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The Perfect Cake: Your Ultimate Guide to Classic, Modern, and Whimsical Cakes
Featured by QVC, Hallmark Home & Family, Tasting Table, and the Washington Post.
Cakes are the all-occasion dessert--the center of attention at birthdays, holiday celebrations, and dinner parties, and the most welcome brunch, after-school, or teatime snack. America's Test Kitchen's first all-cake book is the definitive guide to any cake you crave from Classic Pound Cake to enjoy anytime to a stunning and impressive Blueberry Jam Cake with brilliant jam stripes and ombré frosting.
In addition to foolproof recipes are features that make towering 24-layer Hazelnut- Chocolate Crêpe Cake as approachable as Applesauce Snack Cake. Sidebars include step-by-step photography for cakes with more advanced techniques like piping the ribbons of frosting that help give beautiful Rhubarb Ribbon Cake its name. Our years of test kitchen knowledge on the art and science of baking cakes provide all the tips and tricks you need for executing perfect cakes every time.
Cakes are the all-occasion dessert--the center of attention at birthdays, holiday celebrations, and dinner parties, and the most welcome brunch, after-school, or teatime snack. America's Test Kitchen's first all-cake book is the definitive guide to any cake you crave from Classic Pound Cake to enjoy anytime to a stunning and impressive Blueberry Jam Cake with brilliant jam stripes and ombré frosting.
In addition to foolproof recipes are features that make towering 24-layer Hazelnut- Chocolate Crêpe Cake as approachable as Applesauce Snack Cake. Sidebars include step-by-step photography for cakes with more advanced techniques like piping the ribbons of frosting that help give beautiful Rhubarb Ribbon Cake its name. Our years of test kitchen knowledge on the art and science of baking cakes provide all the tips and tricks you need for executing perfect cakes every time.
448 pages, Hardcover
Published March 27, 2018
About the author
America's Test Kitchen
293 books633 followersAmerica's Test Kitchen, based in a brand new state-of-the-art 60,000 sq. ft. facility with over 15,000 sq. ft. of test kitchens and studio space, in Boston's Seaport District, is dedicated to finding the very best recipes for home cooks. Over 50 full-time (admittedly obsessive) test cooks spend their days testing recipes 30, 40, up to 100 times, tweaking every variable until they understand how and why recipes work. They also test cookware and supermarket ingredients so viewers can bypass marketing hype and buy the best quality products. As the home of Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country magazines, and publisher of more than one dozen cookbooks each year, America's Test Kitchen has earned the respect of the publishing industry, the culinary world, and millions of home cooks. America's Test Kitchen the television show launched in 2001, and the company added a second television program, Cook's Country, in 2008.
Discover, learn, and expand your cooking repertoire with Julia Collin Davison, Bridget Lancaster, Jack Bishop, Dan Souza, Lisa McManus, Tucker Shaw, Bryan Roof, and our fabulous team of test cooks!
Learn more at https://www.americastestkitchen.com/.
Discover, learn, and expand your cooking repertoire with Julia Collin Davison, Bridget Lancaster, Jack Bishop, Dan Souza, Lisa McManus, Tucker Shaw, Bryan Roof, and our fabulous team of test cooks!
Learn more at https://www.americastestkitchen.com/.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
March 15, 2019
Read a library copy, and NOW I HAVE TO BUY IT!! So good. Eggnog bundt cake? Yes!
June 13, 2019
I bake exotic things bc my cakes come out dry or dense or they spill out over the edge of the pan. For someone who has perfectly baked French macarons and cheesecakes for years, cakes have always evaded me!
This book is fantastic. One of the key things to success with this cookbook is actually reading the paragraph that explains why the recipe works. I've picked up a ton of tips and I've made 3 flawless cakes from scratch from this book. For someone who has never made a successful cake, let alone a layered one with jam frostings, this has been a God-send.
