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Coffee and Cake: Enjoy the Perfect Cup of Coffee--with Dozens of Delectable Recipes for Café Treats
Enjoy the perfect cup of coffee, complimented by delectable café treats. Coffee and Cake by Rick Rodgers—award-winning cooking teacher and author of more than 25 acclaimed cookbooks, including the Seasonal Gatherings and 101 series—has created a the perfect gift book for java lovers, combining the history and culture of coffee with essential information on how to best brew it in various machines, and delicious recipes for cakes to serve alongside.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 3, 2019
Rick Rodgers is an expert at writing really good cookbooks! And this one is exactly what I was looking for. Focusing not only on the cake, but on making the perfect cup of coffee, no matter what type of machine you choose to use.
I prefer the French Press. It's always reliable and gives me a smooth cup. He takes us through all of the different brewing methods and shares some excellent coffee drinks with us so by the time the cake portion comes around, you are ready with your cup of choice.
The cakes are the good old-fashioned kind our grandmothers made. Plus some European treats and two of my all time favorites, Sticky Toffee Pudding and Apple-Cranberry Ginger Loaf. Oh my goodness were those good. I plan on working my way through the entire book and pairing them with the appropriate coffee. Or tea. If you know me you'll know it's probably tea.
I can say honestly I love this little book!
I prefer the French Press. It's always reliable and gives me a smooth cup. He takes us through all of the different brewing methods and shares some excellent coffee drinks with us so by the time the cake portion comes around, you are ready with your cup of choice.
The cakes are the good old-fashioned kind our grandmothers made. Plus some European treats and two of my all time favorites, Sticky Toffee Pudding and Apple-Cranberry Ginger Loaf. Oh my goodness were those good. I plan on working my way through the entire book and pairing them with the appropriate coffee. Or tea. If you know me you'll know it's probably tea.
I can say honestly I love this little book!
August 12, 2017
Informative basic information about a household commodity. Good solid reference about coffee. Excellent recipes for coffee drinks and accompaniments. Bringing the coffeehouse home. Just add conversation and background music.
December 1, 2012
Rick Rodgers, author of the delightful tome Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague, returns to the subject of European-style coffee and baked goods in "Coffee and Cake." The first forty pages or so are devoted to an excellent, in-depth coffee primer, which includes a brief history of coffee, "coffee talk" (flavor notes and adjectives used to describe coffees, similar to wine tasting), growing regions, brewing tips, a section devoted solely to espresso, and types of coffee pots.
The included coffee recipes cover European territory such as Viennese coffees (fiaker), spiced mocha, Irish coffee, café brulot from New Orleans, and more far-flung variations such as Vietnamese and Thai (iced) coffee, along with a DIY frappe recipe (ice cream, espresso and whole milk) and an espresso martini.
As for the baking half, it's kicked off by an excellent baking primer that would be helpful for novice bakers in particular. There's in-depth discussion of ingredients, equipment, baking and cooling, and decorating. The cake recipes are divided into four parts. If you're looking for comfort food, you'll find heirloom recipes like apple-cranberry ginger loaf from the author's grandmother, almond blueberry buckle, or cinnamon swirl coffee cake. For the kids (and kids at heart), there's a section devoted to cupcakes and frosting. Gracious Southern-style cakes include ambrosia coconut cake and spice layer cake with praline frosting. You'll also find new favorites like a S'mores cheesecake and chocolate cake with chocolate malt frosting.
The first recipe that I tried was the apple-cranberry ginger loaf; I wrote the author to make sure that 2 cups unsweetened applesauce and 1/2 cup butter was correct, since that seemed like a lot of liquid for one loaf. Rick confirmed that it was. I made it minus the stick of butter in the interest of making the recipe low-fat and upped the ginger to 1/2 cup, and was rewarded with a moist, fruit-studded spice cake that would make a beautiful gift if baked in a decorative loaf pan like Nordic Ware Pumpkin Loaf Pan. Rick advises baking in a 9 x 5 pan, or you'll end up with extra batter. The apple-cranberry ginger loaf would also make great muffins for those chilly mornings on the go.
