Notes about Recipes in this book

• Lemon bundt cake

  • TrishaCP on May 25, 2019

    This is a nice cake but I was still searching for the lemon. I limited the vanilla to one teaspoon.

  • hillsboroks on May 03, 2019

    Oops! I think Cooks Illustrated made a typo in this recipe in the quantity of vanilla. It calls for 1 tablespoon vanilla which almost overwhelms the lemon flavor. The exact same recipe is in the Jan.-Feb, 2006 issue of the magazine and in "The Science of Good Cooking". But both of those recipes only call for 1 teaspoon of vanilla. I penciled in the correction in this book and will try the cake again. It is a lovely cake with great texture and I am sure that without the extra vanilla it will be the lemony cake I was after.

  • Shewi128 on August 01, 2022

    This had a perfect light texture. I don't think I put the full amount of lemon zest in, but it was still good regardless. The recipe said the texture would get denser the next day, but I didn't think it was too dense the next day. I would make this again.

• Chocolate frosting

  • TrishaCP on April 25, 2020

    This is a great frosting that you make in the food processor. I used bittersweet chocolate and it was not too sweet.

• Cream cheese frosting

  • nadiam1000 on June 06, 2021

    Made this for a red velvet cake (Bobby Flay recipe) - very good - not as sweet as some and I did beat it for a shorter time as I was concerned about it thinning out if over mixed. I used Kerrygold salted butter so I omitted the added salt. The consistency was very good with a nice tang. I mixed this into a batch of the Miracle Frosting to frost and fill my 4 layer cake.

  • Shewi128 on December 19, 2022

    I've made this multiple times, but I most recently prepared this for the spice cake. It was easy to make, not too sweet, and had not too much sugar.

• Miracle frosting

  • nadiam1000 on June 06, 2021

    Made this for a red velvet cake (Bobby Flay recipe) - very good - basically an Ermine frosting - I used Kerrygold unsalted butter. The consistency was very good - fluffy and creamy - not too sweet. I mixed this into a batch of the Cream cheese frosting to frost and fill my 4 layer cake. The cream cheese provided tang but was tempered by the sweetness of the buttercream which was a nice balance.

• Applesauce snack cake

  • Analyze on March 12, 2019

    This is SO good! The base cake has a wonderful apple flavor and a great texture. I tried both this recipe, and the Oat-Nut Streusel variation. My husband, who doesn't normally like oat streusel or sweet quick breads, loved the streusel variation. I actually preferred this original version with the cinnamon-sugar topping, as in my opinion it complements the apple flavor in the cake better, and actually makes the cake taste more apple-y. You can't go wrong with either version, or try half and half like I did :) I already have several apple cake recipes that I love, and didn't think I needed another, but I did! I'm excited to try the ginger-cardamom version next. Personally, we had it for breakfast, but this would be great with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream too.

• Applesauce snack cake with oat-nut streusel

  • Analyze on March 12, 2019

    This is SO good! The base cake has a wonderful apple flavor and a great texture. I tried both this recipe, and the original (no streusel). My husband, who doesn't normally like oat streusel or sweet quick breads, loved the streusel variation. I actually preferred this original version with the cinnamon-sugar topping, as in my opinion it complements the apple flavor in the cake better, and actually makes the cake taste more apple-y. You can't go wrong with either version, or try half and half like I did :) I already have several apple cake recipes that I love, and didn't think I needed another, but I did! I'm excited to try the ginger-cardamom version next. Personally, we had it for breakfast, but this would be great with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream too. P.S. A tip I read online and am eager to try next time: Leave the applesauce in the fridge. Instead of waiting for the dried apple & cider mixture to cool, blend them at once, to bring both to room temperature sooner.

• Bananas Foster cake

  • Analyze on February 06, 2019

    So...this is a really delicious cake! I'm not a fan of bananas foster, but still gave it a try, and enjoyed the cake enough to make it twice. If you DO like bananas foster, I would imagine that this cake would be ridiculously good to you. I used the Cook's Illustrated Fluffy Yellow Layer Cake recipe for the yellow cake layers. The banana-rum-cinnamon caramel filling is delicious. The frosting is great if you like a little booze in your dessert; that's not really my thing (or my husband's), but it's not the cake's fault :) The rum-caramel drizzle is divine, and would be amazing on ice cream. If you're contemplating making this cake because the flavors appeal to you, DO IT! :)

• Chocolate éclair cake

  • julesamomof2 on May 05, 2022

    I was not in love with this and I don't think my guests were either. Perhaps I didn't whip the cream enough, but it was soft and messy to serve. No neat squares to slice. Not a repeat for us.