This book is fantastic. One of the key things to success with this cookbook is actually reading the paragraph that explains why the recipe works. I've picked up a ton of tips and I've made 3 flawless cakes from scratch from this book. For someone who has never made a successful cake, let alone a layered one with jam frostings, this has been a God-send.
December 30, 2018
Can’t wait to try these recipes.
May 24, 2018
Beautiful photos, so so recipes.
March 8, 2021
Lots of cakes I want to try! I like how they give different recipes for the same type of cake but different presentation. I didn't realize that shape of the cake affects the structure and ingredients needed.
March 4, 2021
Too much butter
July 19, 2023
TL;DR: A great cookbook, similar to other America's Test Kitchen books. Well illustrated and well-written recipes -- if sometimes not the best organized.
This is a very large cookbook; I've included the recipes at the bottom of this review, and you can see from those lists that it is quite sizable and has listings of just about every type of cake you could possibly think of, from poundcakes to ice box cakes to cake pops to a plain old sheet cake. I've tried a few recipes in this book and I'll write thoughts out about them below, but first a few words on what I like and dislike about the structure of this cookbook:
Structural Likes:
- I love that every recipe starts with a full color photo of the finished product. The color photos are helpful, well lit and focus entirely on the item that is being produced. Good use of photography to make the food appealing but the photos aren't distracting.
- I love that every recipe has a "why this recipe works" introductory paragraph that describes what they were going for for their recipe. This saves a lot of time as sometimes what they feel is ideal may not be what you feel is ideal, and sometimes is helpful when trying to figure out if you will like an unfamiliar desert.
Structural Dislikes:
- The recipes aren't indexed in the table of contents and I don't think their chapter titles are necessarily the most elucidating. What puts a recipe in "Great American Cakes" and not "Holiday" cakes or "Elegant Cakes" or "Classic Layer Cakes"? More than once I've forgotten what section a recipe is in and have to annoyingly search the entire book for it. This is a big annoyance and I knocked it down a star for it.
- The recipes are written in imperial units and there's no metric conversion, which limits the audience here to imperial unit using nations.
Recipes I've tried (rated w/ no substitutions):
Lemon Layer Cake: I tried this for a birthday cake and was hoping I wouldn't hate meringue. I still hate meringue, but the actual lemon cake in this is quite good. The meringue is...meringue, and I think if you enjoy meringue you will like it, but it won't win over any converts. The cake has a strong but sweet lemon flavor.
Old-Fashioned Chocolate Layer Cake: Tastes like a box mix, which is either a pro or a con depending on who you are. The malted chocolate frosting that is suggested for use with this raises it up a good level, however; worth making, even if you cheat and use betty crocker for the cake instead. (I couldn't taste a notable difference between this and box mix, but both were excellent.)
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake: The rare miss in this collection! I felt like this was dry and kind of bland as a recipe as written.
Pomegranate Walnut Cake: The biggest winner for me so far; this is a very heavy, very dense cake, but it's been a winner and gets the highest amount of raves for anything I've made out of this book. Rich, buttery taste. The pomegranate doesn't get overwhelmed by the nuts, and the sweet-sour pomegranate tang compliments the sweet nuttiness of the walnuts very well.
Pound Cake (with: Almond, Ginger, Lemon, and/or Orange): I've made every variant listed in this book and they're all bangers. This is probably my favorite pound cake recipe, and I like that each variant has a strong flavor. Makes a really lovely party display with some food coloring to show off different flavors. Recommended!
Complete List of Recipes in Book:
This is a very large cookbook; I've included the recipes at the bottom of this review, and you can see from those lists that it is quite sizable and has listings of just about every type of cake you could possibly think of, from poundcakes to ice box cakes to cake pops to a plain old sheet cake. I've tried a few recipes in this book and I'll write thoughts out about them below, but first a few words on what I like and dislike about the structure of this cookbook:
Structural Likes:
- I love that every recipe starts with a full color photo of the finished product. The color photos are helpful, well lit and focus entirely on the item that is being produced. Good use of photography to make the food appealing but the photos aren't distracting.
