Cake!

So, today is NOT International Cake Day.  Saturday is! (July 20) I thought I would give you the list a little early so you have time to get a book, pick a recipe, and bake it for this very important holiday.

American Cake: From Colonial Gingerbread to Classic Layer, the Stories and Recipes Behind More Than 125 of Our Best-Loved Cakes From Past to Present by Anne Byrn - Taste your way through America with more than 125 recipes for our favorite historical cakes and frostings. Cakes in America aren't just about sugar, flour, and frosting. They have a deep, rich history that developed as our country grew. Cakes, more so than other desserts, are synonymous with celebration and coming together for happy times. They're an icon of American culture, reflecting heritage, region, season, occasion, and era. And they always have been, throughout history. In American Cake, Anne Byrn, creator of the New York Times bestselling series The Cake Mix Doctor, takes you on a journey through America's past to present with more than 125 authentic recipes for our best-loved and beautiful cakes and frostings. Tracing cakes chronologically from the dark, moist gingerbread of New England to the elegant pound cake, the hardscrabble Appalachian stack cake, war cakes, deep-South caramel, Hawaiian Chantilly, and the modern California cakes of orange and olive oil, Byrn shares recipes, stories, and a behind-the-scenes look into what cakes we were baking back in time. From the well-known Angel Food, Red Velvet, Pineapple Upside-Down, Gooey Butter, and Brownie to the lesser-known Burnt Leather, Wacky Cake, Lazy Daisy, and Cold Oven Pound Cake, this is a cookbook for the cook, the traveler, or anyone who loves a good story. And all recipes have been adapted to the modern kitchen.

Booze Cakes: Confections Spiked With Spirits, Wine, and Beer by Krystina Castella - This gorgeous full-color cookbook features easy step-by-step recipes for a variety of decadent delicacies, including traditional Booze Cakes (Black Forest Cakes and English Trifle) as well as more contemporary cocktail cakes (Pina Colada Cake, White Russian Cupcakes, and Sex-on-a-Beach Cake). There's even a chapter devoted to cake shots-delicious cupcake morsels infused with the flavors of mojitos, kamikazes, and more. These tasty treats are ideal for parties, potlucks, and pitch-ins-and this cookbook's affordable price and adorable format make it the perfect gift for your favorite hostess!

Cake Confidence: Sure-Fire Recipes & Tips for Over-the-Top Gorgeous Cakes by Mandy Merriman - There's always something to celebrate in life, and there's no better way to celebrate than with some decadent, mouthwatering cake! No matter your confidence in baking, Mandy Merriman--the Blondie of the popular blog Baking with Blondie--is here to help you think outside the cakebox and create easy, delicious, beautiful cakes that you'll definitely want to show off. Dust off your apron and get ready to create some buttercream joy.

Cake Magic: Mix & Match Your Way to 100 Amazing Combinations by Caroline Wright - It's a simple formula for dessert bliss: batter + syrup + frosting = 100 different cakes! An innovative and remarkable easy way to bake luscious, flavorful cakes, Cake Magic! is a full-color visual cookbook-photos in the front, recipes in the back-for every cake lover, for fans of the genius of The Cake Mix Doctor series, and for home bakers who obsess over colorful cakes on Pinterest and Instagram (where cakes are consistently in the "most popular" feed). The key to the cakes' ease is the homemade Mix + Match Baking Mix - the foundation of every cake in the book. From there it's just a matter of mixing and matching batters, flavoring syrups (the secret step that makes these cake recipes so versatile), frostings, and, sometimes, topping to create unique cakes. Want something decadent and fudgy? Darkest Chocolate Cake + Milky Caramel Syrup + Malted Milk Chocolate Frosting + crushed candy bars = Candy Bar Cake. Swap in Bourbon Syrup + Cream Cheese Frosting, and you have the grown-up Drunken Tuxedo Cake. There's nothing vanilla about these vanilla cakes (Cookies + Cream Cake, Caramel-Pineapple Upside-Down Layer Cake); ethereal coconut cakes; and nutty cakes like Elvis-Peanut Butter Cake + Bacon Syrup + Nutella Frosting, topped with candied bacon. Fit for the Kind, indeed. Includes valuable baking tips, vegan and gluten-free variations, plus how to tweak the recipes to make sheet cakes, Bundt cakes, and cupcakes.

Cool Layer Cakes: 50 Delicious and Amazing Layer Cakes to Bake and Decorate by Ceri Olofson - The layer cake sits on the table looking simple enough, but then the first slice is cut and everyone gasps...each of the six layers is a different color of the rainbow! Nothing is a bigger crowd pleaser than a unique layer cake. And although a finished cake can look sophisticated and complex, creating it may be easier than you think. In Cool Layer Cakes, professional cake designer Ceri Olofson provides more than 50 amazing layer cake projects that will inspire bakers of all levels to take their creations to new heights! Readers will find:
Advice on gathering essential tools, equipment, and ingredients
Core recipes for the best cakes and frosting for layering
Basic sugar craft and decorating techniques
Insider tricks for creating a professional finish
With names like Sunset Fade, Flower Meadow, Pearl Cascade, and Sprinkle Explosion, the projects in Cool Layer Cakes are guaranteed to please. Gorgeous, full-color photos of each cake, along with illustrated step-by-step instructions.

