Williams-Sonoma Mastering by Elinor Klivans: Book Cover

    Williams-Sonoma Mastering: Cakes, Frosting & Fillings by Elinor Klivans, Chuck Williams (Editor), Bill Bettencourt (Photographer)

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    (Hardcover)

    • Pub. Date: April 2006
    • 144pp

      Reader Rating: (1 ratings)

      Detailed Rating: "Practical" See All

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      • Overview
      • Editorial Reviews
      • Customer Reviews

      Product Details

      • Pub. Date: April 2006
      • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group
      • Format: Hardcover, 144pp

      Synopsis

      Dense Flourless Chocolate Cake, light Vanilla Sponge Cake layered with buttercream, moist Apple Cake -- a beautiful cake is every baker's dream. Using this book, you will soon have the know-how to prepare these classics and many more.

      Williams-Sonoma Mastering Cakes is a complete baking course in a single volume. The opening describes the different types of cakes you can bake, including simple cakes, sheet and layer cakes, and cakes for special occasions. Basic recipes and indispensable technique sequences then illustrate dozens of key culinary building blocks, such as how to whip egg whites to the proper loft or how to cut a sponge cake into even layers before filling. Troubleshooting tips show you what can go wrong and how to fix it without having to start all over again.

      The recipes lead you step-by-step, with friendly text and instructive photographs, through every stage of preparation. The variations in each chapter help you to continue practicing your newfound skills, building your repertory and your confidence at the same time. Finally, a guide to equipment and a glossary of ingredients will help you stock your kitchen with all the essentials.

      In these pages, you will discover more than fifty classic recipes that tell you, in both pictures and words, how every cake you bake should look and taste from start to finish. Whether you are an aspiring novice or an accomplished home baker, this book will guide and inspire you every step of the way.

      Customer Reviews

      • Reader Rating:
      • Ratings: 1Reviews: 1

      Great Book!by amaturecook

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      February 16, 2009: This title is a great resource that anyone who is interested in baking cakes should have. This is just one volume in the Williams-Sonoma Cannon of specific cook books, which they have on a great many topics. In addition to great instructions and procedures, the aspect I like most about this title is that it has great illustrations to go along with each and every step. This is great because while making any of the recipies, one can simply glance at the illustration which corresponds to the current step, and see if they look the same. With other cook books, they just have the steps listed and if you are an amature cook, like myself, one simply has to hope for the best. This title is great because, as I've mentioned, each of the step by step instructions is accompanied by a great illustration.

      Another great aspect of this text is that it teaches you much more conceptually than other texts. For instance, there is a great unit on Cheesecakes. It teaches the reader how to make the very basic vanilla cheesecake, and conatins a supplementary protion on how to vary the basic cheese to make other very nice and tasty cheesecakes. This aspect allows the users mind to go wild with new ideas and creative recipies, unique to their likes and needs.

      An additional feature, again perfect for an amature such as myself, is that there is an entire unit dedicated to techniques used for making these cakes. This way, the reader may browse through these techniques prior to starting as well as refer to them while in the process of creating the recipies.

      I use this title all the time, much to the delight of my friends and family. There are special sections in the text called "Master Recipies" which are really great, and turn out just like the cakes one may see and experience in a professional setting. The one point I would caution anyone on is that this text assumes that the user has a good deal of quality equipment available for use. It is not advisable to approach this book with only one bowl and a whisk.

      Great book! A must have for any kitchen!

      Cheers!

      I Also Recommend: Starting with Ingredients, Starting with Ingredients.