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Title: The Cake Bible
ISBN: 0688044026
Author:
Rose Levy Beranbaum
Publicate Date: 1988-09-20
Publish: 1988-09-20
List Price: $35.00
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Hardcover
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $15.99
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $8.45
Amazon Merchant Price: $23.10
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| Customer Review: |
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1: The ultimate classic
I received this book as a housewarming gift almost 20 years ago. It was my introduction to baking and I have relied on it ever since. I literally learned how to bake from this book. Don't listen to anyone who tells you the recipes don't work. They absolutely work- but you must follow her detailed instructions. I have made notes in the margins over the years. The pages are all splattered. I wouldn't sell my copy for $200. There are beginner recipes (grand marnier cake)all the way up to professional wedding cakes. I have never tackled one of those but it is fun reading about how they are done. It is not a book you flip open one day when you feel like baking. You can open a magazine for that. Instead, it is a teaching tool. The author encourage you to immerse yourself in the creative art of baking, while never abandoning the precision necessary to achieve perfect results. Even after all these years there is so much more I can learn from this book. I always wanted to tackle fondant, and Levy Berenbaum explains how. If you are interested in baking, don't hesitate-buy the book. If you want to dabble-move on.
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2: Very good book but not for beginners
This book has a lot of awesome recipes. I've tried the easy ones and I can tell you that I don't think I will buy cakes from a bakery anymore.
Most of the ingredients are extremely easy to find. I had to read some of the instructions twice only because I am not familiar with the terms, which leads me to believe that this book is not for beginners. It is however, a book to keep in your library. My friend who is more experienced than me found a lot of the recipes better than what he learned at a culinary school and even the culinary school suggested that he buy this book.
One think that I did not like about the book is that all the colored pages with pictures of the cakes are at the beginning and give you a page reference to find the recipe.
I like the fact that some of the recipes gave specific instructions for big and hand mixers along with some useful hints.
A word of caution is to follow the recipes to the T. You try to incorporate things differently, I guarantee you the cake will not come out well.
In conclusion this is a keeper and with a lot of practice you will WOW your friends and family.
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3: A good book despite a few flaws
My husband drove an hour and a half to find this book for me (pre-internet days), and I've loved it ever since. There are a few things about it that aren't perfect, so I can't give it 5 stars.
The flaws first:
1. Berenbaum's organization leaves a little to be desired. When it comes to the "showcase cakes" - which are great fun if you're into that (like I am) - the "How to do it" part is on page 300, the cake itself is on page 30, the icing is on page 95, and the various accoutrements/decorations/special methods are on pages 450, 295, and/or 146. Granted, it would be difficult to arrange it any other way, since several of the cakes use the same icing or vice versa.
2. She does tend to assume that you have a basic knowledge of baking, so some of her directions can be confusing. Also, it's important to read the WHOLE recipe before beginning - otherwise you may add your egg whites all at once when they should be added a little at a time (ask me how I know).
3. She also thinks you have access to various and sometimes unusual kitchenware, like the oval cake pans needed for the Blueberry Swan Lake Cake. I made this one for my birthday this year and had to substitute a regular round cake instead because I couldn't find the right size oval pan. Anywhere.
4. Your oven has to be properly calibrated and heat consistently to keep cakes from turning out "dry dry dry" (to quote another reviewer) or not done in the middle. Plus, using those dark nonstick pans mean you have to adjust the recipe - I've found cutting back the heat 25 degrees and lessening the starting cook time by 10 minutes is a good start, otherwise they become overdone very easily.
5. WOW is her buttercream incredibly buttery. She says to eat at room temperature, but it was most palatable when cold. Maybe it's because I didn't use Premium Imported Hand-Churned Butter....in the meantime, I'll just cut back the pound she calls for to a 1/2 pound and see how that pans out.
Now for the good things!
1. She does a great job of explaining things, as other reviewers have noted, when it comes to the science of baking. I truly LOVE the fact that her recipes give the volume of the necessary eggs (whole/white/yolks) rather than just a number. Eggs are different sizes - especially when you buy unclassified ones from a local farm like we do. This has truly helped explain why some recipes used to turn out too "eggy" for me...
2. For a casual baker like myself, doing the Showcase Cakes is great fun. They may not turn out as perfectly as hers, but they always taste deliciously and I learn something new about baking each time!
3. Her selection of recipes is varied and pretty darned comprehensive - I really like the fact that she notes cakes that use only egg whites and ones that only use egg yolks. I hate wasting one when I use the other!
4. Although I don't need it myself, I think the flower-piping tutorial is done well. If I were just learning it, this would be a great place to start.
5. I've made about five of the cakes in this book - YUM. She tells you how many servings each recipe makes....and you'd better believe it. These are dense, rich, flavorful things - cut small slices to start. Really. In fact, it might serve more if your group are small eaters (and mine isn't!). And if you plan to make the figure-piping meringue, cut that one in half because there's no way you'll need that many swans or mushrooms!
A "Bible"? Maybe not. But definitely worth the price, especially if baking (and eating!!) elaborate desserts is something you truly enjoy doing.
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4: Dry Dry Dry
I have used this book since it came out. Every time the result has been a very, very dry cake. At first I thought it was me. But after all these years I doubt it. Particularly when I ignore the book and go back to the old fashioned "cream butter, suger and eggs" as opposed to their aerated flour method.
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5: The ultimate authority on cakes
Rose Levy Berenbaum has written the last word on baking beautiful and delicious cakes at home. Period. End of Story. Her approach is precise and scientific, as all good baking must be. Her instructions are detailed and, if followed precisely--and with the requisite skills--are absolutely foolproof.
So why the negative reviews? Well, folks, the truth is that most home cooks who think they know about how to bake actually don't have a clue. Either they rely on a handful of tried-and-true recipes or they take refuge in boxed mixes and prefab frostings. Berenbaum's book is not directed to these folks. They need to go on making their pineapple upside down cakes and Gramma's Famous Pound Cake, and sticky-sweet peach cobbler and Minty Easter Surprise Cupcakes.
Baking is NOT an easy skill to learn at the Rose Berenbaum/Paula Peck level. In the first place, beginners reared on box cakes must learn what real cake looks like, feels like, and tastes like. Then they need to realize that part of the reason that box cakes taste so foul is because the manufacturers have poured them full of conditioners and assorted chemicals to make them as foolproof as possible. Becoming a serious baker means learning a new set of skills. Consider your typical yellow cake from a mix. You can slam the door, drop the pan, or probably detonate a small nuclear device right beside the oven and the cake won't fall. Try that with a "real" cake and you'll end up with a nasty, dense pancake in the bottom of the pan. So if you're going to use Berenbaum's book to greatest advantage, you're going to have to devote some time to climbing the learning curve. As a starting point (for the benefit of some of the negative reviewers) genoise IS dry, that's why you moisten it. And buttercream DOES taste like butter...
For the experienced home baker, this book cannot be recommended too highly. And for the beginner who is willing to learn, it can be a great adventure. The first time you fly up from Duncan Hines to a wonderful, syrup-laden genoise with a ganache filling and buttercream on the top and sides, you'll never look back. Enjoy!!!
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