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500 Cakes

Just the title has got your attention! There are picky eaters all over the world but who among them would pass up a slice of cake? It’s an “anytime” food that can be tailored to any taste and any occasion. Cake for celebration, cake for commiseration, casual cake and chic cake - you’ll find them all in this chunky volume.

The author, Susannah Blake, is a food writer and editor who has produced over 30 cookbooks and some of them have been award winners. She has an evident love of baking as six of those cookbooks have focused on that very subject.

This 500 series from Apple Press is quite marvellous. A great format for offering lots - well, 500 – recipes, and with delightful pictures by the brilliant Ian Garlick, it’s bound to be popular. Every genre of cake has a mention, from classic cakes to special party cakes. There are creamy cakes and diet cakes and even a chapter called Foolproof Cakes, which will be the most-used in our house.

One of the first recipes is for the popular Pound Cake. It isn’t that the cake costs a pound to make; its name comes from the weight of ingredients. There was originally 1lb each of butter, sugar, eggs and flour. Susannah offers a slightly more modest version but it’s still buttery and delicious. A cake for a hot afternoon garnished with some fresh berries.

Boiled Fruit Cake (it’s the fruit that’s boiled, not the cake) is another traditional recipe that always works. The fruit is moist and plump from a simmer in tea. It might not sound appetising but, trust me, it works. Susan has six versions of this so you can change the fruits from time to time.

The Classic Cake chapter has many familiar delights such as Carrot Cake (surprisingly simple to make but it needs the Cream Cheese Icing), Dundee Cake to remind you of Sunday teatime at your Grans, and Coffee and Walnut Cake. This might be my favourite in this book. The sponge is delicious and the butter cream is meltingly moreish.

Cheesecakes are a deli favourite but nothing beats homemade. They are not difficult to make but always impressive. If you are new to baking cheesecakes (I am not keen on the no-bake version with gelatine) then start with the New York Cheesecake. This will give you the confidence to tackle the other gorgeous varieties. You will be, henceforth, a stranger to the dessert section of the deli counter.

500 Cakes has my vote for style, ease of use and temptation. It’s a book to keep in the kitchen but you’ll also find yourself leafing through it on wet days when you just feel like baking. Your oven will never be cold! Fantastic value for money.

500 Cakes
Author: Susannah Blake
Published by: Apple Press
Price: £9.99
ISBN 978-1-84543-314-7