Notes about Recipes in this book

• 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! :)

• 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.

• 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.

• Lemon bundt cake

  • 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.