New Cookbook by Local Author Encourages You to Let Them Eat ‘Everyday Cake’
Photo:
Credit: “Everyday Cake”/Charity Burggraaf
There is always a good reason to eat cake
Birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, your average Tuesday — it seems like there is always a reason to eat cake. But if you’re like me, you find yourself reaching for that reliable (albeit boring) box of cake mix time and again. If you are ready to shake things up and wow your friends and family with incredible treats, you are going to want to pick up a copy of “Everyday Cake: 45 Simple Recipes for Layer, Bundt, Loaf, and Sheet Cakes.”
Polina Chesnaskova’s latest beautiful cookbook gives readers 45 mouthwatering cake recipes for each and every occasion (even made-up ones). From yellow birthday cake with whipped malt chocolate buttercream to grapefruit poppy seed cake with hibiscus glaze, to frosted apple-cinnamon oat cake, this book offers something to please every palate. The recipes are thorough and easy to follow, and the ingredients are clearly listed at the beginning of each recipe (with both measurements and weights, since Chesnaskova recommends using a kitchen scale for measuring ingredients).
The photography by Charity Burggraaf is stunning and will trigger instant salivation. I made the mistake of flipping through this book for the first time in public and caught myself saying “Yum!” out loud, more than once.
Novice bakers like myself will appreciate the other tips and advice this book offers. The introduction contains nearly 20 pages of baking tips and kitchen tool recommendations. Throughout the cookbook, Chesnaskova has sprinkled short asides featuring more baking secrets, such as how to crush cardamom, a primer on egg whites, and how to make homemade pumpkin or squash purée. Experienced bakers can easily skip these sections and jump to the recipes.
Chesnakova lives in Seattle and is the culinary director at Book Larder, Seattle’s adored (and only) cookbook-dedicated bookshop. Her writing has been published in Saveur, The Washington Post, The Kitchen and Seattle Magazine. She is also the author of "Hot Cheese: Over 50 Gooey, Oozy, Melty Recipes."
Read our interview with Chesnakova, then click the link or the arrow at the top of the page to see the Yellow Birthday Cake with Whipped Malt Chocolate Buttercream recipe from her book.
Next up: Interview with Polina Chesnakova | Recipe: Yellow Birthday Cake With Whipped Malt Chocolate Buttercream
