I am an avid baker and recently borrowed this book from the library. I am a Food Scientist who has worked in the baking industry for 10+ years and this book impressed me. It states the information simply for the average baker and also delves into the chemistry and science of baking for the curious and more advanced.

Excellent explanation of how and why while also providing interesting histories behind various recipes. Attention to detail is obvious. I have baked two cakes from it already as well as two frostings and fillings. All terrific, obtaining rave reviews!

Ms. Purdy knows her stuff and knows how to present in a comfortable and inviting manner. After renewing the book 3 times I'm finally on line to buy it. Happy baking!

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!

My two-year old is fascinated by Lottie and Herbie and I get a kick out of reading the Lottie series everytime. This one just might be our favorite though, because it's about food and poetry! Quirky and something different from so many other cutesy books, this one has humor, substance, and delightful illustrations.

A Cake for Herbie is a sensitive, charming story your pre-schoolers will adore. Herbie the duck reads about a poetry contest and with the encouragement of his best friend Lottie the chicken, he enters. He stays up all night working hard on his poetry, only to be laughed off the stage. Sad and disappointed, he walks into a restaurant where his poetry is appreciated and he wins his own special prize. Petra Mathers charming and amusing text is only outdone by her wonderful, expressive illustrations. This is a touching story your children will want you to read over and over again. You don't want to miss this very special book.

Wonderful illustrations and a sweet, gentle story. We've read it every night for the past few weeks (at the request of my 2 and 4 year-olds) and NONE of us is tired of it yet. Great addition (3rd) to the "Lottie" series.

What wonderful memories of reading this book as a child! My oldest sister would bring me and my siblings to the library. We would sit in the corner and read The Duchess Bakes A Cake. The rhymes quickly capture a child's attention. The book is an engaging tale of the royal Duchess' mishap in the kitchen. Solving the problem was difficult because their poor brains were such that they hadn't thought often and they hadn't thought much. My own children quickly learned the chorus,so to speak, of the lovely light lucious delectable cake. I know they, too, will treasure this memorable book.

I bake a lot, and so my kids have heard all about the Duchess and her cake. If I could only show them the actual book, which for me, exists only as an ephemeral memory, and for my kids, is only a concept. They have never enjoyed reading the book, or relished the great illustrations.

I checked this book out of the library numerous times as a child and I wish it were in print. The story is quite simple but highly imaginative. It is the music in the poetry that makes this book a delight. This was written before any thought was given to "dumbing down" children's books and the vocabulary is surprisingly advanced. Not only does the Duchess set out to bake "a lovely, light, luscious, delectable cake" but my very favorite line when I was a child was where the Duke exclaims "I fear an improper proportion of leaven has carried our dear Duchess right up to heaven!" The uncomplicated illustrations do a good job of supporting the story.

One of America's best kept secrets! There are some knockout recipes in here. She's not an expert at explaining some of her recipes and doesn't go into tecnique much, but believe me, there are some incredible desserts in this wonderful book.

When I was 12, my father asked me what I wanted for my birthday,and I said "Nothing...just a cake" and he went to Grandma Rose's book, and chose a mocha cake recipe that used a dozen eggs! The cake was giagantic and delicious. 28 years later I still remember how good it tasted!

My mother purchased this book years ago and I cherished it and looked for it for years and bought it the minute I found it. There is not a bad recipe in the book. All are wonderfully old-world and tasty. I have gotten many compliments on baked goods from Grandma Rose's book. I highly recommend this to anyone who has a great love of pastries and desserts. It is truly a treasure.

Since I am a transplanted Southern girl myself and enjoy some really good down home cooking once in awhile, I must say this is a must have cookbook!
The Louisville Suburban Social Club's Fish recipe (well, it's a SECRET recipe so it's close) is wonderful. I grew up on that tasty breaded fish!
Try some of the desserts and serve them to friends but step back to avoid being trampled .

There are so many Southern cookbooks out now, but this one is a keeper. Some of the books available are written either by those who haven't 'walked the walk' or who have tried updating or otherwise modifying the food we grew up with and loved.

No so Ms. Lundy. She gives us the real thing, take it or leave it, with recipes from her own cooking experience. No, not all of these recipes are 'health food' in today's atmosphere of cooking-political correctness. However, these recipes need no apology. As Julia Child has always said, eat everything wisely and in moderation and you won't go wrong. I'd classify much of this book as comfort food, and besides, stress is killing more of our baby-boomer generation than food ever could!

