Book: Rose's Heavenly Cakes

I may have read in Saveur about Rose's Heavenly Cakes from the author of The Cake Bible: Rose Levy Beranbaum.

I was able to peruse a copy at the library and it is a beauty IMO. All but a few of the cakes are accompanied by full color photos. Some of the recipe directions are too much for me. I won't need to have my pans "encircled with cake strips." The cakes I bake don't have to be pretty, they just have to taste good.

Cakes I might try are spice cake with peanut buttercream, Torta de las Tres Leches-a recipe from Mary Sue Miliken-(the Rick Bayless version I tried was a DISASTER!), chocolate streusel coffee cake, and peanut butter ingots(financiers) which I think I will bake in a cupcake pan.

Some of the recipes go on for pages and are fun to look through, but I won't be trying to bake them--too many steps and combinations. I'd rather buy a cake like that so then I don't have to clean my kitchen!

Request it from your library, or make the author and her publisher happy and buy it--it's 20 dollars on Amazon.

Rose did the translation of Bernachon's from the French, a complete disaster in my opinion. I would not pruchase another work of hers.-Dick

budrichard wrote:Rose did the translation of Bernachon's from the French, a complete disaster in my opinion. I would not pruchase another work of hers.-Dick

Yeah, but it's a really thick book.

variation on "how were the portions"

This book is our latest acquisition and IMHO it is superb. Evil Ronnie has already made two of the cakes, one being the gingerbread cake that was featured in Saveur and it was fantastic. Her recipes are foolproof...in the same vein as Julia's in "Mastering..." They are long but the end result is excellent. Her books never leave our kitchen and we live in the house of cookbooks.

This is high on my wishlist for my birthday & Christmas this year. I love baking cakes, and can't wait to try her recipes in this book. I will post results as I bake them.

Food Nut wrote:Cakes I might try are spice cake with peanut buttercream

I may have overcooked this cake a few minutes as it had a very dry crumb. It wasn't done at the stated time, but that may be my oven. I didn't really appreciate the dryness with the peanut butter frosting. It all stuck to the top of my mouth and I had no milk nearby!

Hub said that the frosting made it. That's not enough to please me. I'd make the frosting again, but probably not the cake. If I made the cake again, I'd jack up the spice level quite a bit...too subtle with the peanut butter as it is.

Food Nut wrote:I may have read in Saveur about Rose's Heavenly Cakes from the author of The Cake Bible: Rose Levy Beranbaum.

How does Rose's Heavenly Cakes compare with the Cake Bible? Is one more basic, the other fancier? I like her reputation, and I'd like to have a good cake book in the cookbook library, but I'm not sure which I'd use more. Thoughts?

Has anyone tried other recipes in this book yet? I am looking to bake something for my sister's birthday which falls on Easter this weekend. I am considering the Genoise Tres Cafe or the Karmel Cake. One of my nieces is allergic to nuts and strawberries, which unfortunately, rules out several of these recipes.

Pucca,

We really enjoyed the Apple-Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake, on p.49. Very clear and precise directions as usual. Rose also suggests substituting fresh or frozen blueberries for the apple.