- I love that every recipe has a "why this recipe works" introductory paragraph that describes what they were going for for their recipe. This saves a lot of time as sometimes what they feel is ideal may not be what you feel is ideal, and sometimes is helpful when trying to figure out if you will like an unfamiliar desert.
Structural Dislikes:
- The recipes aren't indexed in the table of contents and I don't think their chapter titles are necessarily the most elucidating. What puts a recipe in "Great American Cakes" and not "Holiday" cakes or "Elegant Cakes" or "Classic Layer Cakes"? More than once I've forgotten what section a recipe is in and have to annoyingly search the entire book for it. This is a big annoyance and I knocked it down a star for it.
- The recipes are written in imperial units and there's no metric conversion, which limits the audience here to imperial unit using nations.
Recipes I've tried (rated w/ no substitutions):
Lemon Layer Cake: I tried this for a birthday cake and was hoping I wouldn't hate meringue. I still hate meringue, but the actual lemon cake in this is quite good. The meringue is...meringue, and I think if you enjoy meringue you will like it, but it won't win over any converts. The cake has a strong but sweet lemon flavor.
Old-Fashioned Chocolate Layer Cake: Tastes like a box mix, which is either a pro or a con depending on who you are. The malted chocolate frosting that is suggested for use with this raises it up a good level, however; worth making, even if you cheat and use betty crocker for the cake instead. (I couldn't taste a notable difference between this and box mix, but both were excellent.)
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake: The rare miss in this collection! I felt like this was dry and kind of bland as a recipe as written.
Pomegranate Walnut Cake: The biggest winner for me so far; this is a very heavy, very dense cake, but it's been a winner and gets the highest amount of raves for anything I've made out of this book. Rich, buttery taste. The pomegranate doesn't get overwhelmed by the nuts, and the sweet-sour pomegranate tang compliments the sweet nuttiness of the walnuts very well.
Pound Cake (with: Almond, Ginger, Lemon, and/or Orange): I've made every variant listed in this book and they're all bangers. This is probably my favorite pound cake recipe, and I like that each variant has a strong flavor. Makes a really lovely party display with some food coloring to show off different flavors. Recommended!
Complete List of Recipes in Book:
August 29, 2026
The Perfect Cake: Your Ultimate Guide to Classic, Modern, and Whimsical Cakes by America’s Test Kitchen is the kind of cookbook that makes baking feel both exciting and achievable. Rather than simply giving you a collection of recipes, it teaches you the techniques and little details that can make the difference between an average cake and a truly memorable one.
What I especially enjoyed is the variety. The book covers everything from simple snack cakes and classic pound cakes to cupcakes, elegant layer cakes, holiday favorites, and more ambitious creations. There is something here for almost every occasion, whether you want a quick dessert for the family or an impressive centerpiece for a celebration. {"fallbackMarkdown":"(Google Books
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The instructions are one of the book’s strongest features. America’s Test Kitchen is known for thoroughly testing recipes, and that careful approach comes through in the explanations and practical baking advice. The book also includes helpful step-by-step guidance for more advanced decorating techniques, making complicated-looking cakes less intimidating. {"fallbackMarkdown":"(Google Books
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Another highlight is the photography. The finished cakes are beautiful and inspiring, while the visual guidance helps you understand what the process should look like. It feels less like a recipe collection and more like having a baking teacher on your kitchen counter.
The only downside is that the book can feel a little overwhelming if you are a complete beginner because there are so many recipes and techniques to explore. Some measurements and conventions are also geared toward American bakers, which may require adjustment for readers elsewhere.
Overall, The Perfect Cake is an excellent choice for anyone who loves baking and wants to improve their cake-making skills. It combines reliable recipes, useful techniques, and plenty of inspiration in one substantial cookbook.