Interspersed with her recipes are delightful recollections, many of well known personalities.

Buy this book and enjoy her writing as well as her recipes!

Even though this is not a vegetarian cookbook, she does provide a few meatless versions and lower fat variations on these authentic recipes.

Barbara Maher is an award-winning cookbook author who was born in Germany and brought up in England. She is fluent in German, French and Italian which allows her to conduct extensive research in a wide range of international cookbooks dating back to the fifteenth century. This is an amazing cookbook because it also includes a wide variety of cakes that you might not have heard of in an English/American cookbook.

This book is a collection of the world's finest cakes. There are such divine cakes in this cookbook, you will be seduced by lavishness. Not only are there full-color pictures displaying a bakeryful of tempting tastes, there are more than 100 recipes for cakes and desserts for every occasion. If you are looking for a light, airy treat for an afternoon snack you might choose lacy Florentines.

If you are new to making some of the cakes, there are easy-to-follow photographic sequences that demonstrate every essential baking and decorating technique. Whether you want to know how to pipe rosettes or sugar-frost flowers, it is all explained in pictures.

You can find recipes for: Luxury Layer Cakes, Chocolate Cakes, Cheesecakes, Flans & Tarts, Meringues, Fruit & Nut Cakes, Pastries & Cookies, Wedding Cakes, Children's Party Cakes, Butter Cakes, Sponge Cakes, Nut & Seed Cakes.

There are easy-to-follow instructions for:

Icings & Other Finishes
Piping Methods
Decorating with Chocolate
Cake Decorations
Fruit Preparations
Fillings, Icings & Toppings

There is an entire section on key ingredients and equipment used in cake making. This is the section where you can see all the basic skills required for baking. Basic ingredients are pictured. There are also "enriching" ingredients. The "bakeware" section is helpful because at times you can read "Balmoral pan" and have no idea what that is. I had never seen one myself.

I liked the "variations" on the butter Cakes recipe. You can chose to make a simple butter cake or turn it into a chocolate marble pound cake, a mixed spice pound cake or a fresh apricot pound cake which actually looks the best with icing dripping all over it.

I had never thought of using green grapes to decorate a cake. It is such a fresh beautiful idea. How about fresh cherries, mint leaves and chocolate curls?

Some of the delicious recipes include:

Fruit & Spice Cakes - could make a beautiful Christmas Gift that would not be soon forgotten. Chocolate Eclairs, Buche de Noel and Italian Easter Cake look divine.

Delicious Yummy Cakes that you will definitely want to make!

Also look for these books by Barbara Maher:

Cakes
Traditional Cakes and Pastries
Tempting Cheesecakes
classic Cakes

You wonder how much information can reasonably be put into a slim little volume like this (and confidently entitled "Ultimate Cake"), but in fact, Barbara Maher's book does an estimable job of getting the reader acquainted with a wide variety of information--everything from good kitchen tools to have to chocolate-decoration techniques to "basic, enriching, and decorative" ingredients.

Part of the Dorling-Kindersley "Living" series, "Ultimate Cake" does a fine job of providing a wide overview of many different types of cakes, from basic yellow cakes to pound cakes to regional specialties like genoise, tortes made with nut flours, and more. After the first third of the book is devoted to technique, ingredients, and tools, the rest has yumilicious cake recipes ranging from the simple (Pound Cake) to the exotic (Piskota with Walnuts) to the just-plain-delicious (Hazelnut Macaroon Cake, Rum and Citrus Torte, Swiss Black Cherry Cake, Poppyseed and Chocolate Torte, Apricot and Pecan Tea Loaf, and Nectarine Pavlova, to name just a few).

As with all D-K books, the photography is a big part of the equation. Dave King's sumptuous, richly colored photographs go a long way towards supporting Maher's concise and clear text. Highly recommended as a fine, basic cake cookbook.

Thank you so much for this wonderful book. It has been such a pleasure to use. I love all the illustrations and how the book walks you through things you might not know. Every recipe I have made from this book has enticed all of my guests. I grew up in California and most of my relatives lived in Germany, so my parents used to send us all the time, and for those of you that are familar with european desserts, they are wonderful. So many of the recipes in this book come from the european countries. It brings back great memories of my relatives that were wonderful bakers... Thanks again Corina Synowicki

'101 Things to do with a Cake Mix' is as unique and fun as it's packaging. The book comes in a 7 1\2' by 5 1\2' size, with spiral binding and a plastic cover. The packaging makes the book extremely useful ' no propping the pages open or worrying about wrecking the cover by dropping cake batter all over it. All cookbooks should be this easy to bake with!