The European-style cakes are where the book really shines, and they pair wonderfully with Viennese coffees such as the fiaker (for more of Rick's European coffee recipes, try to find a copy of the excellent and out-of-print Kaffeehaus). Black Forest cake, moaahaccino torte, hazelnut gateau with coffee buttercream, chocolate-strawberry sachertorte, and tiramisu cake with mascarpone frosting will transport your tastebuds on a culinary vacation. The book wraps up with a handy (if brief) list of (online) sources, including Amazon.
"Coffee and Cake" does run on the short side at only eleven coffee recipes and twenty-five for cake, but Rick's excellent primers, engaging writing style, and step-by-step instructions make this a good choice for a novice baker, or for the hostess of a coffee (or book) club (it's the perfect size to tuck into a gift basket). There are numerous beautifully-staged photos that show off the included recipes. It's also printed in the US, which is becoming a rarity these days. More experienced bakers will want to try Rick's Kaffeehaus (if you can find it), Doris Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours or Carole Walter's Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More: 200 Anytime Treats and Special Sweets for Morning to Midnight.
The included coffee recipes cover European territory such as Viennese coffees (fiaker), spiced mocha, Irish coffee, café brulot from New Orleans, and more far-flung variations such as Vietnamese and Thai (iced) coffee, along with a DIY frappe recipe (ice cream, espresso and whole milk) and an espresso martini.
As for the baking half, it's kicked off by an excellent baking primer that would be helpful for novice bakers in particular. There's in-depth discussion of ingredients, equipment, baking and cooling, and decorating. The cake recipes are divided into four parts. If you're looking for comfort food, you'll find heirloom recipes like apple-cranberry ginger loaf from the author's grandmother, almond blueberry buckle, or cinnamon swirl coffee cake. For the kids (and kids at heart), there's a section devoted to cupcakes and frosting. Gracious Southern-style cakes include ambrosia coconut cake and spice layer cake with praline frosting. You'll also find new favorites like a S'mores cheesecake and chocolate cake with chocolate malt frosting.
The first recipe that I tried was the apple-cranberry ginger loaf; I wrote the author to make sure that 2 cups unsweetened applesauce and 1/2 cup butter was correct, since that seemed like a lot of liquid for one loaf. Rick confirmed that it was. I made it minus the stick of butter in the interest of making the recipe low-fat and upped the ginger to 1/2 cup, and was rewarded with a moist, fruit-studded spice cake that would make a beautiful gift if baked in a decorative loaf pan like Nordic Ware Pumpkin Loaf Pan. Rick advises baking in a 9 x 5 pan, or you'll end up with extra batter. The apple-cranberry ginger loaf would also make great muffins for those chilly mornings on the go.
The European-style cakes are where the book really shines, and they pair wonderfully with Viennese coffees such as the fiaker (for more of Rick's European coffee recipes, try to find a copy of the excellent and out-of-print Kaffeehaus). Black Forest cake, moaahaccino torte, hazelnut gateau with coffee buttercream, chocolate-strawberry sachertorte, and tiramisu cake with mascarpone frosting will transport your tastebuds on a culinary vacation. The book wraps up with a handy (if brief) list of (online) sources, including Amazon.
"Coffee and Cake" does run on the short side at only eleven coffee recipes and twenty-five for cake, but Rick's excellent primers, engaging writing style, and step-by-step instructions make this a good choice for a novice baker, or for the hostess of a coffee (or book) club (it's the perfect size to tuck into a gift basket). There are numerous beautifully-staged photos that show off the included recipes. It's also printed in the US, which is becoming a rarity these days. More experienced bakers will want to try Rick's Kaffeehaus (if you can find it), Doris Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours or Carole Walter's Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More: 200 Anytime Treats and Special Sweets for Morning to Midnight.
March 5, 2011
Coffee and Cake / 978-0-06-193832-0
I sort of feel bad only giving this book 3 stars - the writing is really well done and the *incredibly* detailed information on coffee- and cake-ingredients is extremely detailed and helpful if you're an aspiring cook and really wants to know why all the ingredients have to be "room temperature" or why you're supposed to alternate dry- and wet-ingredients. This is possibly one of the most "scientific" cookbooks I've ever owned, although of course the science is limited to coffee and cakes.
