A World of Cake: 150 Recipes for Sweet Traditions from Cultures Near and Far

by Krystina Castella

Overview

Take your sweet tooth on a global tour! Whether you’re indulging in Australian pavlova, Japanese mochi, or Italian panettone, it’s just not a celebration without cake. In this delectable cookbook, Krystina Castella offers more than 150 irresistible cake recipes from around the world, accompanied by mouthwatering photographs and insights into unique cultural traditions. Discover exciting new flavors and innovative twists on your favorite desserts as you explore the sweet delights of a variety of chiffons, fruitcakes, meringues, and more. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781603425766
Publisher:	Storey Books
Publication date:	10/15/2010
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 10.70(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Krystina Castella is a professor at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. She is the author of A World of Cake, Pops!, Crazy About Cupcakes, and Discovering Nature’s Alphabet, and she has been published in Craft magazine.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Cake Walk. A Sweet Tour of Cake History, Culture, and Language

Chapter 2: North America. Sugar and Spice and Doughnuts Are Nice

Chapter 3: Latin America. Street Sweets and Festive Quinceanera Cakes

Chapter 4: Western and Central Europe. Pastry Artistry and Cafe Culture Get Married

Chapter 5: The British Isles. Comfort Cakes and High-Society Delights

Chapter 6: Scandinavia. The Romance of Berries and Liqueur, Topped with Cream

Chapter 7: Eastern Europe. Marzipan, Gingerbread, and Other Fairy-Tale Cakes

Chapter 8: The Mediterranean. Epic Confections from Balmy Climates and Ancient Cultures

Chapter 9: Africa. Deep-Fried Nibbles and Crunchy Bananas

Chapter 10: The Middle East. Ancient Treats and Sacred Sweets

Chapter 11: The Indian Subcontinent. Milk Sweets, Dumplings, and Candy Confections

Chapter 12: The Far East. Good-for-Your-Soul Sweets

Chapter 13: Southeast Asia. Welcome to the Spice Islands

Chapter 14: Australia and New Zealand. Cakes with Character

Editorial Reviews

"This extraordinary new cake book by Krystina Castella is a perfect gift for anyone who loves cake even if he or she doesn't plan ever to bake one. It is an in depth study of myriad cakes from all around the world. It is fascinating to see how each cake, beautifully photographed in color, reflects the history, ingredients, and technology of its culture. As a cake baker I love seeing the world through cake colored eyes.I feel somewhat remiss that my emphasis over the years has been focused mainly on flavor, texture, and personal history and less on the wider historical origins of my creations. This well-researched book will serve as a handy reference guide. It takes cakes to a whole new level of significance and presents them, both visually and historically within the context of their creation."

expert baker Rose Levy Beranbaum

If Epicurious.com ever decided to do a cake-version of "Around the World in 80 Dishes," Krystina Castella's A World of Cake (Storey) would be a good book to have on hand. Truly global in her coverage, Castella's book is a great resource for anyone with a sweet tooth and particularly, a penchant for cakes.

The introductory chapter includes a year's worth of cake-appropriate holidays (October 2 for Gandhi's birthday; late May/early June for Lazybones Day in the Netherlands). My favorite part of the introduction is where Castella discusses cake categories: Chiffons, doughnuts, honey cakes, rice cakes, and more all have their place in the larger cake family. With 150 cake recipes showcased by region, there are some that are definitely familiar: King Cake, Black Forest Cake, Panettone, Mochi. And then there are the unfamiliar, and that's when things get really exciting. Malpuas from India, Nutmeg Cake from Armenia, Bolognese Rice Cake from Italy, Simnel from Ireland—the list goes on and on. Options for fillings, icings, and other flavors are presented with each recipe and interesting factoids about the specific recipe help put the cake in context. So if cakes have a special place in your heart and on your palate, you'll appreciate Castella's passion and knowledge about cakes and its world wide appeal.

Recipes to try:
- M'hanncha (Snake Cake) from Morocco
- Pan de Muerto from Mexico
- Vasilopita from Greece

Epicurious.com

. . . a well researched, thoughtfully organized, almost documentary-like survey of cakes around the world by someone who has written several dessert books (Booze Cakes, Crazy About Cupcakes), perhaps best politely described as whimsical, was exactly -- but then again not quite -- what we expected. But this is a good book, a great one, even.

LA Weekly Blog