Kindle Price: $4.99

Save $32.51 (87%)

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

What's for Dessert: Simple Recipes for Dessert People: A Baking Book Kindle Edition


Great on Kindle
Great Experience. Great Value.
iphone with kindle app
Putting our best book forward
Each Great on Kindle book offers a great reading experience, at a better value than print to keep your wallet happy.

Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.

View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.

Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.

Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.

Get the free Kindle app: Link to the kindle app page Link to the kindle app page
Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this book. Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.
JAMES BEARD AWARD NOMINEENEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A love letter to dessert by the New York Times bestselling author of Dessert Person

ONE OF THE TEN BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR:
Simply Recipes
ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR:
Bon Appétit, Vice, Saveur, Mother Jones

“Whether you’re into flambés, soufflés, or simple loaf cakes this book offers over 100 different answers to that all-important question: What’s for dessert?”—Claire Saffitz

Claire Saffitz returns with 100 recipes for all dessert people—whether you’re into impressive-yet-easy molten lava cakes, comforting rice pudding, or decadent chestnut brownies. In this all-new collection, Claire shares recipes for icebox cakes, pies, cobblers, custards, cookies and more, all crafted to be as streamlined as possible. (No stand mixer? No problem! You won’t need one.) To keep the recipes straightforward and simple, Claire makes sure each recipe is extra efficient, whether you’re making a Whipped Tres Leches Cake with Hazelnuts or Caramel Peanut Popcorn Bars. Fans will find all the warmth, encouragement, and deliciously foolproof recipes with loads of troubleshooting advice that they’ve come to count on from Claire.
Due to its large file size, this book may take longer to download

From the Publisher

From soufflés to simple loaf cakes, 100 answers to the question: What’s for dessert?

photo of No-Bake Strawberry Ricotta Cheesecake

photo of Mango-Yogurt Mousse

photo of Cocoa-Chestnut Brownies

No-Bake Strawberry Ricotta Cheesecake

Mango-Yogurt Mousse

Cocoa-Chestnut Brownies

photo of  Morning Glorious Loaf Cake

photo of Honey & Tahini Toffee Matzo

photo of Apricot & Strawberry Galette

Morning Glorious Loaf Cake

Honey & Tahini Toffee Matzo

Apricot & Strawberry Galette

“Asking ‘what’s for dessert’ is a personal exercise” says Claire Saffitz

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Claire Saffitz is the bestselling author of Dessert Person and host of the cookbook companion YouTube series Dessert Person. After graduating from Harvard University, she received a master's degree in culinary history from McGill in Montreal and then studied pastry in Paris at École Grégoire Ferrandi. She lives in New York City with her husband and two cats.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

"What's for dessert?"

It’s a nightly refrain in our house. Without fail, as soon as dinner is done and before the plates are cleared, I turn and ask my husband, Harris, this question with a mix of eagerness and excitement. When I’m deep in recipe-testing mode, there’s a certain tongue-in-cheekiness to the question, since we might already have a cake or pastry sitting on the countertop. But on other nights, the answer is open-ended. Dessert could be a piece of cookie dough pulled from the freezer and baked, or a spoonful of hot fudge or caramel sauce scooped from a jar in the fridge. Absent any of these options, we get creative. Harris might schmear a little chocolate-hazelnut spread over a graham cracker or whip up a glass of chocolate milk. Or, we simply dip out to our corner bodega for an ice cream bar. Whatever dessert is, I have to have it, and savoring it is a ritual Harris and I always look forward to sharing.

Asking “what’s for dessert?” is more than a nightly routine, it’s a personal exercise. It prompts me to imagine all the ways I can bestow myself and those around me with (edible) pleasures and comforts. Conceiving an answer and bringing it to life are acts of self-care and care for others. During the pandemic, when many of our normal sources of enjoyment disappeared, the question took on new import. I found myself at home thinking of new and creative ways I could add a little sweetness to daily life—literally.

Historically, dessert to me has always meant something baked, but this book expands that definition. Here I embrace a wide variety of desserts, from those cooked on the stovetop to those chilled in the freezer or refrigerator, as well as those served largeformat and individually, free-form and composed. Whether you’re into flambés, soufflés, or simple loaf cakes, there’s a happiness-inducing dessert here for everyone. In celebrating this vast and beautiful spectrum, this book offers over 100 different answers to that all-important question: What’s for dessert?

