Happiness Is Baking

Starred review from May 6, 2019
Called the Queen of Cake by Saveur magazine, Heatter (Maida Heatter’s Pies and Tarts, etc.) delivers an outstanding and approachable collection of classics for bakers of all ages and skill levels. Most of the recipes, like old-fashioned fudge cake, are simple, but even for the more complex ones—such as her layered birthday cake, which calls for less than a dozen ingredients but spans five pages—Heatter lays out clear instructions for each step in the process. As well, her recipe for Chinese fortune cookies consist of just five ingredients, but her clear explanations of the process make the difference (“Quickly place the fortune on the cookie close to the middle, then immediately fold the cookie in half”). Heatter covers the baking gamut with classic recipes for brownies, carrot cake, key lime pie, and rugelach, as well as intriguing diversions, such as a bourbon-laced 86-Proof Chocolate Cake and her Queen Mother’s Cake, a flourless chocolate cake with almonds and espresso-laced frosting. Heatter packs the book with great tips, such as which cakes can be frozen before frosting; how to make your own buttermilk (which several of the recipes, such as spice cake, call for); and how to make perfect pie crust (glass pie plate is the key). This is one of the season’s standout baking volumes.

Starred review from May 1, 2019

Decades of experience have gone into the making of this delightful collection of cakes, pies, cookies, brownies, and bars. Heatter (Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts) writes recipes with a precision that will embolden new bakers to create successful desserts, while offering up explanations that will teach seasoned bakers something new. The recipes are organized by basic theme, with chapters devoted to cakes (one for every day and one for special occasion); cookies; pies, tarts, and brownies; and bars. The classics are here: Toll House cookies, cream cheese brownies, Boston cream pie, and pineapple upside-down cake, as well as a sampling of some of Heatter's best-known recipes, including the East 62nd Street lemon cake, developed by Heatter's daughter and originally printed in the New York Times. These are traditional recipes featuring plenty of dairy, eggs, and wheat flour; those in search of gluten-free or vegan options will be disappointed. VERDICT An excellent collection for novice bakers as well as those who enjoy learning how to bake with precision (and why it matters).--Rebecca Brody, Westfield State Univ., MA

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2019
Introducing this collection, which gathers 100 of her most popular recipes in one volume for the first time, Heatter tells readers to follow her precise directions carefully?not because she's a fuddy-duddy, but because she's tested them all so darn many times. Add to that that she's the 102-year-old, three-time James Beard Award-winning author of many beloved cookbooks, and follow, dear baker, you must. Baking, says Heatter, is stress relief at its most delicious, not to even mention the joy in sharing homemade goods. She leads many recipes with chatty, charming little stories, such as the rippled Budapest coffee cake that has elicited "love letters and a variety of proposals and propositions," while others, like blueberry crumb cake, get just an "Especially wonderful!" Appealing, digitally drawn illustrations by Alice Oehr complete the utter freshness of this refreshingly classic collection. Heatter lists measurements primarily by volume, and emphasizes everyday and special-occasion desserts done simply and well. This is an excellent one-stop shop for Heatter's greatest hits, and a perfect introduction for any rising baker unfamiliar with her work.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)