CakeLove

April 21, 2008
Brown takes the intimidation factor out of baking with easy-to-follow recipes while entertaining with his upbeat and casual writing style. The former lawyer and bakery owner, fulfills the promise to take readers on a “tour of how and why I bake cakes,” weaving his personal journey that led to sugar and flour as the tools of his career. Chapters include those featuring types of cake (pound, butter, foam), as well as sections on frostings and glazes, fillings, meringues and cake assembly. The fun and informal recipes, such as Sassy, and Mr. Banana Legs, consist of clear, numbered steps and are accompanied by informative headnotes. Full-color photos illustrate step-by-step techniques and showcase the cakes that are chockfull of appeal with their less-than-perfect appearance and convey the author’s philosophy that baking shouldn’t be an uptight endeavor; as long as a cake is homemade, it deserves respect.

April 15, 2008
Brown was originally a lawyer, but he realized what he really wanted to do was bake, and in 2003 he opened CakeLove, a bakery, in Washington, DC; it was followed by LoveCafé and then by several other branches of the bakery. His first book is a detailed but accessible guide to cake baking, featuring a good introduction followed by chaptersessentially tutorialson the three basic types of cakes (pound, butter, and foam), along with separate sections on fillings, frostings, meringues, and assembling cakes. Color photographs show off many of the cakes in mouthwatering detail, and there are step-by-step technique shots as well. For all baking collections.

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