Bake Happy

June 1, 2015
Veteran cookbook author Fertig poses the question: How can baking contribute to a happy life? Her answer: 100 recipes for cakes, cookies, puddings, and more. Bright, cheery-looking recipes include rainbow cake with yellow, pink, orange, and green cake layers and bright blue frosting, and Razzle-Dazzle Éclairs, where pink raspberry icing tops the choux pastry and is then decorated with edible pansy flowers, sprinkles, and an assortment of candy dots. Off-the-beaten-dessert-path recipes, such as the pandan leaf papaya with sweet coconut cream or the sweet potato pone with bourbon pouring custard, are sure to entice even the experienced sweet tooth. Annie Hall would approve of the La di Dahs, white meringue “apostrophes,” and the Black-and-Whites in Color, which give a fun twist to the famed New York City cookie. An exceptional design makes up for the small number of recipe photos, and inspiring quotes from Iris Murdoch, Louisa May Alcott, and Jane Austen, among others, are sprinkled throughout. This is a perfect title for boutiques and gift shops.

July 1, 2015

Playful single-subject baking books such as Jackie Alpers' Sprinkles! and Amanda Rettke's Surprise-Inside Cakes are fun, but they may not be practical for everyday use. Here Fertig (The Artisan Bread Machine) offers tips for heightening the appeal of many types of treats. Using garnishes (homemade sprinkles, sugared sage leaves), flavorings (herbs, extracts), food coloring, and surprising savory ingredients (green tomatoes, Szechuan pepper), she refreshes 100 recipes for cookies, cakes, custards, pastries, fruit desserts, and more. All recipes include U.S. and metric measurements, and there are several vegan and gluten-free options. The latter can only be identified by the recipe headnote and aren't indexed elsewhere. VERDICT Recommend Fertig's latest to bakers who love unconventional recipes, such as those in Flo Braker's Baking for All Occasions.

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