Beginning with a blueprint for mix-doctoring success, which includes information on pantry essentials and a useful chocolate primer, the book then presents over 150 easy recipes for a full range of chocolate layer, pound, sheet, angel food, and chiffon cakes, as well as muffins, cookies, brownies, and more. Among these, readers will surely want to try Triple Decker Raspberry Chocolate Cake, White Chocolate Peach Cake, Frozen Chocolate Neapolitan Cake, and Jessica's Caramel Chocolate Brownies. Besides more basic finishes, the frosting chapter offers recipes for the likes of Crushed Peppermint Buttercream Frosting. An introductory section presents color photos of all the cakes; Byrn also supplies interesting technical information, lore (Nuggets of Chocolate History, for one), and a chocolate cake glossary all bakers can use. --Arthur Boehm

From Publishers Weekly
Following her hugely successful baking book The Cake Mix Doctor, Byrn brings her winning formula of doctoring cake mixes to the world of chocolate. No other ingredient tantalizes and tempts the American consumer, who devours it to the tune of 2.8 billion pounds a year. Byrn marries cake mixes with chocolate in 150 easy recipes to create a personalized result. From layers to pound cakes and from sheet cakes to muffins, chocolate invades the senses. These are complemented by 38 frostings, fillings and glazes that intensify the flavors. Whether it's the rich Chocolate Apricot Cake topped with Martha's Chocolate Icing or the lighter than air Barbara's Chocolate Marble Angel Food Cake crowned with Shiny Chocolate Glaze, the recipes are easy and the results are fulfilling. Even the health conscious are looked after, with Good-for-You Chocolate Pound Cake, again with the Shiny Chocolate Glaze, which is so extraordinarily sinful that it's hard to believe it uses applesauce and egg substitute rather than oil and eggs. Throughout the book, useful hints and tips labeled "the Cake Mix Doctor says" are interspersed to give variations to the cakes as well as help and support. There are also larger additions, e.g., "If the cake sticks to the pan," that provide general aid. Despite focusing only on chocolate, this book tops even the original and should appeal to the busy cook, the first-time baker and the chocoholic. (Oct.)Forecast: Expect big sales. The Cake Mix Doctor has 784,000 copies in print, and with a 290,000 printing and 20-city author tour, the publisher fully expects to meet that number for this title.

Copyright 2001 Cahners business Information, Inc.

Yes, you can.

If you love to bake and are willing to plan ahead, you can make a spectacular wedding cake—and you don't have to be a pastry chef to do it! Let prominent wedding cake expert Dede Wilson guide you through every layer of the process—from choosing among flavors and styles to baking, assembling, and decorating your way to a beautiful and delicious cake. This accessible cookbook not only gets you ready for the big event, it helps you lend a truly personal touch to the celebration.

"If you want to make your own wedding cake, Dede Wilson is the perfect guide. She helps you bake with confidence every step of the way to a delicious personalized result."
—Donna Ferrari, BRIDE'S magazine

From the Inside Flap
"I do not believe in cakes that are made for beauty and ceremony only. I believe they should be eaten—and enjoyed! In fact, the majority of the time my cakes are used as the dessert, as opposed to a symbolic addition."
—Dede Wilson

Let them eat cake—in fact, let them eat your cake. Whether you're the bride, the groom, or a loving friend or family member who wants to make that special day unforgettable, public television cooking show host Dede Wilson knows that you—yes, you—can bake, frost, assemble, and decorate a spectacular, delicious, and totally unique wedding cake that won't put your budget over the edge—even if you've never mastered anything more complicated than a birthday cake or two. In wedding Cakes You Can Make, this top-tier expert reveals that all it takes to make that big-day cake is a love of baking and a willingness to plan properly and work patiently.

Whether you're feeding 20 or 150 people, preparation begins long before you preheat the oven. In this easy-to-follow, hands-on guide, Wilson takes you through the entire process, from the drawing board to the presentation table, sharing time-tested techniques that help you turn that cake of your dreams into a delectable reality.

She helps you get started by having you write a wish list that can be honed into a framework for the ideal cake. Then it's time to make the cake happen by working through all the practical elements that come into play, such as setting your budget (and sticking to it); choosing the essential flavors (if chocolate is the bride's passion, don't leave it out!); considering the wedding date (if it's October, think about fall colors); accommodating the number of guests (small guest list equals modest-sized cake); keeping in tune with the wedding's style or mood (beach-casual vs. black tie-formal); and getting organized (time to borrow that decorating turntable).

