Fruit Cake

September 21, 2020
Food stylist Schreiber debuts with an inspiring collection of recipes for cakes enriched with fruit that will be a revelation for fruitcake skeptics. The volume opens with snackable desserts like poached pear and quince crumb cake, followed by handheld cakes that include delicate raspberry almond petit fours. Schreiber shines in his “Showstoppers” chapter, which features complex creations like a peanut butter and jelly cake brightened with a layer of strawberries and a decadent four-layer key lime confection. Last but not least are a lineup of sumptuous fruitcakes, such as a stout-soaked cake with dried tart cherries, apricots, candied ginger, and milk chocolate that will convert even the most vehement soaked-cake hater. Schreiber’s chatty style keeps things relaxed, but can also distract, as in his chocolate caramel banana roulade, where he instructs bakers to refrigerate the filling “until you’re ready to fill the cake, which I realize you probably aren’t because I haven’t told you how to make it yet.” A sharp design comprising easy-to-follow ingredient grids and modern–vintage-feel photography adds a polished touch, and Schreiber’s explanations of commonly misunderstood baking concepts (on room temperature: one’s kitchen is not guaranteed to be it) round things out. This will tantalize bakers seeking a modern approach to classic desserts. Agent: Sharon Bowers, Miller Bowers Griffin Literary Management.

October 1, 2020
This exquisitely designed cookbook offers an update to the fruit cake, that retro Christmas classic, by redefining it as, quite simply, a cake (or muffin or sweet bread) with fruit in it. There are recipes for roulade, stolen, torte, kuchen, babka, and even a wedding cake, all with fruit. Schreiber, who used to work for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, is a food stylist and it shows. The book's most stunning feature is photographs of cake slices, cupcakes, and other baked goods arranged in repeating patterns and in a brown, orange, and gold color palette that offers a fitting nod to the '70s, the fruit cake's heyday. Some recipes are complex, but all are simply explained and provide measurements in weight and volume. Though there's some baking 101 here (like the unreliability of an oven's temperature settings), this is a book for ambitious bakers. A final chapter on basics (ladyfingers, pastry cream, candied citrus) gives readers what they need to complete the book's other recipes, and also the building blocks to create their own original showstoppers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

November 1, 2020

Can there ever be too much cake? Food stylist Schreiber thinks not. A trained pastry chef, Schreiber pivoted to food styling with great success, including a stint with Martha Stewart (who wrote the foreword to this fun, inspiring collection of cakes.) The focus here is on cakes that utilize fruit, including typical cakes like applesauce cake and hummingbird layer cake but also cake-adjacent recipes such as Irish soda bread (technically made like a cake), guava crepe cake, and orange zucchini muffins (cake for breakfast). There are cakes for casual snacking as well as showstoppers, yeasted cakes, and true fruitcakes; in short, there is something for everyone. All recipes are in both standard and metric measurements; each dish indicates the complexity level along with the time and equipment needed. As befits a book by a food stylist, the photographs are beautiful. VERDICT While Schreiber's instructions are clear, they are concise; these recipes are technique-heavy, so this may not be the best choice for beginners, but experienced bakers will enjoy the quirky writing style and delicious flavors.--Devon Thomas, Chelsea, MI

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