I hope that the breadth of recipes in this book inspires you to discover new ways of being a dessert person (or to become one, if you’re not already), but I know this won’t happen unless you actually want to prepare the recipes at home in your own kitchen. With that in mind, I take into account home bakers’ time, space, and budget limitations in an effort to make each recipe as approachable as possible. None requires a stand mixer and only about half require a hand mixer, meaning a great number are makeable entirely by hand.

Like many people, I experienced a degree of burnout in the kitchen after preparing so many meals at home in the early months of the pandemic. This diminished ambition became an asset while I was developing the recipes for this book. It drove me to employ store-bought ingredients both thoughtfully and strategically, and to focus on simple, make-ahead recipes with wide margins of error—what Harris calls “cook’s desserts.” Not only can every person find a dessert here to suit their tastes, they can find one to match the time and energy they want to invest as well (see Recipe Matrix on pages 8–9).

Though none of the recipes in this book rises to the occasion of a project, they range in difficulty level from 1 (Very Easy) to 3 (Moderate). The very easy ones, like my HoneyRoasted Apple Cake (page 138) and French 75 Jelly with Grapefruit (page 42), don’t require a lot of time, focus, or technique and could be made while also putting dinner on the table, doing laundry, or emptying the dishwasher (believe me, I’ve done all). The moderate ones, like the Souffléed Lemon Bread Pudding (page 325) and Walnut & Oat Slab Pie (page 273), are a bit more involved but provide learning and entertainment in the kitchen without being all-day affairs. No matter the difficulty level or time commitment, each recipe is streamlined so it comes together as efficiently as possible. (See About the Recipes, page 15, for more on this approach and a more detailed breakdown of the difficulty ratings.) If you’re a beginner, rest assured: No dessert in this book is out of your reach.

For inspiration and to broaden my dessert horizons, I turned to cookbooks by lauded pastry chefs and authors such as Claudia Fleming, Gale Gand, Gina DePalma, Emily Luchetti, Karen DeMasco, Dorie Greenspan, and Flo Braker. These works helped me get to know the canons of classic American and European desserts and planted the seeds that became many of the retro-leaning recipes here, like Banana-Sesame Cream Tart (page 245) and Marbled Sheet Cake (page 176). I also explored the charming and homespun world of community cookbooks, including ones my mom has had on her shelf for years, to learn more about the history of home desserts (these spiral-bound recipe collections, written and compiled by local organizations like church groups and rotary clubs, are gems—look for them in used bookstores and on eBay and Etsy). These sources inspired me to create recipes that feel at times humble and homey and at other times a little fancy, but always fun, joyful, and a touch whimsical.

While this book features many different kinds of desserts, there's a timeless quality to how a great number of them look and taste. In many cases, I don’t mess with beloved classics that need no updating, so I provide faithful versions of Crème Brûlée (page 291) and Eton Mess (page 319). In other cases, I tweak the flavor, format, or scale of an old favorite, as I do in Old-Fashioned Cherries Jubilee (page 105) and Tiramisu-y Icebox Cake (page 63). And sometimes I incorporate familiar elements into more original creations, like Roasted Lemon Tart (page 253) and Phyllo Cardamom Pinwheels (page 186). No matter the specific recipe, you’ll find the clear imprint of my style throughout: lots of fruit, no fussy decoration, clear flavors, and multiple textures.

This collection of desserts feels classic to me. That sense is a reflection of my family history, my childhood growing up in the Midwest, my culinary education in Paris, and my time living in New York City. Though what constitutes a “classic” differs for everyone according to age, geography, and life experience, I think you’ll find desserts in these chapters that give you a taste of the comforting and familiar, too.

I’ve organized the recipes into chapters according to where and how they come together: inside the oven, on the stovetop, or in the refrigerator and freezer. The idea is to provide a certain user-friendliness. If, say, you’re a college student living in a dorm, you can make no-oven-needed Persimmon Panna Cotta (page 51) from the Chilled & Frozen Desserts chapter, or Malted & Salted Caramel Pudding (page 119) from the Stovetop Desserts chapter. Or, if it’s cold outside and you’re in the mood to bake, select something cozy-sounding from one of the oven-focused chapters, like the Cranberry Anadama Cake (page 153) in Easy Cakes.

