Cakes

River Cottage Handbooks #8

by Pam Corbin, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (Introduction)

Baking is the most comforting and entirely satisfying of the culinary arts - making a cake is not only a sumptuous process in its own right but the end result is entirely delicious.

Pam Corbin offers the voice of experience, setting out basic techniques and recipes that will guarantee success. This is traditional baking at its very best, with over 75 adaptable recipes including Macaroons, Meringues, Fairy Cakes (and their counterpart - Gnome Cakes), the classic Victoria Sandwich, Yorkshire Rhubarb Gingerbread, Walnut Cake, Blueberry Yoghurt Cake, Orange Cake with Earl Grey Icing, and the glorious Battenberg Cake with its distinctive pink and yellow checks. As a finishing touch, there is a section devoted to sweet embellishments like feather icing, crystallised violets and chocolate leaves.

Say goodbye to sinking sponges and brittle brownies with this comprehensive guide to the heavenly world of cake making, introduced by Hugh Fearnley-Whittinstall.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Reference, Food, Nonfiction, British Literature

256 pages, Hardcover

First published March 7, 2011

Reviews

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had this book for a few years and have an embarrassingly large collection of cook books (hundereds!) and this is in my top 5 books and my go to baking book. I agree with other reviews that at first sight the recipes perhaps don’t seem that exciting but they actually work and the baking produced is delicious. Everytime I make the stem ginger cake or the anzac biscuits people ask for the recipes. If you need a reliable cake book with a mixture of healthy and unhealthy cakes and biscuits this is the book for you

[Kavitha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first every book of the River Cottage handbooks. I totally loved this one. I tried about 5 recipes in this and they are great.The only cakes/biscuits book you ever need.

The cakes recipes are simple to use and offer lots of helpful advice that anyone can turn to. Tried many of those recipes and they are divine!

So if you are like me looking for traditional great tasting cakes, this is a must have.

[J Grimsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have cooked 24 recipes from this book and they have all been very edible. I have cooked for years and about 5 years ago I started to bake. This book is my favorite.

[Lime · Rating 5 out of 5]

This unassuming little book is packed with great recipes for cakes and their icings and embellishments. It’s worth reading through each recipe and noting the Variations that sometimes appear near the end. I’ve made a number of the treats in this book including the cookies, the banana loaf with cardamom, and the chocolate cake with chocolate fudge icing among others. I also use some topping ideas gleaned from another author (Stella Parks’ fruity whipped cream) with great success. Definitely recommend.

[Jaq · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the variety, and also the heritage aspect to these cakes. There aren't perfect cakes, they are cakes that can be made and enjoyed by anyone, not someone who has spent years refining their baking skills.

A great little book - and I look forward to making the Chocolate Xmas Cake for this year's celebration.

[Maggie]

Love. It's a small format hardcover - the size of a novel - and it could be the textbook for the Great British Baking Show. Beautifully designed and chock full of simple everyday cakes. The Victoria Sandwich worked perfectly. Because it's a British edition, there's some conversion involved, easily accomplished with a kitchen scale and a temperature chart.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The truth is I haven't read this! I have no interest in making or eating cakes!
However if it's anything like the rest in this series, and I can't imagine it's not given the provenance and quality of the rest all of which I have read, it's got to be worth at least four stars.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great title in the River Cottage Handbook series. Recipes are clear and concise with lots of UK specialties. Can't wait to try out the fruit cake recipe as we enter autumn and the longer it sits the better :).

[Png · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Cute little 'handbook' and unique recipes to try! Conversion charts were helpful.