Rose's Heavenly Cakes [Hardcover]

I have always been intrigued by the Rose-method and so this new book proved irresistible. There are many recipes here to keep you busy for awhile. I especially like the way Rose explains the mechanics of her method and I don't find myself asking: "what's the point of doing that?". Some might find the explanations unnecessary / longwinded since we just want to eat cake, but knowing the whys and wherefores actually help in ensuring success and, more importantly, for trouble-shooting! I would recommend you read the wordy bits before pre-heating the oven.

Rose's recipes are so detailed and precise that even a novice baker will be inspired to keep on baking. If you religiously follow her recipes, be prepared for complete success...it's inevitable. I have happily baked my way through Rose's earlier books, The Cake Bible and The Pie & Pastry Bible, and, 6 heavenly cakes later, I expect no less joy from the rest of this book.

Cake Flour: In her review Annie MacDonald wrote about her difficulty in obtaining cake flour. If you live in mainland Europe, use the soft flour reserved for patisserie (cakes, fancy pastries) usually marked as "Extra Fina" or "Super Fina" or "Ultra Fina" or "T45" all of which are finer, whiter and lower in gluten than plain / AP flour. Most specialist/gourmet grocers in Portugal, France and Spain stock various types of flours from T150 - T45. Make sure you pick one without added raising agent.

I've had this book for a week now and have already made four cakes from it - the English Gingerbread Cake, Plum and Blueberry Upside-down Torte, Banana Refrigerator Cake with Dreamy Creamy White Chocolate Frosting and the Bernachon Palet d'Or Gāteau (which is the magnificent cake pictured on the cover). Today I'm making the Designer Chocolate Baby Grand cupcakes.

I really cannot think of apt superlatives to describe Rose's work, this book and the cakes. I have been a fan of Rose since the late nineties when I purchased The Pie and Pastry Bible and made her fabulous Cherry Lattice Pie. The instructions were extremely precise. I followed them to the letter and at the end of the day (literally) I had produced the most magnificent and delicious pie I had ever made. I was living in Chicago at the time and had access to delicious Michigan cherries from the Farmer's Markets. I realized that there was a (to me) new and different way of creating baking recipes for the home baker. Rose's training is in baking science AND in art & design. Her philosophy is that she wants to share her knowledge and skill so that the `person in the street' can create baked goods that many professionals strive for. Her recipes are precise, complete and detailed. The ingredients are listed using volume, ounces and grams; the equipment required is specified and Rose gives all the relevant information you need to bake a perfect and perfectly delicious product. I now own ALL Rose's books - The Cake Bible which is her seminal work, the above mentioned Pie & Pastry Bible, The Bread Bible, Rose's Christmas Cookies, Rose's Celebrations and Rose's Melting Pot. All are written with her trademark precision and humour.

Rose's Heavenly Cakes is the latest addition to her ouvre and I can guarantee it will take your baking to a new level. Firstly, it is a beautiful book with shiny, good quality paper. There are lots of pictures - most cakes are photographed, but not all. There are about 500 pages of which 70 are instruction on ingredients, equipment and sources and the indispensable section Rose's Rules of Cake Baking. But the stars of the book are the actual cakes themselves. The Sections are: Butter and Oil Cakes, Sponge Cakes, Moistly Flourless Cakes & Cheesecakes, Baby Cakes and Wedding Cakes. Altogether about 105 cake (and filling and topping) recipes but when you include variations the possibilities are endless.

Many of the recipes are very simple and suitable for beginner bakers. Some, like the wedding cakes, are projects which require skill, practice and planning. Most are somewhere in-between. They are all outstanding in flavour and appearance.

This is an American published book so there are some points of which the British baker should be aware. Most of the round cakes are baked in 9 inch tins and some are baked in specialized pans. If you purchase two 9" x 2" round cake tins and one bundt or kugelhopf pan along with a standard muffin tin, you can make 80% of the cakes in the book. Also, many of the larger cakes can be made in smaller pans, for example, one 9" recipe make 2 x 6" cakes or 18 cupcakes. A stand mixer is also useful but not essential as is a probe thermometer.

Another point that UK bakers should be aware of is that Rose uses mostly bleached/cake flour in her cakes. This is not available in the EU. There is a detailed work-around in the book but I just use regular plain flour (and you can substitute 12% with corn flour to lower the protein thus making the cakes more tender) and accept that my cakes do not quite replicate the super-tender cakes that can be made with bleached flour.

I have a huge collection of baking books and this is the most beautiful one I now own. It's also my new favourite cake book. I am full of gratitude to Rose for making a cake baker out of me.

Yes, she's done it again. If, like me, you thought most cookbook sequels were nothing more than a "one for the price of two" type swindle, here is Rose Beranbaum to prove me wrong. Her famous Cake Bible was a milestone in reliable, high quality, baking, even though there was much that never interested me. I am not into wedding cakes, chocolaty party offerings and so on, but I do go for really great home style baking. Here for the second time, is a splendid offering of just that kind of thing, and I can attest to the reliability and outstanding quality of the recipes I have tried. This is not in any way a duplication of the first book, and much to my satisfaction, there are a number of recipes which use oil instead of butter, for a change. Not that I have anything against butter, quite to the contrary, but oil can often provide a lighter, less saturated sensation on the digestive system.
So, if you liked vol.1, vol.2 is a no-brainer. If you haven't tried vol.1, but like great baking, get it anyhow!