Baked Elements: Our Ten Favorite Ingredients

by Matt Lewis, Renato Poliafito, Tina Rupp

From the creators of the famous Baked Seventy-two inventive new recipes featuring ten irresistible ingredients.
 
In Baked Elements, the dynamic owners of Baked NYC and Baked Charleston, Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, put their favorite flavors to the test with seventy-two all-new recipes featuring ten essential peanut butter, lemon and lime, caramel, booze, pumpkin, malted milk powder, cinnamon, cheese, chocolate, and banana.
 
From outrageous cakes, such as Lacy Panty Cakes with Whiskey Sauce, to unbelievable cookies, such as Lime Tarragon, to bars, milkshakes, pies, brownies, tarts, and more, these sweets are delicious enough to satisfy everyday cravings and special enough to spice up any celebration.
 
Praised by Deb Perelman, creator of Smitten Kitchen, as “full of the stuff of American bakery-case dreams” and hailed by Serious Eats as “drool-worthy,” this essential tome is filled with infographics, quirky facts, and helpful notes that make baking show-stopping desserts as easy as pie.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Culinary

232 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2012

Reviews

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haven't baked anything from this yet, but I really love the way it's set up. There were a number of recipes that had me salivating. I was surprised because I got the first Baked book out of the library several times and I couldn't ever really get excited about more than a few recipes. I wanted to like it more than I actually did. I also liked that I can skip whole sections if they feature ingredients I don't like (hello banana!). And though I hate peanut butter in my desserts, my fiance is sure happy there's a whole section on his favorite flavor. And brown butter snickerdoodles? Yeah, that's happening.

[KatieDMD · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of these chefs and their writing style. They are quirky and interesting and clearly know their way around simple, classic ingredients. I own their first cookbook Baked, and really enjoyed the range of recipes, particularly the bars. Baked Elements takes all of the best parts of their first cookbook and presents a refreshing, new take on the world's best ingredients: lemon, chocolate, banana, pumpkin, caramel, peanut butter, booze, cheese, in that order. There are two more that I can't remember.

I could eat lemon bars every single day of my life until I die. I have made lemon bars from nearly every cookbook I own (which is the size of a library). A good lemon meringue pie will make me cry with happiness. A cookbook with a section devoted to lemons and citrus fruits is immediately a 10/10 for me. How do lime tarragon cookies sound to you? Like heaven to me.

There are pumpkin cheesecake bars that have my name all over them. The chocolate cheesecake muffins are going to be on my table next week. I can barely prevent myself from sprint home from work RIGHT NOW to make an antique caramel cake. The name "lacy panty cakes with whiskey sauce" is worth the price of the book. (After much searching on google, I found that lacy panty cakes are kind of like a pancake. I think. Unsure, I will make these and report back to you.)

[Kristen Gillette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I share these 10 favorite ingredients with authors Lewis and Poliafito, because they really are the scrummiest. The Pumpkin Almond Cake is a win-win-winner. You won't want to waste all your extra pumpkin on any other recipes. A boozy champion is the Whiskey Peach Upside-Down Cake, which deserves high acolades in the form whiskey whipped cream dollops. I am working my way up to what I see as the ultimate Baked Elements cake: the Bananas Cake, a cover-worthy cake layered with chocolate and peanut butter fillings. I own two of the Baked books and the wonderful thing about their recipes is their accessibility. Even the most complex processes and procedures contain common ingredients, and their whimsical inventiveness is still homey and warm. It's Betty Crocker goes to pastry school at the Culinary Institute of America. By them all. Bake them all. Do NOT eat them all by yourself.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the format of this one, with every chapter focused on a different ingredient. But-- I wanted MORE! Is that selfish? Maybe fewer chapters, more recipes for each flavor. Regardless, it's a gorgeous book, funny and clearly laid out and with great pictures, and it's going to keep me busy in the kitchen for some time.

[Nora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dive into decadence

I found the writer adorably sweet. The recipes are appealing except for the fudge as I am a fudge snob, and the photos luscious. Why not 5stars?
For me it was liking at my own sugar junky issues. I liked it too much.

