The Farmer’s Daughter Bakes: Cakes, Pies, Crisps and More for Every Fruit on the Farm

by Kelsey Siemens

Savor the Flavors of Every Season with Beautiful Baked Goods

Bake along with Kelsey Siemens, creator of The Farmer’s Daughter blog and fulltime apple farmer at her family’s orchard. In this inspiring collection, she shares the ins and outs of a year on the farm, along with new and heirloom recipes, plus gorgeous photography. Layered with crumbles, fillings, creams and curds, these impressive treats bring out the best in every fruit. Whether you want to take your pies to the next level with a braided lattice crust and creative flavor pairings, or just need clever ways to use your farmers’ market haul or garden harvest, you’ll find a bounty of delicious ideas and easy techniques.

Welcome spring with Great-Grandma Enid’s Rhubarb-Pistachio Coffee Cake and capture the sweet taste of summer in Blueberry–Earl Grey Cream Roll Cake. Celebrate autumn’s return with favorite flavors in Apple Crisp Cheesecake with Salted Caramel and warm up your winter with preserves and spices in a festive Gingerbread Loaf with Chai-Spiced Poached Pears. Straight from Kelsey’s cozy farmhouse kitchen, these recipes turn everyday produce into irresistible creations that will have you looking forward to every season.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction

216 pages, Paperback

Published October 13, 2020

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too exotic and time consuming for me.

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 4 out of 5]

great-grandma enid's rhubarb-pistachio coffee cake

milk - white vinegar - unsalted butter
brown sugar - eggs - flour
rhubarb - cinnamon - pistachios

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rhubarb-filled donuts rolled in lilac sugar

yeast - buttermilk - eggs
flour - canola - rhubarb
sugar - lilac petals

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roasted strawberry and rhubarb pavlova with elderflower-infused whipped cream

egg white - sugar - whipping cream
strawberries - rhubarb
elderflowers - lemons

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lavender-lemon loaf

milk - lavender - sugar
lemon - butter - eggs
flour - sugar

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raspberry-almond cake

almond flour - sugar - egg white
almond extract - sugar - unsalted butter
eggs - flour - raspberries
slivered almonds

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blackberry-filled vanilla cupcakes with white chocolate frosting
egg white - almond extract - cake flour
sugar - unsalted butter - blackberries
white chocolate - sugar - vanilla extract

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cherry turnovers with chocolate-hazelnut filling

raw hazelnuts - dark chocolate - sweet cherries
eggs - cream - coarse sugar - flour
white vinegar - unsalted butter - lard

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apple cider donuts

apple cider - cinnamon - allspice - flour

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chestnut yule log icebox cake

whipping cream - cocoa powder - chocolate wafers
egg white - sugar
chocolate chips - boiled chestnuts

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mocha cream puffs

eggs - whipping cream - cocoa
espresso powder - semisweet chocolate

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not a lot of recipes i'd want out of this book
but a few are pretty neat

and a lot of plain jane stuff
with a fair amount of off the wall

[Sharon Mensing · Rating 5 out of 5]

The subtitle of this book says it all: “cakes, pies, crisps & more for every fruit on the farm.” Each of the 60 detailed dessert recipes in the book is full of fruit, and Kelsey Siemens, creator of The Farmer’s Daughter blog, provides suggestions for substituting different fruits to use what the cook has on hand. The recipes are divided into seasonal categories, with a special section just for berries, though berries make their presence known in the seasonal sections as well. A new favorite of ours is the Strawberry Galette, which became a Blueberry Galette in our household. Siemens does not clutter the book with a lot of personal information, although there is a short introduction to both her and the book. Each section begins with a page of information about what is to come, and then each recipe starts off with a personal note. The recipes are well laid out and easy to follow, even for a non-seasoned baker. The photographs are beautiful and inspiring. The book is rounded out with a seven-page section just on pie crust, including a recipe with instructions and illustrations to help the reader make beautiful pies. Siemens even includes recipes for “preserving the seasons,” including lilac sugar, elderflower cordial, raspberry and rose jam, pumpkin puree, rhubarb compote, and lemon curd. The book’s recipes are simple and delicious enough to turn even the most reluctant baker into a creator of beautiful and delicious desserts with fresh fruits.

This review first appeared in Library Journal.

[Clara Hildebrand · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cookbook is absolutely incredible! The recipes are so easy to follow and are a perfect mix of simpler recipes (that still make you look like an expert baker because of how amazing Kelsey’s recipes are) to some more challenging ones that have some real wow factor with their fun and delicious flavour profiles.

I love that there are beautiful photos for every single recipe to give me a clear visual as I’m baking and there are even some step-by-step photo instructions for things like pie dough, which is super helpful for someone like me who did not grow up baking and doesn’t know what I’m doing. I would absolutely recommend this book to everyone, it’s the only baking cookbook that I’ve been using regularly and many of the recipes have already become family favourites!

It’s also visually stunning and a piece of art in itself and Kelsey sprinkles in beautiful storytelling of her life on the farm and what inspired her for this book. I can’t say enough good things about this cookbook, go get one!!!

[Ambur Taft · Rating 5 out of 5]

I borrowed this from the library, and am now going to purchase it. The photos are lovely, the recipes are mouth watering, and I love the way she rolls through all the seasons. I love to cook but have historically not been a fan of baking, although I thoroughly enjoy eating ALL the baked goods. This is the first baking cook book that has me excited to try doing some new things in the kitchen, especially since she uses east to gather ingredients and makes the process seem fairly simple.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful cookbook! Based on an entire year and the four seasons of the farm and apple orchard belonging to the family, this is a collection of delicious recipes for cakes, pies, breads, cobblers etc. Each has easy to follow directions, and wonderful photographs of the completed dishes and the farm and orchard itself.

[Lauralee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This cookbook has plenty of beautiful photos, and even though a lot of the recipes look sort of similar, they all look really good. I plan to make the gluten-free raspberry brownies and the pumpkin bread next week, and I may update my rating and review then, but for now it’s a solid 3.5 stars.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fruit! Who doesn't love fruit?

[Stefanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this

[Lcharlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is something warm and inviting about this book! I want to make and eat it all.

[Margaret Gerberding · Rating 3 out of 5]

This cookbook show a year in the life of a farm, with recipes to match!

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminds me of my country roots. I can feel and smell the food on the pages. Rustic presentation, beautiful.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

such beautiful fruit based desserts - i loved the use of lilac and elderberry flowers.
such beautiful seasonal foods

[Diane Bosovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the descriptions and photography in this book. The recipes are laid out by seasons and easy to follow. This is a very lovely book.

[Beka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a lovely book! Even though none of the recipes called my name, I found it a joy to flip through.