Rating: 5/5 ⭐
A beautiful, practical, and highly useful cake cookbook that deserves a place on the shelf of both enthusiastic beginners and experienced home bak
October 22, 2026
★★★★★
The Perfect Cake: Your Ultimate Guide to Classic, Modern, and Whimsical Cakes is a delightful cookbook for anyone who loves baking and wants to create beautiful, delicious cakes at home. I appreciate how the book's concept brings together timeless favorites, contemporary creations, and playful designs, offering inspiration for bakers with different tastes and experience levels. It makes cake baking feel like an opportunity to combine creativity, technique, and the simple pleasure of sharing something homemade.
One of the most appealing aspects of this cookbook is its broad approach to cake making. Classic cakes have a comforting charm, while modern recipes offer opportunities to experiment with new flavors and styles. Whimsical cakes add another dimension, encouraging bakers to have fun with presentation and create desserts that feel special for celebrations. This variety makes the book an exciting resource for anyone who enjoys discovering new baking projects.
I also appreciate the potential for learning and improving baking skills. Creating a successful cake involves more than combining ingredients; accurate measurements, proper mixing, oven temperature, and cooling techniques all contribute to the final result. A comprehensive guide can help readers understand these fundamentals while developing the confidence to tackle more ambitious creations. Beginners can build a foundation, while experienced bakers can find fresh inspiration for their next project.
Another wonderful aspect of cake baking is the happiness it brings to special occasions and everyday moments. A homemade cake can turn a birthday, family gathering, holiday, or simple afternoon into something memorable. Decorating and sharing these creations can also become a rewarding way to express creativity and affection for others.
Overall, The Perfect Cake sounds like a valuable addition to any baking collection. Its combination of classic recipes, modern ideas, and imaginative designs makes it appealing to both enthusiastic beginners and experienced home bakers. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to expand their baking repertoire, improve their techniques, and create cakes that taste as wonderful as they look. This cookbook celebrates the creativity, patience, and joy that make baking such a rewarding experience.
The Perfect Cake: Your Ultimate Guide to Classic, Modern, and Whimsical Cakes is a delightful cookbook for anyone who loves baking and wants to create beautiful, delicious cakes at home. I appreciate how the book's concept brings together timeless favorites, contemporary creations, and playful designs, offering inspiration for bakers with different tastes and experience levels. It makes cake baking feel like an opportunity to combine creativity, technique, and the simple pleasure of sharing something homemade.
One of the most appealing aspects of this cookbook is its broad approach to cake making. Classic cakes have a comforting charm, while modern recipes offer opportunities to experiment with new flavors and styles. Whimsical cakes add another dimension, encouraging bakers to have fun with presentation and create desserts that feel special for celebrations. This variety makes the book an exciting resource for anyone who enjoys discovering new baking projects.
I also appreciate the potential for learning and improving baking skills. Creating a successful cake involves more than combining ingredients; accurate measurements, proper mixing, oven temperature, and cooling techniques all contribute to the final result. A comprehensive guide can help readers understand these fundamentals while developing the confidence to tackle more ambitious creations. Beginners can build a foundation, while experienced bakers can find fresh inspiration for their next project.
Another wonderful aspect of cake baking is the happiness it brings to special occasions and everyday moments. A homemade cake can turn a birthday, family gathering, holiday, or simple afternoon into something memorable. Decorating and sharing these creations can also become a rewarding way to express creativity and affection for others.
Overall, The Perfect Cake sounds like a valuable addition to any baking collection. Its combination of classic recipes, modern ideas, and imaginative designs makes it appealing to both enthusiastic beginners and experienced home bakers. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to expand their baking repertoire, improve their techniques, and create cakes that taste as wonderful as they look. This cookbook celebrates the creativity, patience, and joy that make baking such a rewarding experience.
August 29, 2026
The Perfect Cake is an appealing choice for anyone who enjoys baking and wants to explore a broad range of cake styles. The book brings together classic favorites, contemporary creations, and more playful cakes, creating a collection that can suit everything from relaxed afternoons at home to birthdays, holidays, and other celebrations.