[Linda Hartlaub · Rating 5 out of 5]

I probably gained a few pounds just from looking at the photo on the front cover. Amazing cookbook with scrumptious recipes and drool-worthy photos. Although the recipe isn't in this particular book, if you haven't tried their brownie recipe (The Baked Brownie), you should. The recipe is a bit convoluted, but the results are incredible. This book is a good investment for bakers of all levels.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This recipe book was broken up into sections:

Peanut Butter
Lemon and Lime
Caramel
Booze
Pumpkin
Malted Milk Powder
Cinnamon
Cheese
Chocolate
Banana

Each of these sections had multiple recipes and they really were dreamy. As with the previous books by these authors, I doubt I would buy this, but I might try a few eventually.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why the hell shouldn't I put a recipe book? It still takes time, yes? :)

Love the idea of organizing recipes by ingredient, but not sure it's any easier to find a recipe that way. That's what indices are for!

[Riegs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yummmm. Organized by ingredient, such as caramel, citrus, etc.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Malt! A whole section on used Malted Milk Powder in things!

[Amy Cutting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can’t wait to start baking!

I just scanned through the entire thing and can hardly find one that I don’t want to make. I might need suggestions on which to make first!

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one. Reminded me a bit.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I enjoyed their first cookbook "Baked," this one has been on my to-read list for awhile. This one is even better than the first one. Lewis and Poliafito take ten of the best ingredients: peanut butter, lemon/lime, caramel, booze, pumpkin, malted milk powder, cinnamon, cheese, chocolate and banana and make some pretty amazing desserts. I enjoyed all the little factoids at the beginning of each section. I was surprised that I didn't much care for the Peanut Butter section, even though that is one of my favorite flavors ever. There were some really unique recipes in here, like the Triple Rum Black Pepper Cake (which I'll admit sounds weird until you read the description), Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls (where have you been all my life?!), and Holiday Spice Cake with Eggnog Buttercream. The back of the cookbook has a resources list, as some of the ingredients or equipment may be hard to find. Highly recommended, 5 stars.

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every time they come out with a new cookbook, we can't help thinking about our visit to their bakery. Their desserts are that good. They're memorable. They're delicious. You're probably familiar with them now that Williams-Sonoma carries a lot of their products. But do pick up their books and try baking from scratch! What are the ten featured ingredients in this book? Peanut Butter, Lemon and Lime, Caramel, Booze, Pumpkin, Malted Milk Powder, Cinnamon, Cheese, Chocolate, and Banana. It's highly likely that you love more than seven of these ingredients. This book has a different design from their previous two, but you'll love the infographics that start each chapter!

[Yasmeen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Third book from the American Bakery, "Baked". Format is unique. Chapters are grouped by central ingredients: Peanut Butter, Pumpkin, Cinnamon.. Etc. To be honest, I always get their cookbooks because of how beautiful the photos look. It pleases the food photographer in me. Their recipes are not a 100% and are always lacking... Except for the Brownie recipe in the first book. It's the best brownie I've ever had.

[LS kitchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not immediately seek this book out because I was confused by the title. Baked Elements? I thought it was about the building blocks of baking, like baking soda or something. It's really a compilation of recipes focused on 10 individual ingredients. For example, there is a pumpkin chapter, a peanut butter chapter, a banana chapter, etc. I love that idea!

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m working my way through this book (have completed the spicy brownies and poppy seed pound cake) and as always with Baked books, the results are perfect. And the text is short and sweet (so to speak). Beautiful photography that makes one want to eat dessert all day. What more do you want from a cookbook?

[Jocelin · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many yummy desserts in this cookbook. I totally want to try the Easy Candy Bar Tart; it looked so yummy and delicious. There was one funny recipe in here: Lacy Panty cookies ( really naughty, but funny). If you are an avid baker this is the book for you.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this 4.5 stars if I could - would be a full five, but I think it needs more pictures.

It took me a little bit to get into this one...I'm not a huge fan of malted milk powder or (strangely enough) peanut butter. But then I hit cinnamon and I was sold.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first perused this book a couple of years ago, I didn't care much for it. After re-reading it recently, however, a lot of the recipes sound delicious. They're not pretentious, and sound like elevated home-y, comforting goods. I can't wait to bake some of them!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always love the design and format of their cookbooks. The stunning photos and layout make you want to try all the recipes. Particularly like the premise of this one: their 10 fave ingredients.

[Beka · Rating 5 out of 5]

As amazing as the first book. I want to eat just about everything in it.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the way this book is organized by favorite ingredients vs. type of meal. The photography is gorgeous and the recipes look divine. This is a cookbook I would love to own someday.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent reference with such a unique approach. Just simply well done!!

[Wendy Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy recipes that are very time-consuming but well worth it!!!

[Sandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another winner. the easy candy bar tart is divine

[lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish there were even more pictures in here! I'm excited to try these recipes.