2 out of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Simply to die forFriday, March 04, 2005
Though I've only made the Traditional Vanilla Birthday Cake with the Traditional Vanilla Buttercream in cupcake version twice, I still love this book. I've never tried the cupcakes from the bakery, but a friend who has said they taste exactly the same. To be honest, I wasn't impressed with the cupcakes at first, but the more I ate them, the more I craved them. Now I'm addicted to them! I can't wait to try out more recipes from this book. I just wish they had more pictures... (I'm a sucker for yummy pictures.) But overall, I love this book.
3 out of 6 people found the following review helpful:
None of the recipes turn out rightWednesday, February 23, 2005
I have been baking for about 20 years. I visited New York and fell in love with the Magnolia Bakery. Last year, I bought this book. Since then I have tried several recipes, including cheesecakes, layer cakes, brownies, squares and cookies. I'd say about 80% of the recipes don't come out right ...and I don't mean they are bland or slightly off; they consistently turn out just awful: underbaked brownies, cookies that fall apart, sickenly sweet icing, flat layer cakes, dry cheese cakes. Maybe it's the difference between the ingredients they use at the bakery vs. those you can get in the supermarket or the difference between baking in a home oven vs. a commercial oven, but the ONLY time the recipes came out right is when I made a common-sense judgement and strayed from the book's suggestions -- baking longer than suggested times or adding more or fewer ingredients, etc.
My favorite cookbook continues to be the Cook's Illustrated/ America's Test Kitchen "Best Recipes" book.
Even so, next time I'm in New York, I'm headed to the Magnolia Bakery again. It's great!
2 out of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Classic in many waysWednesday, February 02, 2005
This cookbook is excellent if you're looking to make some classic, old-fashioned desserts, and caters to a variety of sweet-teeth.
Unfortunately, there is no nutritional information in the book, which was the primary drawback for me. While it is easy to conclude the many of the recipe's are high on sugar and fat, it would be nice to have a clear idea of exactly what I'm serving to my guests.
My other criticism is in the binding of the book - it's bound more like a novel, and won't lay flat unless you weigh it down. This makes it difficult when you're making an unfamiliar dish, and need to consult the book often.
Overall, this book is good for more advanced bakers with a taste for sweet, old-style desserts. The lack of nutritional information is a problem, but these dishes are probably best classified as infrequent treats rather than regular after-dinner rotations.
2 out of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Cheesecake GoddessSunday, January 30, 2005
Ever since I purchased the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook, my friends and family have come to refer to me as the cheesecake goddess. There are several cheesecake recipes in the book and many of them lend for minor changes to make wonderful tastes to call your own. I have yet to master the crumb topped cheescake which is the piece de'resistance of this cookbook. It's close to the real thing, but I guess some things are just better left to the masters. Enjoy this book as you too will be the talk of family parties and pot lucks.
1 out of 1 people found the following review helpful:
SWEETEST BAKING BOOK EVER!!Thursday, January 27, 2005
Absolutely the sweetest, old-fashioned baking book ever! I am a collector of baking books and this is my very favorite among them. What I love about it is the ease, the recipes only take up one page each and the simple ingredients (butter, sugar, vanilla, flour), well most bakers will have on hand. I have made several of the cakes for birthdays in our family and the Traditional Vanilla Birthday Cake was an especially big hit with the kids. It tastes like something Grandma made when you were a kid. I agree with my co-reviewer who said her daughter and her friends could not believe how much better homemade is. If you want a break from your crazy, busy day, step back in time with these old-fashioned recipes - this book takes me back to a simpler, slower time when sitting on Grandma's back porch with your pie, in your barefeet,was all you wanted to do.