is a must. With just a few ingredients and a little time, you can create something delicious and hold your head proud. I enjoy using various pans for an added touch. Sometimes I'll pipe a little lemon curd, fruit preserves,or fresh fruit on top to guild the lily. If you use an oval pan, around 3x9 or so, you can get two cakes from one recipe. That gives one to take to a friend and one to keep for yourself at home. I find the recipes very versitle, which is great, depending on what you have in stock. I highly recommend it. Enjoy! <><

CAPAZ DE VENDERLE ARENA, NI SIQUIUERA PETROLEO A LOS ARABES !
Pues con este recetario, organizó un negocito que, un año después es un NEGOCIOTE !
Se puso en contacxto con una planta armadora, le llevó un sandwhich al director...y a los pocos dias, ESTABA SURTIENDO EL COMEDOR DE LA PLANTA CON PUROS DANDWICHES ...

Ahora, es proveedora oficial de sandwiches en DOS PLANTAS ARMADORAS...tiene ocho empleados, dos camionetas y su buen billete en el banco...

Para rellenar sandwiches, mediasnoches,pan de hamburguesa, baguettes,PARA COMER DELICIOSO...ESTE LIBRO CONTIENE LAS RECETAS DEL SABOR Y LA SABROSURA MUY MEXICANA!

All the fillings, all the flavors...all easy and TASTY !!
It they were from this book, I COULD LIVE ON SANDWICHES!
So varied, original and DELICIOUS !

I am new to gingerbread houses and this book is the best! I was lucky enough to have chosen this one as my first guide to gingerbread construction. I am absolutely hooked and hope to make projects for Valentines, Easter and on through the year. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. You won't be disappointed with this book!

If you like making gingerbread houses, this is the book for you. Absolutely beautiful designs, full patterns and clear directions. The great pictures give you a preview of the results and make it hard to decide which one to make first. The many details she put into her desings make everything extra special. I'm looking forward to trying them all, and am determined to buy the author's next book with designs!

If you are serious about making Gingerbread houses, this is the book for you. The designs are wonderful and included in the book are full-sized patterns with which to copy on a photocopier for use. The only problem I have is deciding which house to make first!

Look out Amelia Bedelia! Big Brown Rooster and friends are cooking strawberry shortcake and the misunderstandings abound! Literal interpretations and great illustrations make this an extremely entertaining picture book. Read the book, create the shortcake, and eat it! The recipe included in the text is fantastic.

The animal's expressions are SO animated that it is a visual DELIGHT as well as a fun read ! What a treat !

This is a great book that has lots of depth. My three year old loves the repetition and the characterisation, without realizing he's learning concepts and facts about food and cooking. It's clearly their favorite book.

This was the very first Cynthia Rylant book I purchased for my 7 year old daughter and after reading it together several times, I bought all of the other Mr. Putter and Tabby books. It is easy to read, and very, very funny. The illustrations are great, very entertaining and whimsical. Thoroughly enjoyable!!!

This is another winner from the "Mr. Putter and Tabby" series. Old Mr. Putter and his old cat like to sit and watch the snow, but they must act soon if they want to think of something to give their nice neighbor, Mrs. Teaberry, for Christmas. Knowing her unlikely fondness for fruitcake, the intrepid pair decide to bake her one that wouldn't "break her toe if she dropped it." After much ado, they finally succeed in their effort, and fall asleep on Christmas morning in Mrs. Teaberry's house, having just delivered the cake. In the end, Mr. Putter goes home with "a very nice toaster that sang 'America the Beautiful' when the bread popped up." This gentle, subtle humor runs throughout the book and goes well with the colorful, expressive illustrations. Mr. Putter's persistence in trying to bake a cake is admirable. Furthermore, like many good Christmas books, this one shows the importance of giving. A fine book for kids who are just beginning to read.

The Mr. Putter and Tabby series are the sort of books that I would have loved to have when I was a beginning reader. I know that I would have read them over and over again to no end, even once they began to fall apart from constant use. That's why I am so glad that Mr. Putter and Tabby are around now while my youngest brother is learning to read. The non-repetitious (words are repeated, but not enough to become explicit), non-rhyming storytelling contained within the books makes them a pleasure to read continually, unlike many other easy-reader books. And in my opinion, the Mr. Putter and Tabby books are a step in front of Ms. Rylant's Henry and Mudge collection, due to the fact that, in their own way, they create an appreciation for the elderly as the reader comes to love Mr. Putter, the aging main character whose only companion is his cat, Tabby.

In Mr. Putter and Tabby Bake the Cake, Christmas is soon approaching, and Mr. Putter must decide what to give Mrs. Teaberry, his fruit-cake-loving next-door neighbor. Mr. Putter does not understand how anyone could enjoy a fruit cake, and so he sets out to make Mrs. Teaberry a "light and airy" cake for Christmas, one that "could not break her toe if she dropped it." Young readers will follow along with Mr. Putter and his good cat Tabby as they try to make Mrs. Teaberry's cake, from start to finish. Mishap prevails, leaving you to wonder if they will ever get through in time. It all adds up to a cheery Christmas story about giving and the saying, "It's the thought that counts!"

Mr. Howard's cartoon-style illustrations greatly enhance this wonderful story, which is written in such a format to be used as either a 3-chapter book for the beginning reader, or a bedtime story that is longer in length. Either way, the Mr. Putter and Tabby books would be a great find for emerging readers' shelves. Like having a kindly old grandpa next door, they only make life richer!

I am an elementary school teacher and one of my students - an extremely thoughtful and insightful 7 year-old - gave me an angelfood cake (with this book) for an end-of-the-year gift. She told me to be careful when I eat the cake and to look for the surprise. I was finishing up my room cleaning and had a piece of the cake, but unfortunately, the rest of the cake went bad in the heat. I looked through the rest of the cake to find a thimble. Puzzled, I read the book and cried through the last part of it. For anyone who is wanting to show good wishes, love, luck, modern angels watching over you or just a TERRIBLY wonderful and sentimental gesture towards someone...Read this book, bake an angelfood cake with a thimble in it and give book and cake as a gift. My thimble is in my china cabinet next to my fine crystal and Hummell figurines - it has that much heartfelt value. If you are "angel phobic" or concerned about religious undertones - it really has none. No preaching involved, just simply a FEEL GOOD story.There's no rhyme or reason to the illustrations which are detailed, subtle, yet bright and the storyline is quite cleaver and unpredictable. But it is the meaning woven into the words and storyline that is honest, loving and genuine. One to treasure for generations!

When I was nine, my favorite teacher gave me this book to read. It was incredibly imaginative and it put a smile to my face on even the worst of days. For my mother's birthday, i used the exact recipe and directions for the The High Rise Glorious Skittle Skat Roarious Sky Pie Angel Food Cake to bake her the very best birthday surprise ever! Read it today!

What a perfect marriage of words and pictures! This is the story of a girl who wants to give her mother a birthday gift more precious than gold: something that blends love, nostalgia and magic with good cake. She is aided (and abetted) in this venture by her goofy, unwitting uncle, and a trio of the most endearing angels ever illustrated. (Check out how the oldest angel's socks don't match!) The finely drawn pictures are delightfully evocative and reward close inspection. The whole book soars with whimsy, glory, and love. A keepsake.

The adorable little monsters on the cover of "Monster Cake" immediately attracted my little girl's attention. She even bypassed her current favorite, Blue's Clues, when she got an eyeful of this one. Uh oh, I think my weird taste in books may be catchy!

The story is a cute one with a sweet message at its heart. Three young siblings (who happen to be the most precocious little monsters) awaken early and decide to bake their mom a birthday cake. Only, since they're monsters, the cake isn't your typical Betty Crocker variety. They mix together all sorts of gross items including green smiling slugs (!) that fascinated my four year old, along with her six year old brother. The monsters make a big mess while having a blast along the way and Mom has a fabulous birthday celebration.

This is a fun book for all but especially for little ones because there is very little text and colorful, bold, funny illustrations that pre-schoolers can relate to. Many pages contain no text at all and my four year old loved making up a "story" for these pages. For the beginning reader the text is easy to pronounce. I recommend this book for those looking for an entertaining family reading experience. It encourages creativity and also a love of storytelling. ~ Laurie Shallah

Rebecca Dickinson's lastest book is a delight! I use Monster Cake in my classroom to stir up the imagination for some Halloween writing and drawing fun. My students love Ms Dickinson's descriptions and illustrations of icky ingredients which they then use to brainstorm, write, and illustrate their own recipes for Monster Cake!

The recipe for this book works. Stir together three little monsters' love for their mother with some awfully ghastly ingredients (adults will wrinkle their noses while their kids squeal with delight), sprinkle in the stealth needed to surprise the mother monster and add a dash of macabre imagination, and the results is a delightful concoction that will have the kids clamoring for more.

I am always on the lookout for up-and-coming Asian-American writers and searched high and low for Andrea's first novel after hearing about it from a friend. After reading the book, I thought it was worth every effort in my search for this well written novel. Andrea Louie has the potential to be one of the finest authors in this century if she continues to explore her writing technique and style. I hope to see her blossom in her career and look forward to her future writings.