One of the book’s most enjoyable qualities is its variety. Rather than focusing on one particular type of cake, it opens the door to different flavors, textures, designs, and occasions. This makes it useful for bakers who like familiar recipes but also want opportunities to experiment and discover something new.
The collection is also well suited to readers who want to build confidence in the kitchen. Cake baking can sometimes seem intimidating, particularly when recipes involve multiple components or decorative finishes. A cookbook that encourages readers to approach these techniques with patience and creativity can make the experience much more enjoyable.
What stands out most is the balance between tradition and imagination. Classic cakes provide a comfortable starting point, while modern and whimsical ideas offer inspiration for bakers who want their desserts to have a little more personality.
Overall, The Perfect Cake is a versatile addition to a baking collection. It offers plenty of ideas for different occasions and encourages readers to enjoy both the process and the finished result. For anyone who sees cake as more than just dessert, this cookbook provides an enjoyable source of inspiration and a reason to keep baking.
One of the book’s most enjoyable qualities is its variety. Rather than focusing on one particular type of cake, it opens the door to different flavors, textures, designs, and occasions. This makes it useful for bakers who like familiar recipes but also want opportunities to experiment and discover something new.
The collection is also well suited to readers who want to build confidence in the kitchen. Cake baking can sometimes seem intimidating, particularly when recipes involve multiple components or decorative finishes. A cookbook that encourages readers to approach these techniques with patience and creativity can make the experience much more enjoyable.
What stands out most is the balance between tradition and imagination. Classic cakes provide a comfortable starting point, while modern and whimsical ideas offer inspiration for bakers who want their desserts to have a little more personality.
Overall, The Perfect Cake is a versatile addition to a baking collection. It offers plenty of ideas for different occasions and encourages readers to enjoy both the process and the finished result. For anyone who sees cake as more than just dessert, this cookbook provides an enjoyable source of inspiration and a reason to keep baking.
Read
October 5, 2026★★★★★
**A Dream Cookbook for Cake Lovers**
*The Perfect Cake* is an inspiring and beautifully curated guide for anyone who loves baking cakes. What makes this book stand out is the wonderful range of recipes, bringing together classic favorites, modern creations, and whimsical cakes that are perfect for celebrations or simply making an ordinary day feel special.
The recipes are thoughtfully presented and provide plenty of inspiration for bakers at different skill levels. I especially enjoyed the variety of flavors, textures, and styles. Whether you're looking for a timeless layer cake, an elegant dessert for a special occasion, or something playful and creative, this cookbook offers plenty of options to explore.
The book also does a great job of making cake baking feel approachable rather than intimidating. The clear guidance and attention to technique are particularly helpful when tackling more elaborate cakes. At the same time, experienced bakers will find plenty of ideas to spark their own creativity.
Overall, *The Perfect Cake* is more than just a collection of recipes—it is a wonderful source of inspiration for anyone who wants to improve their baking skills and create impressive homemade cakes. It's the kind of cookbook you'll want to keep on your shelf and return to whenever you're ready to bake something memorable.
A fantastic choice for cake enthusiasts and home bakers. Five stars!
**A Dream Cookbook for Cake Lovers**
*The Perfect Cake* is an inspiring and beautifully curated guide for anyone who loves baking cakes. What makes this book stand out is the wonderful range of recipes, bringing together classic favorites, modern creations, and whimsical cakes that are perfect for celebrations or simply making an ordinary day feel special.
The recipes are thoughtfully presented and provide plenty of inspiration for bakers at different skill levels. I especially enjoyed the variety of flavors, textures, and styles. Whether you're looking for a timeless layer cake, an elegant dessert for a special occasion, or something playful and creative, this cookbook offers plenty of options to explore.
