The European Cake Cookbook: Discover a New World of Decadence from the Celebrated Traditions of European Baking Paperback – March 13, 2018

I was pleasantly surprised by this book (kindle edition).I had never heard of this blogger before this purchase though. I would have enjoyed a little more photos than just the one per cake, however, I have been going to the author’s website to get more detailed photos and videos. Hope there are more books like this in the future.

Some of these look sooooo DELICIOUS!!! Can't wait to try them! I grew up in an Eastern European home and many if these look so familiar!

I have been following Tatyana on Youtube for quite a while so when I found out she has a cookbook, I knew I had to get it. She makes the most beautiful cakes but they are doable. So far I have tried the Austrian Pound Cake, Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Tea Cake and Kladkkaka. I didn’t care for the Austrian Pound Cake only because I am not a fan of apricots. The cake has good texture though and good flavor if you like apricots. Now the blueberry cake is a different story. It is so delicious! It is the best blueberry lemon cake I’ve ever had. So yummy with my morning coffee. This is the author’s favorite cake and I could tell why. The Kladkkaka is excellent as well.I have yet to try the more complicated cakes in the book but I am just dying to bake and bake ‘til I get into a sugar coma lol. This is my very first cookbook and I am so happy I bought it. You definitely need this if you are tired of the usual American cakes. Most of the cakes look stunning and delicious. If you are looking for something different (cake wise), this cookbook is definitely a must-have.

I have many of the recipes marked for future baking projects. Made the Bird's Milk Cake yesterday and am getting ready to put the final layer on this morning. Tatyana uses some products that I have not used in the past: sweetened condensed milk, agar gelatin but, I like learning new ways to do things. I live alone so it is always a major deal to make a cake using whip cream that has a short life. So if any turn out to be great, my neighbors will have to suffer through being "testers" for me and the cakes! It can get a little expensive to buy the ingredients called for that go above and beyond what I would normally have in my pantry and fridge, ie. lots of whip cream, the cans of condensed milk etc. But it is so much fun to learn something new.....I will be a baker to the end. Wish she could do a class on Craftsy website. I have taken many of their classes and it is such a great way to learn some new techniques.

I am also Eastern European and learned to bake from my mother from when I was a kid, and let me tell you, European desserts can be complex and are not easy to get right. Tatyana simplifies the process so that you have a fancy and delicious result. I am so impressed with the variety of recipes and all the amazing pictures, I only wish she had more dessert books! I collect dessert books, and hers is my favorite by far. I have purchased her book for my mom and my sister, and they love it too. I have been following Tatyana's everyday food you tube channel for several years now, and my 10-year old son & 7-year-old daughter often beg to watch her because they know that means we will baking something delicious next, lol.

I just tried last night making the very first recipe in this book - Peach Zefir Torte. Need to say, it could have turned out better. Well, it is still a wonderful cake, but there were few points of frustration. For instance, I couldn't found agar gelatin in any of the stores in the area. I guess this is a price for living a rural life. However, I looked it up online and discovered that I can use just plain gelatin instead in exactly same amount. So, I did that. I believe the author should have offered substitutes. My next obstacle was that the Zefir icing would not come to a condition described in a book. After mixing it on high in my stand mixer for a given amount of time it was still much runnier than described and not suitable for piping. I was a bit frustrated, but I remembered what my mom told me about her experience with Zefir desserts at home: the icing needed to cool to get desired consistency for piping. So, I put it in a fridge for about 20 minutes. After that it was much more like what was described in a book. The book made it sound like whipping Zefir on high speed would give it needed consistency, but it was actually combination of whipping and cooling. I guess, the author should have said something like "if the mass still not pulling from the sides of the bowl by the time you have done whipping it for 6-8 minutes, place it into the fridge for about 15 minutes or until it cools off and thickens to a desired consistency". There are certainly ways to improve this first recipe and I am marking my copy for all that I had to change to make it work under my circumstances. Overall, it is worth trying. Keep in mind that you may need to adjust the recipe on the fly.

I purchased this book after checking it out from our local library over two months. I don't own many cookbooks and I like to "test drive" them before I commit to a purchase. My creative goal for 2021 was to make fun, fancy, cakes and this book has me well on the way. The instructions are clear and I really enjoy the variety of flavors, styles, and regions. The photographs are very helpful. Some of these cakes are quite a bit of work and some are fairly easy. I have made seven recipes so far with five of them being ones I would repeat. I am learning new ingredients and new techniques and having a lot of fun. My friends really enjoy this hobby as I cannot eat all of these cakes alone.

The pictures and creativity are amazing. Love the way it has pictures so you can have an idea of the recipe. Lovely desserts