All-time favorite sheet cakes & slab pies Easy to make, easy to serve

In case the title of Weinstein and Scarbrough's newest cookbook leads one to think, Hey, these are easy-bake solutions, stop. Because even if store-bought crusts and fillings are used, it still takes some real work to create these one-pan wonders and a regular non-side-by-side refrigerator. The authors take time to explain some of the science behind baking. Use eggs at room temperature (it loosens proteins to add more air into the butter). Butter for batters, however, needs to be cold (at room temperature, it won't provide or hold air). Every one of the six chapters features tips to create a more flavorful dessert. The 100-plus recipes follow suit, many including tester notes and photographs to guide the baker to the finished product. Sweets measure up: blueberry buckle, no-bake cherry chocolate cheesecake, French silk chocolate pie, and apple strudel all shine. A definite crowd-pleaser.--Jacobs, Barbara Copyright 2017 Booklist

In this fun and innovative cookbook, Weinstein and Scarbrough (A La Mode) explain that sheet cakes have more icing per bite than layer cakes and slab pies more crust and fruit filling. The authors tout the advantages of "big" baking (among them the ease of pouring everything into one pan and how big baking facilitates sharing) and feature these advantages in more than 100 recipes for one-layer cakes and pies. While the same principles of easy to make and easy to serve apply to all recipes in this book, this is a versatile collection spanning flavors and occasions, with selections that include a picnic-worthy lemonade cake, an after-school appropriate jam thumbprint cake, and an ideal-for-Sunday-brunch chocolate and goat cheese Danish. Home bakers can find seasonally appropriate recipes such as for summer stone fruit; included are a recipe for a nectarine-blueberry pie with walnut crunch and, for fall, a pear pie with bread-crumb crunch. Regional variety is offered in the Midwestern slab pudding and the New England cranberry pie. The year-round giant jam slab has the potential to become a family favorite, and those with a restrictive diet can indulge in the gluten-free fudgy cake with vegan chocolate frosting. For readers still not sold on flat pies or cakes, the authors include "Still Want to Layer?" tip boxes for those who want to elevate their layering skills. This laid-back approach to baking is sure to entice home bakers of all levels to get out that sheet pan and invite a hungry crowd. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.