When it comes to execution, Wilson encourages you to use the highest-quality ingredients and equipment specific to the task, and to gain a foundation by making a six-inch sample cake—an integral step that, much like dating, allows you to try the cake on for size before making the final commitment. She shares her own favorite flavor combinations as well as those most frequently requested by bridal couples. For each of the 16 cakes, Wilson provides essential details—a timeline, thorough recipe directions, and tips. Recipes range from the lighthearted Raspberries and Cream Cake to the contemporary Nutella Cake and the sophisticated Gilded Mocha Cake. Color photographs of all the finished cakes and dozens of how-to photos give you the inspiration and know-how to bake your own special wedding cake.

As Wilson says, wedding cake flavor and design choices are infinite. In wedding Cakes You Can Make, she helps you create your own special slice of what is possible.

365 fun, creative activities to stimulate your toddler every day of the year.

This book contains 365 activities (one for each day of the year) for one-and-a-half to three-year-olds using things found around the home. It shows parents and day-care providers how to:

• Prevent boredom during the longest stretches of indoor weather with ideas for indoor play, kitchen activities, and arts and crafts projects.

• Stimulate a child's natural curiosity with entertaining math, language, and motor-skills activities.

• Encourage a child's physical, mental, and emotional growth with ideas for fun music, food, water, and outdoor activities.

• Keep toddlers occupied during long car trips or cross-town errands.

The Toddler's Busy Book is written with warmth and sprinkled with humor and insight. It should be required reading for anyone raising or teaching toddlers.

What do customers ultimately buy after viewing items like this?

26% buy Guess How Much I Love You by Sam Mcbratney $6.99

25% buy 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for children 2-12 by Thomas W. Phelan $9.72

24% buy the item featured on this page: The Toddlers Busy Book by Trish Kuffner $9.95

21% buy Setting Limits with Your Strong-Willed Child : Eliminating Conflict by Establishing Clear, Firm, and Respectful Boundaries by Robert J. MacKenzie Ed.D. $9.72

3% buy Backyardigans (Ultimate Sticker Books) by DK Publishing $6.99

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Copyright 2001 Cahners business Information, Inc.

The Professional Pastry Chef contains encyclopedic guidance on the preparation and presentation of an abundant array of pastries and desserts––including breads, cakes, cookies, tarts, petits fours, croissants, Danish pastries, mousses, soufflés, ice creams, sorbets, and sauces, syrups, and fillings––plus a completely new chapter covering flatbreads, crackers, and rolls.

Moving effortlessly between the most basic puff pastry and such subtly contemporary creations as Mascarpone Cheesecake with Cassis Panna Cotta Topping and Meyer Lemon Tarts with Lemon-Verbena Whipped Cream, The Professional Pastry Chef puts a world of edible delights within reach. The Fourth Edition contains more than 650 recipes, which offer a new emphasis on American applications of European techniques with yields suitable for restaurant service or for entertaining at home.

Throughout, award-winning Executive Pastry Chef Bo Friberg explains not only how to perform procedures but also the principles behind them, helping to build a firm foundation based on understanding rather than memorized formulas. His clear explanations provide an easy-to-follow guide through ingredients and mise en place preparation as well as pastry equipment, techniques, and plated presentation. Chef Friberg's step-by-step instructions are generously supplemented with illustrations that demystify even the most complex procedures, while ready-to-use templates are included to help save time and effort in the kitchen.

Finished dishes are brought to life with almost 100 vivid color photographs that add a sublime touch of visual inspiration, along with new Chef's Tips and sidebars that offer instant access to key material where and when it's needed.

Whether used to develop skills or refine techniques, to gain or simply broaden a repertoire, The Professional Pastry Chef is filled with information and ideas for creating mouthwatering baked goods and tantalizing desserts––today and for years to come.

The casual hanging-with-the-boys style could be your favorite thing about it, or what drives you crazy. Phrases like "Skipping breakfast is like arguing with the cops; there's absolutely nothing good that can come out of it" can either help reinforce the basics or just make you want to get far, far away from the rest of the jokes, such as, "Oatmeal is the Bo Derek of your pantry--it's a perfect 10".

The ultimate goal is uncovering your own six pack, and benefits like lower blood pressure seem less important than waist size. There's something to be said for to-the-point surface goals, but your attitude about image will likely determine your attitude about the book's usefulness. --Jill Lightner

Book Description