I was sent Martha Stewart’s new book, Martha Stewart’s Cakes: Our First-Ever Book of Bundts, Loaves, Layers, Coffee Cakes, and more, to review and I was so excited to receive it in the mail since I’m a fan of her other ones (Cookies and Cupcakes). I never got a chance to grab her Pies & Tarts, but I’m sure it’s just as good as the rest.
Right off the bat, I loved how uniform the book was with the rest. They’re all the same size and line up beautifully on my cooking bookshelf. Is that weird? Hey, books can make or break your kitchen shelf.
There are over 150 different kinds of cakes in this cookbook, one for everyone. There are also plenty of full page photos to show you exactly what the outcome is supposed to look like. A cookbook is nothing without pictures, and this one doesn’t disappoint in that aspect.
The pages are nice and thick, yet still easy to flip through. The recipe that caught my eye was gingerbread. I’m all about starting holiday recipes as soon as possible.
I made mini loaves rather than making a big pan, but my gingerbread turned out pretty much the same as the picture. I didn’t level my batter when pouring it into the pans, so my top was a bit uneven. My fault… I’ve been known to be an impatient baker sometimes.
Again, my impatience comes through in these photos because I didn’t wait for it to cool before cutting. I just wanted to dive into the cinnamon ginger smell piercing my nostrils. The slices would have been cleaner if I waited, but who can resist warm gingerbread?
I brought these to the Giants vs Dodgers baseball game last week (woooo! I can cross AT&T park/going to a Giants game off of my bucket list of things to do before moving back to LA in May) and it was devoured in seconds. Literally. Everyone gave great feedback.
The dusting of powdered sugar on top is optional, but it brings its own level of sweetness to a pretty tame (in sweetness) bread. I wouldn’t do without it.
In the book, Martha discusses the ten golden rules for cakes:
- Read the recipe all the way through before you begin.
- Choose your ingredients wisely.
- Be mindful of recipe details.
- Don’t rush the mixing process.
- Prepare you pans properly.
- A good oven thermometer is key.
- Rotate cake pans.
- Watch out for clues.
- Let cakes cool completely.
- Serve your cake at the right temperature.
I totally failed on 2/10 rules: “Be mindful of recipe details” and “let cakes cool completely.” I didn’t even out the batter before baking and couldn’t wait for it to cool completely. Oops.
If gingerbread isn’t your number one choice, there are other recipes in the book that might tickle your fancy: margarita cheesecake, mint chocolate-chip cake, blackberry cornmeal cake (looking forward to trying that one!), chocolate baked alaskas, or coconut-lime-berry cake, just to name a few.
Martha Stewart's Gingerbread from her book, Cakes. Can be found on page 26 of her cookbook.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground gloves
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-5 inch loaf pan. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves in a large bowl.
- With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low; gradually add flour mixture and beat until just incorporated.
- Transfer batter to prepared pans; smooth top with an offset spatula. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Run a thin knife around edge of cake to loosen. Turn out cake onto a serving platter; dust generously with confectioners' sugar.
I was sent this book to review, but the opinions expressed are my own.
Love martha stewart’s recipe’s. I can’t wait to taste this gingerbread. Do you know how many calories are in it?
Wow…all of your posts have turned into ads and it’s not even subtle, personal or endearing at all. I guess you gotta do what you gotta do to get paid though.