The book is great for a wide range of bakers, but parents will value this book as a treasure chest of family fun. The final chapter of the book is 'Children's Delights.' The recipes include 'Delicious Dirt', which is a recipe for a chocolate pudding cake, covered with 'dirt' (crushed Oreo cookies). There are seasonal recipes for holiday activities, such as 'Valentine Cookies,' 'American Flag Cake,' 'Halloween Spider Cake,' and even a 'Peppermint Cake.' The children's chapter will guarantee fun for cooking with your children during the holidays.

While baking from this book, two recipes in particular stood out: 'Heavenly Brownies' and 'Sweet Delights.' 'Heavenly Brownies' (page 25) is a classic cream-cheese brownie recipe, without the brownie mix. Ashcraft substitutes a chocolate cake mix in place of the traditional brownie mix. These brownies bake wonderfully, they are moist and decadent. The 'heavenly' twist in the name makes them ideal for church bake sales and Sunday school classes. I pack them in tins and give them away as 'care packages.'

The 'Sweet Delights' recipe (page 37) is a sure kid-pleaser. My test audience was my one-year-old nephew. He gobbled these cookies down, leaving behind nothing but a chocolate-covered giggle and fudgy handprints on his highchair. The cookies are moist, chewy, and don't involve measuring a large amount of ingredients. The recipe relies solely on a cake mix (of any flavor, I chose Devil's food), brown sugar, oil, eggs, and chocolate chips. They were almost too easy for how good they tasted. A winning recipe!

For fans of bundt cakes, Ashcraft includes recipes for eight different varieties of bundt cakes. 'Give me a bundt cake and no one gets hurt!' The recipes include classic favorites such as Death-By-Chocolate and Luscious Lemon. For newer favorites, there are Pistachio Pound Cakes and Cream-Cheese Lemon Pound Cakes. There is a variety of bundt cake in this chapter to please every palate.

On the whole, this cookbook relies on readily-accessible ingredients: cake mixes, brown sugar, eggs, oil, chocolate chips, powdered sugar, nuts, and flour. Some recipes, however, require planning as they use ingredients that you may not keep handy. Cherry pie filling, lemon instant pudding, wheat germ, cream cheese, and sour cream are examples of ingredients I did not have stocked as I perused the recipes.

My one difficulty with using this book is that there are no pictures. Not one. There's not even a smiling picture of the author. Not having a reference for colors and textures is aggravating, you have to guess your way along unfamiliar recipes. There is also no guide for decorating ideas. This requires a fair bit of experience and creativity on the part of the reader. However, the cover price makes it a bargain purchase, pictures of no pictures. The Helpful Hints section on page 9 also adds a lot of value to this innovative book.

I just loved this book. So often we get cook books that say easy as 1 2 3 and they end up being as hard as 98 99 100!! One of the best things about the book is most of the ingredients you will have in you cabinets, no running around to speciality shops to find items you never heard of. I get more compliments when I make one of the cakes, I have more people ask me for the recipe, and when I bring a cake to a party there is never any left over. I would rather cook than bake but with this book I am baking more. I cant't say enough about it, just buy it and you will be the hit of the party.
Linda

Of course, you can make cakes with cake mixes - and there's a host of cakes which embellish store mixes with added ingredients for superior results - but also the cake mix can be used to produce cookies, breads, and brownies. 101 Things To Do With A Cake Mix offers a host of recipes which use the mix as a foundation for greater things. The lay-flat comb binding will prove handy to cooks and the clear plastic protective cover will keep 101 Things To Do With A Cake Mix looking fresh and new in the kitchen.

This book is a true joy to read and share. My four year-old loves it so much, he quotes it every time we bake (i.e., "cookies all for me!") and then we laugh together. We always end up agreeing that, just as the pig in the book discovered, good food is much better when shared. This one will be passed down to my children's children -- of that I am certain.

This book is excellent for preschool through kindergarten, or special ed classrooms. Skills that are learned from the book include: rhyme/rhythm, counting 1 to 20, measuring and cooking.(There are two pages devoted to measurement, as well as a recipe for the cake.) The best thing about this book is that the pig learns to share, because he sees the value in sharing with his friends. This is an excellent book to help one teach this value.

