cover image The Art of the Cake: Modern French Baking and Decorating

The Art of the Cake: Modern French Baking and Decorating

Bruce Healy. Morrow Cookbooks, $40 (608pp) ISBN 978-0-688-14199-8

This compendium of French classics presents plenty of challenges for even the most practiced baker, but is thorough enough to successfully guide the novice cook. Authors Healy and Bugat (who co-authored Mastering the Art of French Pastry) devote a large section of the book to instructions on techniques (everything from separating eggs to selecting a tube for a pastry bag) as well as equipment and ingredient glossaries. In an informative discussion of the various flours available, the authors suggest all-purpose rather than cake flour. Recipes are complex, but always sensible. Chapters are arranged by type of cake (e.g., meringue, mousse cake), and most of the recipes rely on several components, cross-referenced throughout. For example, the Blueberry Mousse Log calls for individual recipes of a raspberry jam sandwich, joconde and cr me anglaise. The authors emphasize the decorative: the clever Fromage with g noise, pralin buttercream and heavy syrup looks like a wheel of camembert, and the b niste sports a faux wood-grain top made with dark and white chocolate. These cakes are projects--most require a great deal of time--but the results are impressive. (Sept.)