Thinking about dessert along these lines revealed fascinating patterns. About half of the recipes in the book—the ones that fall into the chapters titled Easy Cakes; Bars, Cookies & Candied Things; and Pies, Tarts, Cobblers & Crisps—get their structure from flour. The other half—the ones falling into Chilled & Frozen Desserts, Stovetop Desserts, and More Desserts from the Oven—get their structure from eggs. The wide variety of custards, puddings, and other egg-based desserts in the book means that gluten-free options abound. You’ll also find a couple of vegan recipes.

While the categories indicate something essential about the recipes, they’re also somewhat subjective. Fried Sour Cherry Pies (page 271) could be classified in both the Stovetop Desserts chapter and the Pies, Tarts, Cobblers & Crisps chapter, but, because I think of them as pies first and foremost, I decided to put them in the latter. Blood Orange Pudding Cake (page 297), though cakelike, is made much like a custard or soufflé, so I filed it in the More Desserts from the Oven chapter. This fluidity between categories demonstrates that, really, all desserts are related!

I’ve been practicing the baking and pastry arts long enough to know instinctively when to stop whipping cream for soft peaks or when curd is about to thicken. At the same time, I remember the uncertainty I felt toward these and other techniques as I was learning in the kitchen. That’s why the final chapter, Essential Recipes & Techniques, focuses on the preparations and processes—both major and minor—that form the foundations of dessert, from All-Purpose Meringue (page 344) to Cutting Citrus (page 357). You’ll find step-by-step photos and detailed instructions to guide and reassure you at every turn.

This book is my love letter to dessert. Writing it taught me more than I imagined possible about the fascinating and delicious realm of sweet flavors and deepened my appreciation and admiration for the process of creating them. Though I originally embarked on writing this cookbook to expand my own horizons and become a more well-rounded dessert person, it quickly became a vehicle for providing my fellow dessert people with a wide variety of approachable recipes. As dessert people, we share the recognition that food is about pleasure rather than guilt, sociability rather than snobbery, and inclusivity rather than exclusivity. Whether you're a fruit dessert person or a chocolate dessert person, a frozen dessert person or a baked dessert person, this book answers your burning question: What's for dessert?

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09WZSRWGJ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Clarkson Potter (November 8, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 8, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 434094 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 364 pages
  • Customer Reviews:

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Claire Saffitz
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Claire Saffitz is a freelance recipe developer and video host. Previously, she was Senior Food Editor at Bon Appétit magazine, where she worked for five years in the test kitchen. She is currently the host of the series Gourmet Makes on the Bon Appétit YouTube channel, where she uses her classical pastry knowledge to reverse engineer popular snack foods and candy.

Claire was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri and now lives in New York City. She graduated with honors from Harvard University in 2009, studied classic French cuisine and pastry at École Grégoire Ferrandi in Paris in 2012, and completed her Masters degree in History at McGill University in 2014, where she focused on culinary History in the Early Modern Era.

Her first cookbook, Dessert Person, published by Clarkson Potter, debuts in October 2020. Dessert Person is a celebration of baking and pastry and all things sweet. But to Claire, being a self-described "dessert person" is also an attitude; it’s about embracing cooking and eating as fundamental sources of pleasure. This book empowers reluctant home bakers to bake with more confidence and approach food with greater joy, because anyone can be a dessert person -- even people who think they’re not.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
917 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the recipes in the book great for beginners, as they don't require elaborate kitchens. They also appreciate the author's explanation of basic techniques and writing style, describing it as excellent. Readers describe the content as beautiful, interesting, and full of amazing advice.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

34 customers mention "Recipe quality"31 positive3 negative

Customers find the recipes in the book great for beginners, with easy-to-understand instructions. They also say the book is full of pictures and dessert ideas.

"...The instructions are clear and straightforward and I watched the YouTube videos to visualize the procedure before I get started...." Read more

"...Her second book has easier recipes and more supplementary and useful information like Can I make ahead, substitute or omit specific ingredients...." Read more

"...They are great recipes and they turn out great and are very well explained. She raises the bar on how cook books should be written" Read more

"Beautiful book, recipes, photos...buy it!" Read more

20 customers mention "Content"16 positive4 negative

Customers find the book beautiful, interesting, and good to learn from. They also mention that it provides great basics and advice on expanding on those basics.

