Butter Celebrates!

October 1, 2016
Following her first book featuring classics (Butter Baked Goods: Nostalgic Recipes from a Little Neighborhood Bakery, 2013), Daykin focuses her latest title on baking for holidays, parties, and other special events. Recipes are largely drawn from her Vancouver bakery but also include personal holiday favorites and even birthday treats for her rescue dog, Zelda. Daykin's sheer pleasure in baking, serving, and eating dessert is evident throughout the collection, which includes simple quick breads, like lemon loaf, to elaborate, multistep pastries, like double-decker eclairs, as well as delightful variations on cupcakes, cookies and pies. Each one is introduced by a charming anecdote or quick quip in the author's warm, conversational tone. This accessibility carries through to the clear and unintimidating instructions. Still, Daykin has the necessary baker's precision and planning when it comes to using the correct ingredients, measurements, and techniques. The book begins with a primer in entertaining for special occasions, a list of pantry items and helpful equipment, and some cardinal rules for successful baking (beware of substitutions!). Home bakers of all levels will find something to celebrate in this book.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)