The European Cake Cookbook: Discover a New World of Decadence From the Celebrated Traditions of European Baking by Tatyana Nesteruk - For Tatyana Nesteruk, who was born in Ukraine, baking has always been a huge passion. Her blog, Tatyana's Everyday Food, has gathered a large following of dedicated readers who especially love her extravagant and unique cakes. In her debut cookbook, Tatyana draws on her family roots to take readers on a delightful baking journey throughout Europe to learn the stories behind each region's iconic cakes, flavors and techniques. With so much variety of rich, dense cakes and lighter, more delicate creations, avid home bakers will find endless inspiration.Eastern Europe features moist cakes with creamy fillings such as Chocolate Kievsky Torte, a decadent cake with layers of chocolate sponge cake and hazelnut meringue. Western European delicacies are light and elegant, inspired by French pastries such as Strawberries & Cream Crepe Cake or Creme Brulee Cheesecake. Then there are the Southern-inspired cakes featuring tiramisu, cheeses and fruits; Central indulgences including hearty, dense chocolate cakes and velvety bundts; and finally Northern treats that are soft, buttery and perfect to accompany afternoon tea. Explore the rich history and flavors of Europe--and even pick up a new skill or two--with the fabulous cakes from this inspiring cookbook.

Grandbaby Cakes: Modern Recipes, Vintage Charm, Soulful Memories by Jocelyn Delk Adams - As a child, Adams and her family would routinely embark on the ten-hour journey from their home in Chicago to Winona, Mississippi. There, she would watch her grandmother, affectionately nicknamed Big Mama, bake and develop delicious, melt-in-your-mouth desserts. From blooming tree-picked fruit to farm-raised eggs and fresh-churned butter, Big Mama used what was readily available to invent completely original treats. Adams treasured the moments when her mother, aunt, and Big Mama would bring her into the kitchen to let her dabble in the process as a rite of passage. Big Mama's recipes became the fabric of their family heritage. Grandbaby Cakes is Adams's love note to her family, thanking those who came before and passing on this touching tradition with 50 brilliant cakes.
Grandbaby Cakes pairs charming stories of Big Mama's kitchen with recipes ranging from classic standbys to exciting adventures--helpfully marked by degree of difficulty--that will inspire your own family for years to come. Adams creates sophisticated flavor combinations based on Big Mama's gorgeous centerpiece cakes, giving each recipe something familiar mixed with something new. From pound cakes and layer cakes to sheet cakes and "baby" cakes (cupcakes and cakelettes),Grandbaby Cakes delivers fun, hip recipes perfect for any celebration.

Layered: Baking, Building, and Styling Spectacular Cakes by Tessa Huff - It's time to venture beyond vanilla and chocolate and take your baking skills up a notch. We're talking layers--two, three, four, or more! Create sky-high, bakery-quality treats at home with Tessa Huff's 150 innovative recipes, which combine new and exciting flavors of cake, fillings and frostings-- everything from pink peppercorn cherry to bourbon butterscotch and pumpkin vanilla chai to riesling rhubarb and raspberry chocolate stout. Including contemporary baking methods and industry tips and tricks, Layered covers every decorating technique you'll ever need with simple instructions and gorgeous step-by-step photos that speak to bakers of every skill level--and to anyone who wants to transform dessert into layer upon layer of edible art.

Naked Cakes: Simply Stunning Cakes by Hannah Miles - So called 'naked cakes' are an increasingly popular choice for celebrations both large and small and what you see is what you get!
While in recent years the trend has been for cakes to be encased in frosting and decorated in a fancy style, there is a new trend for stripping cakes back, and decorating them very simply with fresh edible flowers and vibrant berries or using pastel shades to make the cake itself the star attraction. The queen of cakes, Hannah Miles, has undressed classic cakes to create these delightful recipes. Whether you want to create Vintage Elegance, Rustic Style, Romantic Charm, Chic Simplicity or Dramatic Effect, or make something to represent the Changing Seasons, you'll find the perfect recipe and design here. Choose from floral cakes such as Rose Petal Victoria Sponge, zingy citrus bakes such as Clementine Mini Cakes and luxurious berry fruit offerings including Blueberry and Lemon Cake. There are plenty of ideas to tempt the sophisticated nut-lover and chocoholic, such as Chocolate Layer Cake with Honey-roasted Figs, Coffee and Walnut Cake with Praline Cream and Spun Sugar, and Pink Layer Cake with Pistachio Cream. These cakes are not for every day--they are special treats and the perfect treat for birthdays, weddings and other celebrations all year round. From the surprisingly simple to the lusciously extravagant, family and friends will be astounded by these impressive bakes.

Vintage Cakes: Timeless Recipes for Cupcakes, Flips, Rolls, Layer, Angel, Bundt, Chiffon, and Icebox Cakes for Today's Sweet Tooth by Julie Richardson - Make every occasion—the annual bake sale, a birthday party, or even a simple Sunday supper—a celebration with this charming collection of more than 50 remastered classics. Each recipe in Vintage Cakes is a confectionary stroll down memory lane. After sifting through her treasure trove of cookbooks and recipe cards, master baker and author Julie Richardson selected the most inventive, surprising, and just plain delicious cakes she could find. The result is a delightful and delectable time capsule of American baking, with recipes spanning a century.
With precise and careful guidance, Richardson guides home bakers—whether total beginners or seasoned cooks—toward picture-perfect meringues, extra-creamy frostings, and lighter-than-air chiffons. A few of the dreamy cakes that await: a chocolatey Texas Sheet Cake as large and abundant as its namesake state, the boozy Not for Children Gingerbread Bundt cake, and the sublime Lovelight Chocolate Chiffon Cake with Chocolate Whipped Cream. With recipes to make Betty Crocker proud, these nostalgic and foolproof sweets rekindle our love affair with cakes.