cover image Great American Cakes: Lorraine Bodger

Great American Cakes: Lorraine Bodger

Lorraine E. Bodger. Warner Books, $15.95 (176pp) ISBN 978-0-446-51364-7

This is an indispensable guide for novice bakers that succeeds in combining thorough, reassuring instruction with delightful, varied recipes. Bodger (Great American Cookies, etc.) provides two invaluable aids up front: annotated lists of equipment and ingredients required to duplicate her creations. Bodger covers the essentials: how to follow a recipe, definitions of basic techniques, filling, frosting and glazing directions and easy decorating ideas. Recipes range from traditional favorites, such as chocolate layer and carrot cakes, to what she labels ""extravagant'': a two-tiered heart cake for romantic occasions and hazelnut cheesecake. If a recipe requires baking experience, she alerts beginners to the pitfalls. One drawback: following the most elaborate recipes can be a bit confusing because Bodger cross-references often, requiring a baker to flip to different sections of the book and follow several recipes to create the cake. Overall, however, the book lives up to its promise of foolproof clarity and ease of use. Illustrations. Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book Club and Troll Book Club alternates. (November 2)