  • Shewi128 on July 07, 2022

    I would agree with the previous poster about this cake. I didn't love it, so we had a ton of leftovers despite making it for a group. I previously made an eclair cake from Paula Deen that I remember loving.. but this recipe did not meet the same expectations.

• Boston cream pie

  • stef on June 16, 2019

    The cake is not very high. Only 1.5 cups of flour for 2 9" pans. But the cake is very light and moist. Maybe next time I'll make it in an 8". The pastry cream is a nice firm one that uses flour. It was a great hit. A classic.

  • stef on February 04, 2020

    This time I made it in 8" cake pans for a higher cake.

• Blueberry boy bait

  • stef on August 08, 2018

    Made recipe almost as written. Had excess sour cream so used half sour cream half milk. Baked in 45 minutes on convection.

• Summer peach cake

  • stef on September 08, 2019

    This cake is a lot of work but the end result is worth it. A very moist cake with over 2lbs of peaches,

• Olive oil-yogurt bundt cake

  • stef on May 04, 2019

    A very quick cake to put together. Nice and moist. Doesn't have an olive oil taste. Took ten minutes longer to cook on convection.

• Fluffy yellow layer cake

  • stef on August 24, 2019

    This made a very nice moist cake but wasn't as yellow as the picture. I certainly would use the recipe again

• Yellow cupcakes

  • stef on March 14, 2020

    Very quick to put together and turned out beautifully. I put in 2 drops of yellow food colouring and iced with Stella Parks cream cheese frosting and sprinkles.

• Simple carrot sheet cake

  • stef on March 28, 2020

    Baked this cake in a 10 cup Bundt for 45 minutes. 6 cupcakes made with leftover batter baked for 20 minutes. A really nice moist cake.

• Foolproof New York cheesecake

  • mamacrumbcake on September 28, 2019

    This cheesecake turned out absolutely perfectly. It is NY style, so it is rich, dense, and velvety. I followed the unexpected directions exactly—no water bath and high heat browning at the end— and got a beautiful brown top crust and no cracking. This will be my go-to cheesecake from now on. FYI, there was too much batter for my springform pan.

• Black Forest cake

  • lawrencecharcuterie on March 07, 2022

    I did not find the directions for creating the whipped cream frosting to yield anything firm enough for realistic use. Compare to photo on previous page. Mine was very loose. Light and tasty but not practical in the least. Will not make again.

• Maple cream cheese frosting

  • Creative.Juices on March 04, 2019

    I am a huge ATK fan, but this recipe was utterly disappointing. It is a cream cheese frosting with no added sweetener except the maple syrup. It wasn't sweet, nevermind sweet enough, and had virtually no maple flavoring. I will make it again, but I'm going to double the maple syrup (to 1-1/3 C), then boil it back down to the 2/3 called for. I'll also have maple flavoring, in case I still need to boost it. EDIT: My daughter is absolutely crazy about this frosting, as is. She appreciates that is has no refined sugar, and isn't very sweet. Just goes to show one person's utter disappointment is another's perfection.

• Lemon buttermilk sheet cake

  • bwhip on August 06, 2019

    This cake has potential, but it's just entirely too sweet.

• Chocolate-espresso Dacquoise

  • Kinhawaii on April 16, 2021

    Great flavors, lovely textures, but took a long time to put together- after reading the recipe I thought it wouldn’t take so long but this is not for when you are in a rush or tired. The hardest part for me was trying to get the almonds on the sides- had lots of chocolate smeared almonds, so ended up placing them individually.

  • MOlson on May 16, 2022

    Stunning and flavorful. The chocolate is a tad overwhelming. The assembly is easier if all the buttercream is applied while the pieces are flat/unstacked, chilled, then ganache over that, then stack pieces and chill before coating. Pistachio-Orange variant: Sub pistachio for hazelnuts. Sub orange zest for espresso powder. Sub Grand Marnier for amaretto.

• Red velvet layer cake

  • Tweedles81 on October 01, 2019

    This was my first time making a layer cake, and the recipe did not disappoint! The cake was moist and tasty and the frosting was delicious, both tangy and sweet! My only knock is that the cake didn’t have a whole lot of flavor - I could barely taste the cocoa powder. Next time I will try either more cocoa powder or a different brand. I used the recommended Hershey’s natural for this attempt.

