American cake : from colonial gingerbread to classic layer, the stories and recipes behind more than 125 of our best-loved cakes from past to present

Cakes have become an icon of American cultureand a window to understanding ourselves. Be they vanilla, lemon, ginger, chocolate, cinnamon, boozy, Bundt, layered, marbled, even checkerboard--they are etched in our psyche. Cakes relate to our lives, heritage, and hometowns. And as we look at the evolution of cakes in America, we see the evolution of our history: cakes changed with waves of immigrants landing on ourshores, with the availability (and scarcity) of ingredients, with cultural trends and with political developments. In her new book American Cake , Anne Byrn (creator of the New York Times bestselling series The Cake Mix Doctor) will explore this delicious evolution and teach us cake-making techniques from across the centuries, all modernized for todays home cooks. Anne wonders (and answers for us) why devils food cake is not red in color, how the Southern delicacy known as Japanese Fruit Cake could be so-named when there appears to be nothing Japanese about the recipe, and how Depression-era cooks managed to bake cakes without eggs, milk, and butter. Who invented the flourless chocolate cake, the St. Louis gooey butter cake, the Tunnel of Fudge cake? Were these now-legendary recipes mishaps thanks to a lapse of memory, frugality, or being too lazy to run to the store for more flour? Join Anne for this delicious coast-to-coast journey and savor our nation's history of cake baking. From the dark, moist gingerbread and blueberry cakes of New England and the elegant English-style pound cake of Virginia to the hard-scrabble apple stack cake home to Appalachia and the slow-drawl, Deep South Lady Baltimore Cake, you will learn the stories behind your favorite cakes and how to bake them. Taste your way through America with more than 125 recipes for our favorite historical cakes and frostings. Cakes in America aren't just about sugar, flour, and frosting. They have a deep, rich history that developed as our country grew. Cakes, more so than other desserts, are synonymous with celebration and coming together for happy times. They're an icon of American culture, reflecting heritage, region, season, occasion, and era. And they always have been, throughout history. In American Cake , Anne Byrn, creator of the New York Times bestselling series The Cake Mix Doctor, takes you on a journey through America's past to present with more than 125 authentic recipes for our best-loved and beautiful cakes and frostings. Tracing cakes chronologically from the dark, moist gingerbread of New England to the elegant pound cake, the hardscrabble Appalachian stack cake, war cakes, deep-South caramel, Hawaiian Chantilly, and the modern California cakes of orange and olive oil, Byrn shares recipes, stories, and a behind-the-scenes look into what cakes we were baking back in time. From the well-known Angel Food, Red Velvet, Pineapple Upside-Down, Gooey Butter, and Brownie to the lesser-known Burnt Leather, Wacky Cake, Lazy Daisy, and Cold Oven Pound Cake, this is a cookbook for the cook, the traveler, or anyone who loves a good story. And all recipes have been adapted to the modern kitchen. Tracing Cakes Chronologically From The Dark, Moist Gingerbread Of New England To The Elegant Pound Cake, The Hardscrabble Appalachian Stack Cake, War Cakes, Deep-south Caramel, Hawaiian Chantilly, And The Modern California Cakes Of Orange And Olive Oil, Byrn Shares Recipes, Stories, And A Behind-the-scenes Look Into What Cakes We Were Baking Back In Time.--back Cover. 1650 To 1799: Baking Cakes In Early America -- 1800 To 1869: New Cakes & New Directions -- 1870-1899: A Scientific Approach: Baking Powder & Fanny Farmer -- 1900 To 1916: Birth Of The American Layer Cake -- 1917 To 1945: Baking In The Good Times & The Bad Times -- 1946 To 1962: Tupperware, Bake-offs,® & A New Domesticity -- 1963 To 1979: American Cake Times Are A-changin' -- 1980 To 1999: Cakes Born In The Usa -- 2000 To The Present: The Cakes Of The New Millennium -- Frostings & Icings. Anne Byrn. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 325-329) And Index. 1650 to 1799: baking cakes in early America -- 1800 to 1869: new cakes & new directions -- 1870 to 1899:a scientific approach: baking powder & Fannie Farmer -- 1900 to 1916: birth of the American layer cake -- 1917 to 1945: baking in the good times & the bad times -- 1946 to 1962: Tupperware, bake-offs, & a new domesticity -- 1963 to 1979: American cake times are a-changin' -- 1980 to 1999: cakes born in the USA -- 2000 to the present: the cakes of the new millenium -- Frostings & icings.