Notes about Recipes in this book

• The simplest caramel sauce

  • Rachaelsb on December 09, 2017

    Beyond. How can I make this into candy!! Takes longer to become amber color...be patient.

• Tropical sugar sauce

  • Melanie on May 24, 2014

    There are multiple variations to this recipe - e.g. use various brown sugars, substitute coffee / water / coconut milk / pineapple juice for heavy cream, stir in vanilla or rum. I went with coffee, muscovado and vanilla. I really liked the taste of this but the texture wasn't syrupy enough and I should have simmered this for longer. Will try again.

• Saucy cranberry maple pudding cake

  • trudys_person on October 07, 2017

    Lovely, easy dessert and not too sweet.

• Bill's food-processor chocolate mousse

  • dmass on April 05, 2023

    This is a delicious mousse and easy to make. Everyone enjoyed it. I'll be pulling this one out for last minute desserts in the future.

  • jenmacgregor18 on June 03, 2024

    I've always avoided making mousse because it seemed like too much of a process. This was very simple and took very little time to make. And it was delicious. I also cheated by using the microwave to heat the milk and I used confectioner's sugar instead of granulated. And I used rum instead of the wine.

• Buttermilk panna cotta

  • Melanie on May 24, 2014

    Delicious - tastes a bit like yoghurt. I used leaf gelatine (approx 7.5 sheets) instead of powder. I served the panna cotta in jars so I didn't need to worry about the "will it / won't it release" issue. Served with plumped dry figs and the tropical caramel sauce - not that great. I served the leftover panna cotta with the same figs and a standard caramel sauce which was much better.

• Coconut flans with muscovado sugar sauce

  • bburciul on February 01, 2013

    These curdled slightly on me. Next batch was made after letting the mixture settle overnight, saving the white fraction and leaving the thin liquid behind. I also bumped the temp down to 325. Much better. Note: if you make these with real caramel, you really do need to let them rest as long as possible before serving, or else most of the caramel stays solid.

• Tahitian vanilla tart with winter cherry compote

  • HerBoudoir on March 17, 2015

    Very good. Used a mix of frozen (cooked in the red wine reduction) cherries and dried cherries in the compote - preferred the texture of the cooked cherries over the dried. Worth the half bottle of wine :-)

• Easy lemon tart

  • Emily Hope on March 15, 2013

    This was easy as advertised, with a simple press in the pan crust that gets baked immediately, a very simple lemon curd that gets made while the crust bakes, and a quick five minute bake to set the curd. Quite delicious, too. I did have a couple of issues, though; the crust shrank a bit during baking, something I imagine could be fixed with a rest in the fridge before baking. And the lemon curd instructions say to wait until small bubbles appear around the edges of the pot and the curd thickens--I was (foolishly) waiting to see bubbles although the curd had already thickened, and nearly scrambled the curd. If there are leftovers, I'd bring them to room temp before eating, as the curd had a bit of a greasy mouthfeel when cold.

  • Astrid5555 on March 24, 2013

    Very easy. Prepared the lemon curd and the unbaked pie dough the day before and just popped it in the oven the following day. Used my pie weights even though not needed according to recipe to prevent the crust from shrinking as mentioned by last reviewer. Only issue I had was cutting through the baked crust, which crumbled - unfortunately did not succeed in serving whole slices of the tart to anyone.

• Classic Pavlova

  • Astrid5555 on June 20, 2014

    This was my first try at Palova - and we loved it! Incredibly easy, and very delicious. The whole family could not get enough of this crunchy, gooey and creamy dessert. Topped it with a combination of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and cherries. Ideal for those few weeks a year when all four of them are in season at the same time.

• The best one-bowl chocolate cake

  • dmass on February 29, 2016

    Moist and delicious. A very easy cake that can be made at the last minute and served with fresh whipped cream.

  • Rachaelsb on October 21, 2019

    So delicious. Incredibly moist and chocolatey. I halved recipe and made 6 cupcakes. Needed about 24 min. cooking time. Used choc. ganache recipe.

  • KatieK1 on June 29, 2023

    liquidy batter made with unusual technique. Domed finish. Cooling upside down on rack helped flatten it. Halving with dental floss worked like a charm.

• Queen of Sheba torte 5.0

  • Astrid5555 on August 06, 2012

    Much quicker than the original recipe from "Bittersweet", no separately beaten egg whites, just mixed in one bowl, and still delicious.

• My favorite flourless chocolate cake

  • Rachaelsb on April 01, 2018

    Passover will never be the same!! This was such a hit with our 15+gathering. Everyone had a piece and everyone raved. It is undeniably rich, and does well with the whipped cream and puree. Sitting in fridge helps to mellow. Make sure aluminium foil is wrapped well.

• Olive oil pound cake

  • Astrid5555 on August 25, 2013

    Like all of Medrich's pound cakes this one is equally delicious with a subtle olive oil taste AND it is also a breeze to make. Great with whipped cream and mixed berries. Will repeat!

• Almond cake

  • Emily Hope on April 08, 2013

    This is an excellent cake recipe--quick to make, with ingredients I usually have on hand, only gets one dish (the food processor bowl) dirty, is really delicious, AND can be made a day ahead! You can't ask for more than that. My only nitpick is that if eaten on the same day, the almond extract flavor is too strong. If I were to make again for same-day consumption (she recommends making it a day ahead), I'd reduce the almond extract amount to 1/4 tsp. By the second day, the flavor mellows. We had it with meyer-lemon scented whipped cream, but you could pair it with all sorts of fruit as well, I'd imagine. A keeper.

• Carrot almond torte

  • Astrid5555 on March 30, 2013

    Reduced sugar by 2 ounces, still too sweet for my taste. Enough dough for an 8- AND a 6-inch cake pan.

• Nutty sponge cake

  • gastronom on July 29, 2014

    Delicious, light cake. Used lemon instead of orange. Big hit with a crowd.

• Chocolate layer cake

  • KatieK1 on May 27, 2026

    This is actually a vanilla cake with chocolate frosting, not a chocolate cake.

• Lemon curd

  • Astrid5555 on March 23, 2013

    Very easy and delicious. Made a double batch to use up my Mayer lemons, and reduced sugar by one third. Got scared for a moment when the butter started curdling before it melted while whisking everything together. Took quite some time until the curd thickened, but turned out well.

  • trudys_person on December 10, 2017

    Excellent easy lemon curd. Follow the directions exactly and it will always be perfect!

• Gingerbread upside-down cake

  • tinymercury on December 07, 2025

    Delicious and easy!

• Fine Cooking

  No time? No baking skills? No problem. The flexible, forgiving recipes in this collection are uncomplicated (not even a rolling pin is required)...

  Full review

• Lisa Is Cooking

  Recipes from Alice Medrich are always precise and work like a charm, and now she's given us some really easy ones too. ...It's a guide to building great desserts from a well-stocked pantry.

  Full review

• Serious Eats

  ...Medrich has collected a book full of breezy recipes that encourage both experimentation and confidence in home bakers. Her sweets are culled from ingredients that most of us have on hand already...

  Full review

• Baking Bites

  There are new recipes, older Medrich recipes that have been streamlined to save time and plenty of suggestions for dressing up simple things to add a little more flavor and flair.

  Full review