• Chocolate blackout cake

  • Tweedles81 on September 20, 2020

    We made this and, except for a fairly large hiccup, it was delicious! The cake crumb was moist and rich. We did only do about 3/4 of the granulated sugar called for in the cake as we like things less sweet. Like others, our pudding never set - it may have been because our cornstarch was 2 months past its “best by” date. We scrapped it and went with the Chocolate Ganache Frosting instead, and it was fantastic. This is an excellent, rich cake for anyone who is craving chocolate!

  • Debraj76 on August 09, 2019

    Layers too thin in 8x3 inch pans with cake strips. Needs more batter so layers thick enough to split. Cake was very moist (baked 29 minutes), which made it difficult to break up crumbs. I had to dry them out in oven in order to get somewhat even “crumbles”. Pudding was a bit runny, even after overnight chill, so I think needs a bit more cornstarch. Overall, the cake was beautiful when finished, but I had to keep the second layer intact. It was impossible to split. I’m going to try this as cupcakes and use the pudding for filling, then frost with another frosting.

• Icebox margarita cheesecake

  • sqhall on February 21, 2019

    This had a good flavor, with a unique pretzel crust. No one could figure out what it was. It is a lighter-style "cheesecake." I received lots of compliments.

• Sour cream coffee cake

  • sdeathe on October 27, 2020

    Page 292 This is a great, classic sour cream cake. Good texture, better the next day. Don't over bake, mine was done in 55 minutes. Sweet streusel topping, balanced by the cake itself. Lots of steps, and divided ingredient additions - pay attention, or disaster lurks!

• Old-fashioned chocolate layer cake

  • sdeathe on July 03, 2021

    Delicious, wonderful chocolate flavour and lovely texture, firm but not dense. I'd make this again, but I would not make the recipe for 5 cups of the Chocolate Frosting. It was good, but way more than was needed to frost and fill this cake, in my opinion. Also uses 1 cup corn syrup which I'm not too keen on. I would likely use an icing with butter and confectioner's sugar, or a ganache.

  • SpatulaClark on June 08, 2020

    Middle ground between fluffy chocolate cake and mud cake. Even after sifting, be careful to avoid flour pockets in final batter.

• Peanut butter buttercream

  • cpascale on August 04, 2019

    I do not like tooth-achingly sweet frosting and usually avoid American buttercream. This recipe is very peanut buttery, far less sweet than your typical American buttercream, and sturdy in hot, humid weather. My go-to peanut butter buttercream. For fillings I mix with finely chopped peanuts. I use it smooth to frost.

• Molten chocolate microwave mug cake

  • Shewi128 on March 12, 2021

    This cake takes a lot of work (less than a full cake, but still). However, the texture is surprisingly good for being cooked in the microwave. Also, it took longer to cook in my microwave.

• S'mores molten microwave mug cake

  • Shewi128 on March 12, 2021

    The flavor was good. However, it took longer to cook in my microwave. It was also difficult to tell when it was done due to the presence of the marshmallow in the cake. so, I ended up overcooking the cake. I don't know if I'll make again.

• Yellow sheet cake

  • Shewi128 on July 07, 2022

    Good, classic yellow cake. Not dry, tender crumb. I put a piece of parchment paper underneath and it came out the pan perfectly. I would totally make it again as it was easy to follow and execute, even with having to separate the eggs.

• Spice cake

  • Shewi128 on December 19, 2022

    Good, solid spice cake recipe. It wasn't difficult to make, and I appreciated the additional step to bloom the spices in the butter. The batter was definitely thick, like they warned, so the cake is not light like a boxed cake mix. I did enjoy it a lot, and I would make it again.

• Honey cake

  • Shewi128 on April 25, 2022

    Holy cow--this cake was delicious! It was super moist and easy. I greased my bundt pan really well, and it came out perfectly.

• Flag cake

  • Shewi128 on July 06, 2022

    This was an easy cake to make, and it looks festive. I did use a different frosting because 6 cups of frosting seemed like too much. I was correct--I used 4 cups of vanilla frosting from a different cookbook, and it was the perfect amount.

• Pastry cream

  • Shewi128 on May 13, 2021

    The pastry cream did not set up, which made it impossible to keep the cake layers together.

• Eat Your Books by Jenny Hartin

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