The Magnolia Bakery handbook A complete guide for the home baker : baking made easy with 150 foolproof recipes & techniques

Just in time for what is likely to be a long winter comes this collection of recipes from New York's famous Magnolia Bakery. The bakery hit the zeitgeist in 2001 when it was featured on Sex and the City, and patrons waited in long lines for its famous cupcakes. Since then, the bakery has changed owners and the cupcake craze has dimmed a bit, but Magnolia keeps pleasing its fans. Chief baking officer Lloyd has created an appealing selection of cakes, cookies, scones, and, yes, cupcakes from the store. New recipe formulations and generous photos distinguish this book from previous titles with the Magnolia Bakery name. While there are solid baking tips and tricks, the focus is on treats with comforting flavors such as chocolate funny cake pie and lemon-vanilla mini bundt cakes. In addition to a chapter on nostalgic icebox desserts, there is a whole section on the store's famous banana pudding. VERDICT A good selection for home bakers of all levels looking for something sweet.--Devon Thomas, Chelsea, MI