Notes about Recipes in this book

• Mary Ball Washington gingerbread

  • jay.moe on December 26, 2022

    I used a 1/2 cup molasses and a 1/2 cup Lyle's Golden Syrup to keep the molasses from being too strong and omitted the mace and golden raisins. Instead of using a wooden spoon to cream the butter, I used a mixer. The cake had a strong ginger flavor that I liked but my family found a little too strong. Next time I would cut back to 1 1/2 tablespoons.

• Granny Kellett's jam cake

  • brenda_bv2nm8 on February 02, 2026

    4 out of 5 only due to my mistakes. Excellent flavor. I used the Quick Caramel Icing instead of the more difficult Caramel Icing it was paired with in the book, and it was just too much and too sweet. Needs the lighter, drizzled icing.

• Malinda Russell's Washington cake

  • lkgrover on January 12, 2022

    This is a lovely pound cake, with a hint of lemon flavor. I used the alternative buttermilk instead of sour milk, and I baked it in a Bundt pan.

• Lazy Daisy cake

  • hillsboroks on March 12, 2022

    This is the cake that my husband’s favorite grandmother used to make, only even better. The cake itself was easy to put together and mine was perfect after 34 minutes in the oven. I changed the frosting slightly by adding a cup of chopped walnuts to make it just like Grandma Alice’s cake. The frosting broils fast so you have to watch it constantly from beginning to end. Using all that butter, buttermilk and brown sugar plus the coconut and walnuts means this cake is decadent but oh so good!

• The wacky cake

  • SenseiHeidi on May 09, 2021

    Delicious & moist. Love the caramel icing. Next time make this a poke cake so every slice is as good as the corners. Added 1 tsp instant coffee to cake for flavor. Even the self professed chocolate haters had seconds. Checked at 20 minutes, still liquid in the center so I gave it 10 more minutes. Used glass Pyrex 9x13.

• Texas sheath cake

  • a2cook on July 09, 2017

    Possibly the best chocolate cake I've ever had. So decadent, so fudgy, so delicious! This cake has a ton of butter and a ton of sugar! This is actually a good thing, believe it or not, because you can only have a tiny slice unless you want to fall into a sugar coma. It's great for those times when you have a chocolate craving because all you need is a few bites to satisfy that craving. This cake freezes well; in fact, it tastes great semi-frozen! Increased the cocoa (Penzeys high fat natural cocoa) slightly to 1/3 cup from 4 tablespoons in both the the cake and icing. Also used buttermilk instead of milk in the icing because I was out of milk. Cake domed slightly at the prescribed 400 degrees, so next time I'll decrease the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for about 5 minutes longer.

• Tunnel of fudge cake

  • helskitchenvt on May 13, 2019

    I'm not convinced that the instructions are correct for plating - I think you need to let the cake cool for much longer before turning out of the Bundt pan or the walls won't be strong enough. I had less a tunnel of fudge and more a lagoon of fudge (which was nevertheless delicious). P.S. I did look up other recipes and some have you cool the cake in its pan before turning out - I say follow those versions and wait at least an hour before flipping it over!

• Chez Panisse almond torte

  • abrownb1 on October 25, 2019

    This cake is so easy to make and always a hit. It only gets better with age so make it at least a day in advance and don't forget the powdered sugar! Impossible to resist sneaking just a little sliver every time you walk by :)

• Hawaiian Chantilly cake

  • nadiam1000 on April 29, 2024

    Made this cake for a Hawaiian themed dinner. Cake layers are pretty thin. I increased the filling by 50% and it was the right amount to cover the 3 layers. The frosting was not thick enough like soft pudding and slid off the cake. I kept freezing the cake while frosting to keep it in place. Delicious cake overall but will boil the frosting longer next time - maybe 5-10 mins instead of only 1 min as recipe instructs.

• Cranberry and cornmeal ricotta cake

  • hillsboroks on April 17, 2022

    This cake has a lovely flavor but it is quite heavy and dense. The first time I made it I substituted cake flour and corn flour for the all-purpose flour and cornmeal and ended up with a disaster. It was just pudding like even after an extra 20 minutes in the oven. This time I followed the ingredient list to the letter. While I like the flavors in the cake I don't think I will make it again.

• Alaska rhubarb cake

  • TrishaCP on March 22, 2020

    A really simple but delicious rhubarb cake. I thought the notes of vanilla and cinnamon were just right. I needed the 42 minute bake time, but I was also using frozen rhubarb.

• Chocolate sour cream frosting

  • D.Barker on December 13, 2021

    This was too finicky (had to stay refrigerated, etc) for my taste. It also ended up a little sweet. It made a fine cake, but I prefer just plain buttercream.

  • lkgrover on April 25, 2022

    Good chocolate frosting; easy to prepare on the stovetop. Does not require a mixer. I had enough to frost a 9 x 13 inch cake. I used 6 ounces of 70% Lindt chocolate bars, not cocoa powder.

• Baking Bites

  ...the recipes are clearly written and easy to follow, even those with multiple components. The book is packed with enough history that it’s interesting to read even if you aren’t doing any baking...

  Full review