Take your sweet tooth on a global tour! Whether you're indulging in Australian pavlova, Japanese mochi, or Italian panettone, it's just not a celebration without cake. In this delectable cookbook, Krystina Castella offers more than 150 irresistible cake recipes from around the world, accompanied by mouthwatering photographs and insights into unique cultural traditions. Discover exciting new flavors and innovative twists on your favorite desserts as you explore the sweet delights of a variety of chiffons, fruitcakes, meringues, and more. Krystina Castella is a professor at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. She is the author of A World of Cake, Pops!, Crazy About Cupcakes, and Discovering Nature's Alphabet, and she has been published in Craft magazine. Chapter 1: Cake Walk. A Sweet Tour of Cake History, Culture, and Language Chapter 2: North America. Sugar and Spice and Doughnuts Are Nice Chapter 3: Latin America. Street Sweets and Festive Quinceanera Cakes Chapter 4: Western and Central Europe. Pastry Artistry and Cafe Culture Get Married Chapter 5: The British Isles. Comfort Cakes and High-Society Delights Chapter 6: Scandinavia. The Romance of Berries and Liqueur, Topped with Cream Chapter 7: Eastern Europe. Marzipan, Gingerbread, and Other Fairy-Tale Cakes Chapter 8: The Mediterranean. Epic Confections from Balmy Climates and Ancient Cultures Chapter 9: Africa. Deep-Fried Nibbles and Crunchy Bananas Chapter 10: The Middle East. Ancient Treats and Sacred Sweets Chapter 11: The Indian Subcontinent. Milk Sweets, Dumplings, and Candy Confections Chapter 12: The Far East. Good-for-Your-Soul Sweets Chapter 13: Southeast Asia. Welcome to the Spice Islands Chapter 14: Australia and New Zealand. Cakes with Character If Epicurious.com ever decided to do a cake-version of "Around the World in 80 Dishes," Krystina Castella's A World of Cake (Storey) would be a good book to have on hand. Truly global in her coverage, Castella's book is a great resource for anyone with a sweet tooth and particularly, a penchant for cakes. The introductory chapter includes a year's worth of cake-appropriate holidays (October 2 for Gandhi's birthday; late May/early June for Lazybones Day in the Netherlands). My favorite part of the introduction is where Castella discusses cake categories: Chiffons, doughnuts, honey cakes, rice cakes, and more all have their place in the larger cake family. With 150 cake recipes showcased by region, there are some that are definitely familiar: King Cake, Black Forest Cake, Panettone, Mochi. And then there are the unfamiliar, and that's when things get really exciting. Malpuas from India, Nutmeg Cake from Armenia, Bolognese Rice Cake from Italy, Simnel from Ireland-the list goes on and on. Options for fillings, icings, and other flavors are presented with each recipe and interesting factoids about the specific recipe help put the cake in context. So if cakes have a special place in your heart and on your palate, you'll appreciate Castella's passion and knowledge about cakes and its world wide appeal. Recipes to try: - M'hanncha (Snake Cake) from Morocco - Pan de Muerto from Mexico - Vasilopita from Greece-Epicurious.com . . . a well researched, thoughtfully organized, almost documentary-like survey of cakes around the world by someone who has written several dessert books (Booze Cakes, Crazy About Cupcakes), perhaps best politely described as whimsical, was exactly -- but then again not quite -- what we expected. But this is a good book, a great one, even. -LA Weekly Blog "...this book is a distinctive contribution to the world of baking, and armchair bakers will delight in flipping through the pages of this colorful and engaging volume."-Library Journal Chosen as Best Internatio

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