American Cake by Anne Byrn

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: American Cake: From Colonial Gingerbread to Classic Layer, the Stories and Recipes Behind More Than 125 of Our Best-Loved Cakes
Author: Anne Byrn
Publisher: Rodale
Release Date: 6.15.21

Publisher’s Summary
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 Timesbestselling 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.


My Review
In addition to a great collection of recipes, I really loved the backstories of the recipes and history of cakes. There were a few shockers like Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake (I'm not that adventurous) and interesting tidbits like fudge being cooked by Wellesley College girls in their dorm room over Bunsen burners "on loan" from their chemistry lab, that really made this book fun to sit down and actually read. I've got a family request for strawberry shortcake (which I've never made) so I think I will try that recipe next. I also see a Cardamom Coffee Cake that will probably need to be tested pretty soon, too.