Cake, I Love You: Decadent, Delectable, and Do-able Recipes (Cake Cookbook, Dessert Cookbook, Easy Sweets Recipes)

If I was going to compete on Cupcake Wars, or any other baking competition, televised or not — this is the book I’d use to prepare. And I’d win, too, because these recipes are amazing inventive and so, so delicious! (Even though these are technically cake recipes, not cupcakes, but are easily adaptable.)

Amazing bakeries of the world, head’s up! These recipes are awesome, and would be a fantastic way to raise the bar. Cake, I Love You is truly innovative, with unique and delicious recipes — most entirely new to me. For example, the favorite cake of all the males in our family is Maple Syrup Breakfast Cake with candied maple-bacon crumble (“and it’s okay to eat for breakfast!” –The Men).

My daughters love the Scotchmallow recipe, which includes chocolate cake, caramel, and a layer of homemade marshmallow, with a mousse frosting and chocolate shavings on top. It’s wonderful. My favorite is probably the Salted Caramel-Pecan Banana cake, though — it’s what bananas foster hopes it is reincarnated as one day. There is a helpful intro about your gear, pantry, and how to build a truly awesome cake, with sections on banana, coconut, chocolate, caramel and butterscotch, citrus, spirits & spices, and garden & orchard.

Your typical cookbook, this is not. Some recipes are easier than others, and some cakes have four or more components to them, so this probably isn’t for beginners. That said, this book offers truly fabulous cakes for amazing desserts that anyone would enjoy!