"...Her second book has easier recipes and more supplementary and useful information like Can I make ahead, substitute or omit specific ingredients...." Read more

"Beautiful book, recipes, photos...buy it!" Read more

"...This recipe book is full of amazing advice and great basics and how to expand on those basics. Very much am looking forward to create each recipe!..." Read more

"Beautiful photos and delicious recipes ranging from easy to complex. Clare is a brilliant chef/baker and I’ve been a fan since her BA days." Read more

11 customers mention "Explanation"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book takes a lot of care to explain basic techniques, the proper order, and why and what to look for. They also appreciate the well-written and clear recipes and great instructional photos.

"...It’s very easy to make but the flavor is complex because of the fennel, olive oil, lemon zest, and black berries...." Read more

"...She takes a lot of care to explain basic techniques, the proper order and why and what to look out for...." Read more

"...They are great recipes and they turn out great and are very well explained. She raises the bar on how cook books should be written" Read more

"...critique is the font is a bit on the small size, the detail to instructions is crystal clear and in depth so I understand why the font size may have..." Read more

9 customers mention "Writing style"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing style excellent, with great taste and balance when it comes to creating desserts. They also say the recipes are unusual and less cloyingly sweet. Readers also mention that the writer’s voice is present and reassuring.

"...The olive oil has a special flavor that got carried out perfectly by the lemon juice and zest, and with every bite the blackberries inside and on..." Read more

"...This is worth it if you like desserts that are seasonal and overall less cloyingly sweet. And genuinely want to learn techniques that she employs...." Read more

"...Overall, recipes are unusual, the writer’s voice present and reassuring, and, despite the challenges noted here, I look forward to working with this..." Read more

"...doesn’t like things to be obnoxiously sweet, she has such great taste and balance when it comes to creating desserts. She’s truly gifted...." Read more

This book is more approachable than the first book, Dessert Person
5 Stars
This book is more approachable than the first book, Dessert Person
I love Claire’s first book Dessert Person and I got her second book What’s for dessert as soon as it got out.First of all, this book includes 100 wonderful recipes and they are at an easier level in general. In the book D.P., there are quite a few recipes that needed food processor or a stand mixer, and some of the recipes can be quite challenging. For example, some recipes may take 5 hours to prepare, and with different equipments involved. sometimes with little ones to care for in the house, it’s hard to devote so many hours to make a dessert that’s too time consuming. I have never made the pancake in the DP book because I just can’t spend an hour and a half in preparing for pancakes besides breakfast.Secondly, this new book WFD, only requires hand mixer as the equipment. Even though I would still use my stand mixer for some recipes, it’s not a must have. It’s also nice knowing I don’t have to turn the whole kitchen upside down to make a dessert on a rainy day. However I do enjoy the DP book still for some challenging recipes at times.So far I have made 2 desserts from this book: blueberry buckle and tiramisuy icebox cake, they both turned out great. The instructions are clear and straightforward and I watched the YouTube videos to visualize the procedure before I get started. I would also read the instructions a few times before I started making the dessert, just to make sure I didn’t have to run to the grocery store in the midst of making the dessert and to make sure I fully understand how each step was done.Thirdly, this book has a special section talking about how things work, like how to cream butter and how to watch for the cream when it’s being whipped. I truly enjoyed learning “why” besides simply learning “how” when I make things. I have learned so much from Claire and I feel I got more intuition in making desserts now.Lastly, I really love the way Claire’s recipes are, they are not loaded with sugar like the desserts I got from grocery stores. Instead, her desserts are loaded with complex flavor that supports the theme of the dessert. For example, I just tried the Lemon bunt cake recipe lately and the olive oil in the cake just totally carried out the fragrance of the lemon and the olive oil itself. The glaze on the cake made a crunchy outer layer of the cake and the olive oil made the cake sooo moist! I never liked store bought lemon cakes but this Lemon bunt cake I made is almost gone in one day!!!! I also made the marbled cake with sprinkles on it, and the icing had “tangzhong” in it (it’s a mixture of flour milk and sugar cooked slowly on stove top), and that made the icing tastes like marshmallow. I always thought tangzhong is for bread only but to put it in the icing of the cake is just a genius trick. Claire really got a great taste and she’s so talented in developing such a wonderful book. I never liked desserts before I got her books, but now I look forward to make at least one dessert every week for my family and friends. My friends started calling me dessert queen because they loved the desserts I made so much, and I give total credit to Claire.Update: I have made quite a few recipes since then and they all turned out great. I like to make dessert for a big gathering and it’s always a big hit. The desserts are not super sweet like the ones you get in a bakery shop, but they are filled with complex flavors.There’s a fennel & olive oil cake, with black berries in the cake that’s really great. It’s very easy to make but the flavor is complex because of the fennel, olive oil, lemon zest, and black berries. The olive oil has a special flavor that got carried out perfectly by the lemon juice and zest, and with every bite the blackberries inside and on top of the cake gave out a different texture and fruity taste to the cake. After I finished eating the piece I can taste the subtle flavors of fennel in my mouth, which is a decent flavor. The body of the cake is so soft and light that reminds me of Nothing Bunt Cake, but a lot less sweet than their version. There’s also the banana toffee pudding being my favorite, and you can check it out on Claire’s YouTube channel, it’s definitely worth a try, and you’ll see why it’s my and many of my friends favorite recipe.Please let me know if my review is helpful and I will update my review when I try more recipes.
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2023
I love Claire’s first book Dessert Person and I got her second book What’s for dessert as soon as it got out.