The book also does a great job of making cake baking feel approachable rather than intimidating. The clear guidance and attention to technique are particularly helpful when tackling more elaborate cakes. At the same time, experienced bakers will find plenty of ideas to spark their own creativity.
Overall, *The Perfect Cake* is more than just a collection of recipes—it is a wonderful source of inspiration for anyone who wants to improve their baking skills and create impressive homemade cakes. It's the kind of cookbook you'll want to keep on your shelf and return to whenever you're ready to bake something memorable.
A fantastic choice for cake enthusiasts and home bakers. Five stars!
December 29, 2021
This is a book that truly lives up to its title. Every recipe produces the perfect cake! Not only that, the book contains a wealth of general cake-making information that can be applied even when using a recipe from another source, covering everything from tools to decorating techniques. To top it all off, every recipe has a beautiful photograph of the finished product, which to me is vital in choosing a recipe. This is my go-to book when I want to bake a cake, whether for a special occasion or simply because I'm in the mood for sweets~ Two of my favorite recipes are the Strawberry Cream Cake (p 148) and the Lemon Bundt Cake (p 335), plus every chocolate cake I've made from this book is dreamy. This is a must-have if you enjoy baking!
May 15, 2018
This book truly lives up to its title: it's the ultimate guide to all things cake. I will definitely be buying it to add to my collection of essential cookbooks. The recipes range from super simple (Angel Food Cake) to fancy (Gingerbread Layer Cake). There are recipes for just about every type of cake you might ever endeavor to make, and the pictures and sidebars are gorgeous, full-color, informative, and written for the average cook. There are lots of frosting recipes and cake tips in the back, as well as a comprehensive index in the back. As always, America's Test Kitchen does not disappoint!
August 15, 2018
I've been subscribing to Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country for many years, so I'm familiar with many of these beautiful and delicious recipes. This book combines them all in a lovely way, with pictures for everything (one of my pet peeves about baking cookbooks is not enough pictures), and adds some recipes that I haven't seen before. The reason I love America's Test Kitchen is because I don't really love cooking, and when I'm going to go to all that trouble, I really want it to be great. Their recipes are (almost) always great (and when they're not, it's either my fault, or something just not to our family's taste - not a flawed recipe).
May 16, 2025
I personally love some of the recipes in this book. There were several pieces of advice that I found helpful such as the decorating tips. My favorite is where they demonstrate how to smoothly apply frosting and use small cookie cutters to imprint a design on top of the cupcake with sprinkles. Although there are some recipes that are more difficult to make due to the egg white to yolk ratio, most of the recipes are easy to follow along with. I personally cannot wait to make a s’mores ice cream cake in my free time.
June 13, 2018
This book is fantastic!! I don't often buy cookbooks, simply because I already have many of them. I typically just get just a couple of 'keeper' recipes from cookbooks. This one has been added to my 'to buy' list. I would make the majority of these recipes. The fact that the science behind great, successful cakes is included just puts the icing on the cake (pun intended). Basic, as well as more elaborate, recipes are included as well as icing and filling recipes. I highly recommend this one!
December 7, 2018
Extremely detailed cookbook--it breaks downs kinds of frostings, allowable substitutions, etc. The authors explain what was tried and failed, which was interesting to read. And every single cake is pictured (beautifully).
The recipes aren't necessarily simple, but they are replicable, and America's Test Kitchen does try to simplify the most complicated of the recipes. I do wish the recipes were listed in the Table of Contents.
The recipes aren't necessarily simple, but they are replicable, and America's Test Kitchen does try to simplify the most complicated of the recipes. I do wish the recipes were listed in the Table of Contents.
October 24, 2026
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This cookbook sounds like an inspiring guide for anyone who loves making cakes. The combination of classic, modern, and whimsical styles suggests plenty of creative possibilities for different occasions. I like the idea of exploring both timeless favorites and more imaginative designs in one collection. It sounds useful for bakers who want to expand their skills, discover new ideas, and create cakes that feel special for birthdays, celebrations, and everyday treats.
