Snacking Cakes

For when you want a little something sweet, but are not really into making a layer cake or a big pan of something sweet that will probably go stale before you finish it. (Or you just don't want a big pan of something sweet laying around tempting you.) I love that you don't have to wait for butter to soften - every recipe uses either melted butter, olive or a neutral oil, or browned butter. 

The recipes are easy to follow, so you can pretty much have something delicious within an hour-ish. Have some fruit that needs to be used up? There's undoubtedly a recipe using it. Have a handful of nuts, dried fruit or chocolate chips? There's probably a recipe using it, or just add them to a recipe that you're already going to make. (I've done that many a time!) And, while she doesn't have a lot of gluten-free recipes in this cookbook, I've used one-to-one gluten-free flour in many of the recipes, and they have all turned out. 

This book is also great for adding flavors to the cakes. I'll often substitute one of our cinnamon-based blends like Poudre Douce, Advieh or Kashmiri Garam Masala for recipes that call for cinnamon, or cinnamon and something else. I love adding Urfa Biber (a slightly chocolatey Turkish chile flake) to the chocolate cake recipes, too! I'll also use our vanilla paste in place of vanilla extract (makes it even more vanilla-y!) Highly recommend this book!