First of all, this book includes 100 wonderful recipes and they are at an easier level in general. In the book D.P., there are quite a few recipes that needed food processor or a stand mixer, and some of the recipes can be quite challenging. For example, some recipes may take 5 hours to prepare, and with different equipments involved. sometimes with little ones to care for in the house, it’s hard to devote so many hours to make a dessert that’s too time consuming. I have never made the pancake in the DP book because I just can’t spend an hour and a half in preparing for pancakes besides breakfast.

Secondly, this new book WFD, only requires hand mixer as the equipment. Even though I would still use my stand mixer for some recipes, it’s not a must have. It’s also nice knowing I don’t have to turn the whole kitchen upside down to make a dessert on a rainy day. However I do enjoy the DP book still for some challenging recipes at times.

So far I have made 2 desserts from this book: blueberry buckle and tiramisuy icebox cake, they both turned out great. The instructions are clear and straightforward and I watched the YouTube videos to visualize the procedure before I get started. I would also read the instructions a few times before I started making the dessert, just to make sure I didn’t have to run to the grocery store in the midst of making the dessert and to make sure I fully understand how each step was done.

Thirdly, this book has a special section talking about how things work, like how to cream butter and how to watch for the cream when it’s being whipped. I truly enjoyed learning “why” besides simply learning “how” when I make things. I have learned so much from Claire and I feel I got more intuition in making desserts now.

Lastly, I really love the way Claire’s recipes are, they are not loaded with sugar like the desserts I got from grocery stores. Instead, her desserts are loaded with complex flavor that supports the theme of the dessert. For example, I just tried the Lemon bunt cake recipe lately and the olive oil in the cake just totally carried out the fragrance of the lemon and the olive oil itself. The glaze on the cake made a crunchy outer layer of the cake and the olive oil made the cake sooo moist! I never liked store bought lemon cakes but this Lemon bunt cake I made is almost gone in one day!!!! I also made the marbled cake with sprinkles on it, and the icing had “tangzhong” in it (it’s a mixture of flour milk and sugar cooked slowly on stove top), and that made the icing tastes like marshmallow. I always thought tangzhong is for bread only but to put it in the icing of the cake is just a genius trick. Claire really got a great taste and she’s so talented in developing such a wonderful book. I never liked desserts before I got her books, but now I look forward to make at least one dessert every week for my family and friends. My friends started calling me dessert queen because they loved the desserts I made so much, and I give total credit to Claire.

Update: I have made quite a few recipes since then and they all turned out great. I like to make dessert for a big gathering and it’s always a big hit. The desserts are not super sweet like the ones you get in a bakery shop, but they are filled with complex flavors.

There’s a fennel & olive oil cake, with black berries in the cake that’s really great. It’s very easy to make but the flavor is complex because of the fennel, olive oil, lemon zest, and black berries. The olive oil has a special flavor that got carried out perfectly by the lemon juice and zest, and with every bite the blackberries inside and on top of the cake gave out a different texture and fruity taste to the cake. After I finished eating the piece I can taste the subtle flavors of fennel in my mouth, which is a decent flavor. The body of the cake is so soft and light that reminds me of Nothing Bunt Cake, but a lot less sweet than their version. There’s also the banana toffee pudding being my favorite, and you can check it out on Claire’s YouTube channel, it’s definitely worth a try, and you’ll see why it’s my and many of my friends favorite recipe.