This cookbook sounds like an inspiring guide for anyone who loves making cakes. The combination of classic, modern, and whimsical styles suggests plenty of creative possibilities for different occasions. I like the idea of exploring both timeless favorites and more imaginative designs in one collection. It sounds useful for bakers who want to expand their skills, discover new ideas, and create cakes that feel special for birthdays, celebrations, and everyday treats.
July 8, 2018
America's Test Kitchen puts out the best cookbooks! I've wanted this one for a long time and was so glad to finally get my hands on it. So far I've only made 3 recipes and honestly, not all of them turned out how I would've liked, but that doesn't mean they're not still excellent recipes. Eventually I hope to bake my way through this whole book!
September 23, 2018
This is full of cakes I’d love to try with decent directions and drool worthy pictures. I made the honey-carrot cake with the honey cream cheese icing. The cake was excellent, but the icing really wasn’t my favorite. The honey with the cream cheese just isn’t quite sweet enough and has a tangy taste to it that I didn’t care for.
October 29, 2018
I love this company! The way they make these cookbooks are great. I LOVE seeing the way the recipe is supposed to end up. It is so nice to have suggested tools and equipment they prefer as well as tips to fix errors. Highly suggest to any baker. It even includes snack cakes, bundt cakes, cake pops and more.
April 15, 2020
This is well-researched and interesting guide to all different types of cakes, with options for lots of variations. I wish that it contained a bit more scientific discussion in the recipe notes on how the recipe was discovered, as Baking Illustrated does, but it still has some interesting descriptions of the process of testing the recipes.
March 23, 2022
After reading Bread Illustrated and The Perfect Cookie, I knew this was going to be another hit. I really like that ATK takes the time to test recipes many times to ensure they will work. This book isn't just about cakes, there are also recipes for fillings, frostings and more. For anyone who is looking for a cake for a celebration or just to have on the counter, this will fit the bill.
April 17, 2018
Sooooooooo many of these cakes look scrumdillyumptious!!! It's definitely a great one that I must buy one day!!
Beautiful photos and easy to follow recipes from America's Test Kitchen...so they've pretty much perfected each cake. (Like they say)
Haven't made anything out of the book.
YET.
Beautiful photos and easy to follow recipes from America's Test Kitchen...so they've pretty much perfected each cake. (Like they say)
Haven't made anything out of the book.
YET.
July 5, 2018
I liked this book, but not nearly as much as Perfect Cookies. I guess I'm just not that into cakes. Who wants to make something you can't even sample until you present it to a big group? I'm too interested in 'taste testing' for that nonsense!
October 17, 2019
Love this series of cookbooks by America’s Test Kitchen. I made the Sour Cream Coffee cake on page 292 and it was a big hit. There’s a photo for each recipe and I want to bake them all! Highly recommend for all levels of bakers.
August 9, 2021
Exceptional cookbook, all about cakes. The recipes are clear and straight-forward, with many, many helpful photographs. The paragraphs at the beginning of each recipe, explaining why the recipe works, are extremely helpful. Recommended!
April 14, 2022
In my book ATK can do no wrong. Every recipe starts with 'why this recipe works' which empowers you to try new things. This cake book does the same. I've made 5 cakes from this book and they were all masterpieces! Thanks for making me look good, ATK!
January 20, 2024
A very nice cake book and they do stay within the genre for the most part. I didn't find a lot of whimsey but I wasn't looking for that. Instead there is good exposition on a wide array of cakes, excellent coverage on basics and mainstays as well as some that are lesser known. Great resource.
May 17, 2024
Test Kitchen always puts out a good cookbook, but a lot of the recipes are beyond my skill level.
The section on cupcakes in this book is great, and definitely something the home baker can handle.
Photos are fabulous!
The section on cupcakes in this book is great, and definitely something the home baker can handle.
Photos are fabulous!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews