Cakes for Real Life
I wrote a new cookbook! It’s called Cakes for Real Life, and it’s now available for pre-order (cover reveal coming soon!).
I wrote this book because I love to bake and eat cake. It’s my third book about cake, clearly my favorite subject. But where my first two books boasted fanciful layer cakes and decorative desserts, Cakes for Real Life is a more accurate reflection of the way I truly bake at home. More simple and seasonal - less buttercream, and far less fuss. Beyond the annual birthdays and milestones, these are the types of cakes myself and home bakers alike crave for the moments in between.
These are the recipes I lean on when I want something quick to bake and easy enough to stir together in the middle of a busy week. Or something that tucks into lunch kits, travels well between afternoon activities, and can be paired with some fruit or yogurt and be called breakfast. The cakes of our beautiful, busy, messy, vibrant, real lives.
Cakes for Real Life is filled with 75 recipes (and plenty of variations) that are simple enough to mix together any day of the week, and fit for any occasion—even if there is no occasion!
Inside you’ll find recipes for:
- Breakfast Cakes: Lightly sweet and effortlessly comforting. Bring warmth to slow mornings with a Simple Ricotta Cake, Pumpkin Bread, or Matcha Strawberry Swirl Loaf.
- Snack Cakes and Teatime Treats: Bright bites to create yummy afternoon breaks, like a Plum Upside-Down Cake, Frosted Cranberry Apple Snack Cake, or Cinnamon Salted Honey Drizzle Loaf.
- Desserts and Simple Celebrations: Enchanting treats for entertaining that come together to share with a small crowd, like a Caramel Gingerbread Bundt Cake, Strawberry Elderflower Tiramisu, or Midnight Truffle Torte.
- Cakes to Gift, Wherever You Go: Thoughtful bakes to share everyday kindness, like a Banana Cinnamon Snacking Cake, Glazed Coffee Walnut Loaf, or Blueberry Buckle Bars.
- Cozy Days at Home: The simple pleasure of baking for yourself—these cakes are staying in, like a Self-Saucing Butterscotch Pudding, Brown Sugar Mug Cake for One, or Gooey Skillet Brownie.
In Cakes for Real Life, you’ll find approachable recipes made with familiar ingredients and clear step-by-step instructions. It’s never been simpler to satisfy sweet cravings: many recipes come together in under an hour, and many require only a whisk or one bowl, for easy mixing and minimal clean-up! This book has tips on how to pack cakes for gifts or picnics, and a chapter of easy add-ons to take your sweet treat to the next level. Beginner bakers will love the ease, while pros will relish the variety.
PRE-ORDER Cakes for Real Life wherever books are sold:
Icing on the Cake
Following 2016’s Layered, I’m back with Icing on the Cake (Abrams; March 26, 2019), a perfect creative guide for home bakers wanting to master the art of baking and dessert decoration. Taking you from layer to layer, this book is wonderfully organized by style, making it easy to follow different decorative elements, artistic pastry techniques, or presentation ideas. With beautiful illustrations, Icing on the Cake gives bakers of all skill levels the experience to create delicious, show-stopping treats for any sweet tooth.
From finding your dessert decoration aesthetic to creating bountiful layered cakes and delightful treats, Icing on the Cake emboldens bakers to hone their love for exquisite desserts through every step and style. Complete with step-by-step photos and detailed instruction, I aim to educate and inspire home bakers to take their bakes and cakes to the next level.
Find ICING ON THE CAKE wherever books are sold!
Layered
The book, Layered: Baking, Building, and Styling Spectacular Cakes, is all about - you guessed it, CAKES! Layer cakes, to be exact. I've packed 288 pages full of my all-time favorite recipes, tips and tricks from my years making cakes, and some crafty tutorials so you can make bakery-style cakes at home! From the classics like Red Velvet and Boston Cream Pie to more whimsical and adventurous flavors like Strawberry Confetti, Mango Coconut Cream, and Red Wine Blackberry, there is a recipe for every occasion. I've added some helpful step-by-step photos as well as a stylish, full-page image (or two) for EACH cake.