My 2-year-old son memorized this book, learned to count to twenty, AND learned the basics of baking a cake. We even made the cake described in the book, and it tastes great. The illustrations are hilarious, and I love the lesson about sharing. (Will piggy decide to share his cake with friends??) In fact, I love the book as much as my son -- a rare and happy circumstance.

I'm not a celiac, but I am allergic to wheat, so for many years, I have sought out gluten-free recipes for the breads and pastries I've been deprived of. After trying countless recipes turning out crumbly cookies, hard, dry bread, and odd-tasting pastries, I found Gluten-Free Baking by Rebecca Reilly, the best book out there. The results of these recipes taste as good as (no kidding) the ones served at a high-end pastry shop.

No wonder, since the author was trained not only at Le Cordon Bleu, but also at Le Notre Patissier, the leading pastry school. She has the experience of running her own restaurant, cafe, and catering businesses as well as teaching others how to cook. She'd been exploring gluten-free baking for her clientele even before her son and daughter were diagnosed as celiacs! All these credentials add up to a well-tested, easy-to-understand, and enlightening collection of recipes. But the highest recommendation comes from my wheat-eating friends, who really DON'T realize that anything is missing or "weird" about these treats, something they've never been able to say about my past efforts, despite claims by the authors of those recipes that they'd never tell the difference.

Reilly's training allows her to explain how certain classic baking techniques can provide air and lightness to gluten-free recipes, which can otherwise suffer from the density of particular alternative ingredients. She reveals which ingredients can create elasticity and provide structure in lieu of gluten, so that readers can feel empowered knowing not only how to make these recipes, but also why they work. I gained so much confidence in baking that I even made the scrumptious Black Forest Cake, a labor I probably wouldn't have even attempted in my wheat-eating days. (By the way, it's totally worth the effort.) Amazingly, the recipes range from the simplest brownies to baklava, so there's something for all palates and skill levels.

With all due respect to Bette Hagman, author of The Gluten-Free Gourmet books and an undisputed pioneer in the gluten-free quest, I would love to see Reilly's take on yeast breads as well as on gluten-free cooking. I think there's enough of the gluten-free pie to go around, and all of us in the wheat-free community (and our friends) would benefit.

Over 100 recipes for baked goods for gluten-intolerant dieters presents a wealth of information for those who struggle to balance the desire for baked goods with an allergy to gluten. Recipes call for different types of flours, from almond flour and potato starch to flax meal: usually all that's needed is access to a good health food store to successfully reproduce these baked goods.

My son is allergic to gluten and two others of us in the family are sensitive to it. For the past year I have purchased many cookbooks and the most difficult task for me has been to bake muffins, cakes, cookies which were appealing to my son. Though several books were very good, this one is the best! I have made three recipes so far and they are all hits in this family. My son is also allergic to eggs and so far none of the recipes rely as heavily on eggs and other GF cookbooks. The book is also informative and her list of resources is invaluable!

I have tons of cookbooks but this is one of about 5 that never leave the kitchen. The recipes are easy to follow and always turn out well. It is definitely not for the calorie conscious (9 egg yolks for a quart of ice cream!) but everything is delicious!The writing style is simple and homey and the pictures make you want to cook everything immediately.

THIS IS A MUST HAVE IF YOU ARE A COLLECTOR OF COOKBOOKS, AND/OR ENJOY BAKING. MR. BAILEY'S BOOKS ARE NOT JUST FOR THE RECIPES, EVEN THOUGH HIS ARE EXCEPTIONAL--ESPECIALLY THE SNICKERDOODLE RECIPE LOCATED IN THIS BOOK--THEY ARE ALSO A FEAST FOR THE SENSES.

IF YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY YOU SHOULD ALSO TRY TO OBTAIN A FEW OF HIS OUT OF PRINT BOOKS, SUCH AS LEE BAILEY'S CITY FOOD, AND LEE BAILEY'S GOOD PARTIES. HIS RECIPES AND INSTRUCTIONS ARE VERY EASY TO FOLLOW. I HAVE NEVER BEEN DISAPPOINTED WITH HIS WORK, AND HIS PHOTOGRAPHER, JOSHUA GREENE, DOES JUSTICE TO ALL THE RECIPES THAT APPEAR.

This is a fantastic book! Just reading thru and looking at the pictures is a great experience. It brings back fond memories and rememberances of a more peaceful time. Every recipe therein makes you want to cook and entertain friends.