Williams-Sonoma Collection: Cake

Williams Sonoma: nostalgic and elegant (oh, yes, and the recipes are wonderful)Content:In a time of microwave cooking and instant pots, it was really nice to find this gem of a book, a book that transported me back to the bygone days of my youth (as my granny used to say, “Yes, I was born in the age of the Pharaohs” ) and to my grandmother’s elaborate dinner parties and elegant meals where the dining room was lit with candles and decorated with flowers , where the utensils were laid out in perfect order, where the napkins were folded into flower shapes…you get the idea.Okay, okay, okay…so I don’t actually entertain the way my grandmother did very often (where would I get the time or the money-people, lavish entertaining isn’t cheap!!!), I reserve that type of formal elegance and fine dining for special occasions and holidays, but it is really heart-warming to have a book that shows me exactly how to prepare special dishes for special occasions, how the set the table, how to serve my guest, and how to be a great hostess in general.And the recipes…oh, the recipes!!! Every recipe I tried turned out perfectly delicious. I am salivating right now while typing this review! I even went as far as to emulate the food presentation in the pictures (with the platters and decors I already owned, of course).I thought the recipes were rather well written, were not overly complicated, and did not require the reader to have extensive cooking experience cooking (although some cooking experience does make the recipes more accessible). With that being said, I do think that the absolute novice cook may struggle with some of the recipes in WS CB. (By novice, I mean a newbie to the kitchen who does not know what the difference between roasting braising is or know how to steam, boil, or blanch). For the absolute novice cook, I recommend the ATK series.Ingredients:Granted, some of the ingredients are not always present in a home pantry, but they are easily procured from most local grocers, butchers, and organic markets (Walmart even has a reasonable collection of the ingredients necessary for the realization of the recipes in this book).Presentation:Every recipe has a picture! Normally, that would not matter to me as I have over a hundred “picture-less” cookbooks, but for a “vintage cookbook” (from the 80s-early 00s) such as this, pictures are rather important as they show images of recipes with which we may no longer be familiar; to me, an image of a final product, especially if the last time I saw said product was when my grandmother made it in the 80s, is essential. The pictures themselves are breathtaking works of art, elegant, romantic (yes, romantic), and inspiring!The book itself is easy to handle (not too heavy, bulky, or big, but also not too small) and easy to read. The paper is thick and glossy. The font is dark enough and large enough to read, but I do use reading glasses (I am of an age where I simply cannot read ANYTHING without reading glasses. I have to have 16 point font on my computer to read without glasses). Simply put, the book is elegantly compiled and presented.Repetition:Yes, some of the recipes may be found in other editions of WS CBs, but to me that is of no concern as I am collecting ALL the WS CBs published in the 80s and 90s (well, anything prior to 2010 really).Delivery: arrived three days earlier than anticipated.Price: bought the used edition; copy cost me less than $5; pretty good deal!Condition: although I purchased the used edition, I got a copy in excellent condition.Conclusion:It is a product from WS. What is not to like? Is this cookbook worth the money? Should you buy it? For me, the answer to both questions is a resounding, unequivocal YES! As with all WS CBs, this is a beautiful book with elegant and tasty recipes, with lovely photographs of each described dish, and with side ideas and suggestions for improvement.Recommendation:Highly recommend! I cannot recommend this book enough even if I tired! I love it.Note:1. If you found this review helpful in some way, please click the helpful button. Thank you.2. If you want to read more reviews submitted by this reviewer, please follow. Thank you.

The first time I baked the Date-Walnut loaf from this collection, the book was borrowed from the library. I looked to buy the book, but had to borrow it again to bake the Gateau Basque. Both recipes were outstanding. I was so happy to find this book on Amazon as it was hard to find elsewhere. The Gateau Basque has been baked again and is a great as I remembered it. I am looking forward to trying other recipes in this book. Their other collection, Cakes (plural) is equally outstanding and I am happy to have both of them. You can always count on Williams-Sonoma to have solid go-to recipes.l

La verdad es que compré este libro por las opiniones que había leído y no me defraudó al recibirlo. Está lleno de recetas sencillas y que, seguramente, estén deliciosas (digo seguramente porque lo recibí el lunes y no he podido hacer ninguna, pero cuando haga, avisaré del resultado... jejeje!!).Aunque está en inglés es bastante fácil ya que para las recetas se utilizan siempre las mismas palabras. Si sabes inglés no tendrás problema, y si no tienes demasiada idea tampoco puesto que teniendo un diccionario cerca podrás descifrar las recetas de una manera sencilla (y si ya te lo apuntas en una libretita o en el mismo libro en un post-it mucho más fácil para próximas recetas... jejeje!!) ^_^PD: No recuerdo si las recetas venían con medición/temperatura...etc. americana, pero si fuese así, solamente tendríamos que hacer el cambio y listo :)

What a pleasure! I have made a good number of the recipes herein and so far no failures.I find their recipes and instructions clear and if you follow to the letter you are assured of success.I have since bought a large cookbook on Baking by the same people and the recipes areexcellent.

私はもともとｗilliams-sonomaの本が好きなのでこの本も買いました。全てのレシピにゴージャスな写真がついているので見ても楽しめます。材料もg（グラム）やcup表示されていて便利です。焼きっぱなしのケーキ、クリームでデコレーションしたケーキ、ロールケーキ、チーズケーキetcいろんなタイプのケーキが載っています。このシリーズの本はどちらかというとクラシックな感じの写真が多いです。手作り感のあるケーキでなおかつセンスもいいと思います。やっぱりwilliams-sonomaの本は写真が美しいですね。