Please let me know if my review is helpful and I will update my review when I try more recipes.
Customer image
5.0 out of 5 stars This book is more approachable than the first book, Dessert Person
Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2023
I love Claire’s first book Dessert Person and I got her second book What’s for dessert as soon as it got out.

First of all, this book includes 100 wonderful recipes and they are at an easier level in general. In the book D.P., there are quite a few recipes that needed food processor or a stand mixer, and some of the recipes can be quite challenging. For example, some recipes may take 5 hours to prepare, and with different equipments involved. sometimes with little ones to care for in the house, it’s hard to devote so many hours to make a dessert that’s too time consuming. I have never made the pancake in the DP book because I just can’t spend an hour and a half in preparing for pancakes besides breakfast.

Secondly, this new book WFD, only requires hand mixer as the equipment. Even though I would still use my stand mixer for some recipes, it’s not a must have. It’s also nice knowing I don’t have to turn the whole kitchen upside down to make a dessert on a rainy day. However I do enjoy the DP book still for some challenging recipes at times.

So far I have made 2 desserts from this book: blueberry buckle and tiramisuy icebox cake, they both turned out great. The instructions are clear and straightforward and I watched the YouTube videos to visualize the procedure before I get started. I would also read the instructions a few times before I started making the dessert, just to make sure I didn’t have to run to the grocery store in the midst of making the dessert and to make sure I fully understand how each step was done.

Thirdly, this book has a special section talking about how things work, like how to cream butter and how to watch for the cream when it’s being whipped. I truly enjoyed learning “why” besides simply learning “how” when I make things. I have learned so much from Claire and I feel I got more intuition in making desserts now.

Lastly, I really love the way Claire’s recipes are, they are not loaded with sugar like the desserts I got from grocery stores. Instead, her desserts are loaded with complex flavor that supports the theme of the dessert. For example, I just tried the Lemon bunt cake recipe lately and the olive oil in the cake just totally carried out the fragrance of the lemon and the olive oil itself. The glaze on the cake made a crunchy outer layer of the cake and the olive oil made the cake sooo moist! I never liked store bought lemon cakes but this Lemon bunt cake I made is almost gone in one day!!!! I also made the marbled cake with sprinkles on it, and the icing had “tangzhong” in it (it’s a mixture of flour milk and sugar cooked slowly on stove top), and that made the icing tastes like marshmallow. I always thought tangzhong is for bread only but to put it in the icing of the cake is just a genius trick. Claire really got a great taste and she’s so talented in developing such a wonderful book. I never liked desserts before I got her books, but now I look forward to make at least one dessert every week for my family and friends. My friends started calling me dessert queen because they loved the desserts I made so much, and I give total credit to Claire.

Update: I have made quite a few recipes since then and they all turned out great. I like to make dessert for a big gathering and it’s always a big hit. The desserts are not super sweet like the ones you get in a bakery shop, but they are filled with complex flavors.

There’s a fennel & olive oil cake, with black berries in the cake that’s really great. It’s very easy to make but the flavor is complex because of the fennel, olive oil, lemon zest, and black berries. The olive oil has a special flavor that got carried out perfectly by the lemon juice and zest, and with every bite the blackberries inside and on top of the cake gave out a different texture and fruity taste to the cake. After I finished eating the piece I can taste the subtle flavors of fennel in my mouth, which is a decent flavor. The body of the cake is so soft and light that reminds me of Nothing Bunt Cake, but a lot less sweet than their version. There’s also the banana toffee pudding being my favorite, and you can check it out on Claire’s YouTube channel, it’s definitely worth a try, and you’ll see why it’s my and many of my friends favorite recipe.