I first read Moon Cakes several years ago and found it to be a genuine and fascinating novel about a young woman trying to make sence of her own life. This particular young woman was of Chinese decent, I am not, but found that in many ways that the feelings about sense of place and sense of self that permeate this delicate novel are applicable to a wide range of young adults. I agree with the reviewer who wrote that the book helped her through some tough times, because I am finding myself looking for it now when my own life is in transition. It is a wonderfully crafted story whose tone reminds me of Lydia Minatoya's "Talking to High Monks in the Snow". Its one weakenss, I thought, was its "surprise" ending--although perhaps I wasn';t as careful a reader as I should have been. It should still be in print. I look forward to reading more by Andrea Louie.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I found it refreshing from the stereotypical Asian American novels. The characters were so complex, yet simple in description. A must read for someone looking for a different Asian Anerican experience.

Every recipe in this outstanding cookbook is easy to make and delicious to eat! This book is in colour with lots of pictures, so you can decide what to bake based on how the cake looks as well as how the recipe sounds.

From quick "bake-and-take" cakes for church potlucks, to elaborately designed masterpieces for parties and weddings, to brunch cakes, this book has it all! Why no try the decadent Tres Leches Cake, or the fun Chocolate-Chip Cookie Surprise Cake, or maybe you want a cake in the shape of a train. This book has it all!

This cookbook comes in a handy spiral-bound edition, so there is no propping pages open with bags of flour or pounds of butter (as I have been caught doing in the past). The book is also completely printed in full-color, so the pictures are bright and glossy. About 80% of the recipes include a picture of the finished product.

There is an intriguing introduction where the authors take you on a journey through the mystical world of cake mixes. They begin in 1943 in the Betty Crocker labs and kitchens, and move from there through the trends of the 1960's and into the future of cake mixes in the 21st century. The pictures and magazine ads they reproduce in this book are historical and fun. Before the recipes begin, there is a how-to section on preparing your pans, servings per cake, how to cool and split (torte) a cake, frosting and glazing cakes, and even high-altitude baking. Page 15 features a "Customer Q&A" about the SuperMoist cake mixes.

The recipes are divided into chapters: Bake-and-Take, Wonderfully Indulgent, Special Celebrations, Heavenly Holidays, Come for Brunch, Scrumptious Desserts, Easy Cookies and Bars, and Fabulous frostings and Glazes. The cookbook also adds sections on Helpful Nutrition and Cooking Information, and an alphabetical Index.

The Heavenly Holidays sections features cakes for beginning cake decorators. These cakes require no previous cake decorating experience, and look beautiful. There are chocolate heart cakes for Valentine's Day (no heart pan needed!), an adorable Easter Bunny, a Flag Day cake made with fresh fruit, a Jack O' Lantern cake (no 3-D cake pan needed), and even Rudolph Cupcakes which can be made with children.

My favorite recipe from this cookbook is on page 18, Chocolate Turtle Cake. If you like the combination of nuts with chocolate, this recipe is for you! The recipe has a full-color picture, a tip for serving, and nutritional information. All of the recipes in this cookbook feature nutritional information. The turtle cake recipe calls for a devil's food cake mix, water, oil, eggs, caramels, evaporated milk, pecans, and chocolate chips. The recipe requires a bit of planning as caramels are not a staple item that I keep on hand. The final product, however, is well worth the planning. The cake is moist, gooey, and a favorite for entertaining, especially when served warm.

The Chocolate Graham Streusel Cake on page 20 is a classic recipe from the 1970's. The recipe features an advertisement that was used in the 1970's, a tip for glazing the cake, nutritional information, and a yellow graham variation. The recipe calls for graham cracker crumbs, nuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, devil's food cake mix, water, oil, eggs, and a recipe of glaze (provided on page 242). This recipe was a heavier, denser cake than normal, and as such, it was a little dry. It's a good recipe for a morning brunch or family coffee-style cake.

Even without a picture for every single recipe, this cookbook is an excellent value. The recipes are tried-and-true winners, and are family-friendly. The nutritional information for each recipe and the dietary guidelines in the back are an added bonus, it is a feature that most cake mix cookbooks prefer to gloss over. The full-color printing, alphabetical index, and spiral binding make this cookbook easy to use. A winner!

I am not a baker nor a cook for that matter and was quite nervous when my sister asked me if i could host my nephew's playgroup last saturday at my house. Rather than just buy cupcakes from my local bakery I decided to be daring and try to make something...so glad to have found this book...I made the cookies & cream torte and no one could believe it came from a box mix...it was incredible and not only the kids loved it but the parents did too!! (I can't wait to make this again just for me!!)