Title:	Gateau: The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes
	Author:	Aleksandra Crapanzano
	Published:	Setember 27, 2022, Scribner
	No. of Pages:	384
	Cover Price:	$30.00 Hardcover, $14.99 Kindle

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Love to bake cakes? Then you’ll want to pick up Gateau: The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes by award winning author Aleksandra Crapanzano. This excellent cookbook has dozens of great recipes for cakes – both sweet and savory, as well as toppings and fillings. The names of the recipes are in French (as well as English), which makes them sound much more fancy and romantic than regular titles. At the beginning of each recipe, there is a paragraph or two giving information about the origin of the recipe, vignettes, stories, etc. The prose is very well-written and interesting; surely this cookbook is one that can be taken to a warm corner and read cover to cover.

The recipes are easy-to-follow; there are excellent instructions to insure perfect results. The variety is excellent so that anyone who wants to bake a cake and is looking for something specific will find it in this cookbook. Some of the recipes are a bit involved – these aren’t particularly quick or easy – but the end results will be spectacular. This will become a go-to cookbook because cake is just one of those things that belongs at meals, whether fancy for company or just for everyday.

The only unfortunate drawback is that there are no photographs of the finished cakes. While there are nice illustrations, they don’t inspire like a beautiful photograph. Nevertheless, Crapanzano knows her subject and is an excellent writer. Everyone will be able to find a good cake recipe (the savory ones are especially enticing) for any occasion.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.