Please let me know if my review is helpful and I will update my review when I try more recipes.
Images in this review
Customer image Customer image Customer image Customer image Customer image Customer image Customer image Customer image Customer image Customer image Customer image
Customer imageCustomer imageCustomer imageCustomer imageCustomer imageCustomer imageCustomer imageCustomer imageCustomer imageCustomer imageCustomer image
112 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2022
Long time fan of Claire. Her style, palette and ability to teach while creating delectable desserts is why I’m a super fan. Her second book has easier recipes and more supplementary and useful information like Can I make ahead, substitute or omit specific ingredients. She has the recipe difficulty matrix again in this book, which is very handy. She takes a lot of care to explain basic techniques, the proper order and why and what to look out for. I doubt I’ll look at any other pastry chef’s cookbooks especially if they have less detail than her books. This is worth it if you like desserts that are seasonal and overall less cloyingly sweet. And genuinely want to learn techniques that she employs. The fact that she also creates videos on YouTube that compliment her book is genius. Before purchasing this book I made crème brûlée based on her YouTube video and it was unbelievably good, if that’s not a testament to a good teacher and creator I don’t know what other proof you need. If you hesitate buying her book, watch one of her videos and try the recipe, her book is well worth having instead of pausing the video every 10 seconds. Wonderful and meticulous work, as always, beyond happy to support her and see her thrive beyond BA.
31 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2024
Claire’s books are honestly my favorite in my cook book collection. They are great recipes and they turn out great and are very well explained. She raises the bar on how cook books should be written
One person found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2024
Beautiful book, recipes, photos...buy it!
3 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2024
The recipes in this book are outstanding but do be aware that the book is large - almost like a coffee table book. It's totally worth it, even if you have to buy a bigger table to put it on! (Just kidding about the table)
4 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2022
I received this about two days ago and have been reading over the recipes. Wide variation of recipes great for any season and none are very technical or difficult. This recipe book is full of amazing advice and great basics and how to expand on those basics. Very much am looking forward to create each recipe! My only critique is the font is a bit on the small size, the detail to instructions is crystal clear and in depth so I understand why the font size may have to be smaller so I am not going to deduct from my rating. Overall this is a great one to purchase especially if you do not have a stand mixer as all recipes can be made with a hand mixer.
10 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2022
Saffitz is an excellent teacher in video formats, which is why I purchased this (expensive) book. Her teaching orientation continues here, as she offers many helpful hints about technique or products that, even as an experienced cook and baker, I have not seen before. My criticisms are three: first, while she tells us in each recipe how far ahead the dessert can be made, it appears that while most can be refrigerated, they cannot be wrapped and frozen in advance by the nature of the recipes. This is a shame, as most of the time if we are serving dessert, we’re cooking dinner, too. Secondly, the font, font size, and use of light-colored ink for each recipe’s tips will make this a challenge for many readers to read comfortably. This is too bad, because the use of white space and bold fonts in the actual recipe steps very much helps clarity. Finally, a personal reaction to the aesthetic of the full page photos of each recipe: there is a lot of brown throughout and most desserts are staged with dark shadowed backgrounds. This is clearly intentional, but to my eye, it’s depressing, and I am not experiencing the joy I would have hoped when leafing through this new work. Cooks in some areas of the US will find it hard to find some of the non-negotiable ingredients here, like fresh quince, kumquats, chestnuts, or even black sesame seeds. Overall, recipes are unusual, the writer’s voice present and reassuring, and, despite the challenges noted here, I look forward to working with this book.
78 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2024
Got this for my husband for Father’s Day. It just arrived and he’s already so excited to try out these recipes!

Top reviews from other countries

Carrie bryant
5.0 out of 5 stars Recipe book
Reviewed in Canada on January 5, 2024
Flipped through it
It looks pretty good
Lots of pictures and that’s a positive… because a recipe book with no pictures… is kinda bad
2 people found this helpful
Report
Dulce Maria Larrrañaga
3.0 out of 5 stars La compra en línea todo bien sólo que el libro llegó maltratado
Reviewed in Mexico on March 23, 2023
El producto si me gusta pero llego maltratado de las esquinas y me da flojera hacer todo el trámite para que me lo cambien aunque se que me lo cambiarían preferiría que llegara en buenas condiciones y no tener que ocupar tiempo en estar haciendo devoluciones o cambios
john harrison
5.0 out of 5 stars Another brilliant book from Claire.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 29, 2024
Amazing book, well written and beautifully presented. Great selection of recipes that work brilliantly. Another hit from Claire.
Claudia Jahn
5.0 out of 5 stars Geschenk
Reviewed in Germany on August 18, 2023
Es war ein Geschenk für meine Tochter und sie hat sich sehr gefreut. Ausserdem ging die Lieferung sehr schnell und sie hat es rechtzeitig bekommen.
Heather Winter
4.0 out of 5 stars Product arrived damaged
Reviewed in Australia on June 16, 2023
Book had a big ding in the spine. I tried to reach out for support to get a partial refund but the only option was to send it back at my expense. Book itself if great.

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?