Overall, though, this lovely little book seems a little too short and a little under-illustrated - I agree with the reviewer that called it "not quite a coffee table book, not quite a recipe book". There aren't very many recipes here, and there's a distinct lack of pictures, which is something that I personally am starting to take a really hard-line with in my cookbooks - I know pictures cost money to stage, take, and print, but if I don't know what the outcome is supposed to look like, I can't get there myself, and I usually can't even tell if I want to *try*.
Of the coffee recipes, there are 11 recipes and 4 pictures; the cakes are divided into "types" (coffee cake, cupcakes, "all-American favorites", and "European treats") but total feature 26 recipes with 15 (I think!) pictures. I say "I think!" because 4 of the pictures are shown at the beginning of the chapter sections and seem to be repeats of dishes that are later pictured, so it might actually be 11 pictures total. The pictures aren't labelled, which I consider to be a cardinal sin of cookbooks, but it's usually pretty easy to link them to their given recipe.
If you're mostly interested in the chemistry of coffee- and cake-making and want a clear manual on how to make the best of each every time, then this is a good primer book, but I'm not sure that you couldn't get the information elsewhere. This might make a good gift book for someone really interested in the two themes, but overall I just feel a little underwhelmed with it. If there had been more pictures for the recipes, I would have given 4-stars, so if you don't mind the lack of pictures in a cookbook, take that into account and go wild.
NOTE: This review is based on a free Advance Review Copy of this book provided through Amazon Vine.
~ Ana Mardoll
I sort of feel bad only giving this book 3 stars - the writing is really well done and the *incredibly* detailed information on coffee- and cake-ingredients is extremely detailed and helpful if you're an aspiring cook and really wants to know why all the ingredients have to be "room temperature" or why you're supposed to alternate dry- and wet-ingredients. This is possibly one of the most "scientific" cookbooks I've ever owned, although of course the science is limited to coffee and cakes.
Overall, though, this lovely little book seems a little too short and a little under-illustrated - I agree with the reviewer that called it "not quite a coffee table book, not quite a recipe book". There aren't very many recipes here, and there's a distinct lack of pictures, which is something that I personally am starting to take a really hard-line with in my cookbooks - I know pictures cost money to stage, take, and print, but if I don't know what the outcome is supposed to look like, I can't get there myself, and I usually can't even tell if I want to *try*.
Of the coffee recipes, there are 11 recipes and 4 pictures; the cakes are divided into "types" (coffee cake, cupcakes, "all-American favorites", and "European treats") but total feature 26 recipes with 15 (I think!) pictures. I say "I think!" because 4 of the pictures are shown at the beginning of the chapter sections and seem to be repeats of dishes that are later pictured, so it might actually be 11 pictures total. The pictures aren't labelled, which I consider to be a cardinal sin of cookbooks, but it's usually pretty easy to link them to their given recipe.
If you're mostly interested in the chemistry of coffee- and cake-making and want a clear manual on how to make the best of each every time, then this is a good primer book, but I'm not sure that you couldn't get the information elsewhere. This might make a good gift book for someone really interested in the two themes, but overall I just feel a little underwhelmed with it. If there had been more pictures for the recipes, I would have given 4-stars, so if you don't mind the lack of pictures in a cookbook, take that into account and go wild.
NOTE: This review is based on a free Advance Review Copy of this book provided through Amazon Vine.
~ Ana Mardoll
September 4, 2016
Concise and accessible, simple recipes
Provides simple explanation on coffee varieties and brewing methods. Simple yet delicious cake recipes for quick preparation for special or casual gatherings. I've made the cake recipes without the frostings for the sake of time and they are just as delectable with a simple sprinkle of caster sugar. Great value. I found this Kindle version on Amazon for .99!
Provides simple explanation on coffee varieties and brewing methods. Simple yet delicious cake recipes for quick preparation for special or casual gatherings. I've made the cake recipes without the frostings for the sake of time and they are just as delectable with a simple sprinkle of caster sugar. Great value. I found this Kindle version on Amazon for .99!
September 6, 2012
Some really yummy recipes in here!!
September 6, 2016
Yummy Goodness
This book served as my college of coffee and cake. A great tool for coffee drinkers as well as home bakers. Dive in and enjoy, I did, head first
This book served as my college of coffee and cake. A great tool for coffee drinkers as well as home bakers. Dive in and enjoy, I did, head first
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews