Organic and Chic : Cakes, Cookies, and Other Sweets That Taste As Good As They Look

Throughout this otherwise lively new collection of wholesome, sophisticated baked goods, Magid uses the word organic like a cudgel-seemingly every ingredient is prefaced with the word. Though the term gets tiresome, Magid presents a measured argument for organic eggs, flours and sugars in her creations (though, puzzlingly, she has no problem with food coloring) as well as sourcing suggestions. In 60 recipes, Magid offers up crowd-pleasers like oatmeal raisin cookies and flourless chocolate almond cake, as well as homemade variations on childhood all-stars like Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies and Hostess Sno-balls. Grown-ups will swoon over her Lovely Lemon Cake with marshmallow frosting, Minty Strawberry Shortcakes and her Chocolate Love Blossom-a multilayer chocolate cake filled with vanilla whipped cream and/or a red currant curd, and covered with a rich ganache. Though the titles may sound ambitious, most recipes are more than manageable; Magid even includes an easy recipe for no-bake honey peanut dough to keep the kids busy. Title Page......Page 3 Dedication Page......Page 4 Contents......Page 7 Introduction......Page 11 Guide To Organic Ingredients......Page 21 Cakes and Cupcakes to Die For......Page 35 Chocolate Love Blossom......Page 41 Vanilla-Bean Butter Cake......Page 47 Diablo Cake......Page 49 Easiest Chocolate Cake......Page 53 Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese-Lemon Zest Frosting......Page 55 Coco Loco......Page 58 Uncle Gravy’s Apple Cake......Page 63 Pineapple Upside-Down Cake......Page 67 Red Velvet Love Cake......Page 70 Flourless Chocolate Almond Cake......Page 73 Blanca Cake......Page 76 Lovely Lemon Cake......Page 80 Lotus Cake......Page 87 Frostings, Fillings, and Curds......Page 93 Vanilla Whipped Buttercream......Page 94 Chocolate Whipped Buttercream......Page 95 Classic Americana Icing......Page 96 Dark-Chocolate Secret Frosting......Page 97 Marshmallow Frosting......Page 98 Cream Cheese-Lemon Zest Frosting......Page 100 Mocha Buttercream......Page 101 Red Currant Curd......Page 102 Grapefruit Curd......Page 104 Meyer Lemon Curd......Page 106 Cookies and Bars......Page 109 Chocolate Explosion Cookies......Page 113 Million-Dollar Cookies......Page 117 Crispy, Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies......Page 119 Crisp, Crumbly Shortbread......Page 123 Mexican-Chocolate Cookies......Page 126 Double Ginger Cookies......Page 129 Salty and Sweet Peanut Butter Cookies......Page 131 One-Bowl Dark Gooey Brownies......Page 135 Lemon-Lime Bars......Page 137 Grandma Eva’s Mandelbrot......Page 140 Reformed Junk Food......Page 143 Goldies......Page 147 Silver Ring-a-Dings......Page 151 Chocolate Cream Sandwiches......Page 154 Skinny Mints......Page 157 Snowballz......Page 161 Farmers’ Market Sweets......Page 165 Fall Harvest......Page 166 Fall Pear and Ginger Tart......Page 168 Ginny Tapper’s Fuji Apple Tart......Page 171 Plum Galette......Page 175 Nutty Apple Crisp......Page 177 Spring and Summer......Page 181 Sour Cherry-Almond Tart......Page 182 Blake Latimer’s Blueberry Pie......Page 185 Minty Strawberry Shortcakes......Page 189 Freyja’s Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie......Page 192 Colombe’s Wheat-Free Lavender Apricot Crisp......Page 195 Children’s Goodies......Page 199 Clyde’s Sugar Cookies......Page 203 Crazy Coconut Cookie Pops......Page 206 Easy “Posh” Pudding......Page 207 No-Bake Honey-Peanut Dough Creatures......Page 210 Chocolate Plastic Dough......Page 212 Chocolate Salami......Page 215 Ruby’s Millet Muffins......Page 217 Sweet-Potato Cookies......Page 220 Design Techniques......Page 223 Coloring and Decoration: Secrets to Mastering Sophisticated Looks......Page 225 Homemade Sugar Paste......Page 233 Presentation: Chic Ways to Display Treats......Page 254 Baking Tools......Page 257 Baking Resources......Page 264 Resources For Information: Organic Foods and Nutrition......Page 266 Acknowledgments......Page 268 Index......Page 269 About the Author......Page 273 Credits......Page 274 Copyright Notice......Page 275 About The Publisher......Page 276 'When I bring one of my sweets into the room—whether at a wedding or an intimate dinner party—the expressions on people's faces turn that celebration into a memory I'll never forget. That's what baking should be.'Many people are coming to recognize the merits of eating organic ingredients, but the idea of'organic baked goods'may bring to mind food that is more boring than beautiful and delicious. But in Organic and Chic, custom cake baker Sarah Magid uses her background in jewelry and shoe design to create vibrantly colored, highly original, delicious organic cakes and other desserts that are perfect for all kinds of celebrations. Filled with gorgeous photographs, Organic and Chic features recipes for delectable baked goods you'll be excited to re-create and serve to family and friends, from modern floral cakes and cupcakes to rustic farmer's-market sweets made with seasonal fruits: Red Velvet Love Cake frosted with Vanilla Whipped Buttercream and garnished with edible flowers Vanilla-Bean Butter Cake filled with Sweet Chocolate Ganache and decorated with hand-sculpted butterflies Minty Strawberry Shortcakes, celebrating the bounty of the summer Goldies, a tasty tribute to America's favorite cream-filled sponge cake Whether you're preparing some simple Double Ginger Cookies for a block party or bake sale, or experimenting with a rich and luscious dark chocolate birthday cake, you can be confident that you're serving desserts that are gorgeous and flavorful without resorting to fake, chemical-laden ingredients. Magid offers detailed step-by-step decorating instructions and enough inspiration to help even the most novice baker create bold cake-decorating effects, including eye-popping flowers, hand-sculpted leaves, and metallic-painted brushstrokes. A must for every health-minded baker, this unique cookbook balances exquisite flavors, organic ingredients, and stunning visuals to help you create your own masterpieces. "When I bring one of my sweets into the room—whether at a wedding or an intimate dinner party—the expressions on people's faces turn that celebration into a memory I'll never forget. That's what baking should be."Many people are coming to recognize the merits of eating organic ingredients, but the idea of "organic baked goods" may bring to mind food that is more boring than beautiful and delicious. But in Organic and Chic, custom cake baker Sarah Magid uses her background in jewelry and shoe design to create vibrantly colored, highly original, delicious organic cakes and other desserts that are perfect for all kinds of celebrations.Filled with gorgeous photographs, Organic and Chic features recipes for delectable baked goods you'll be excited to re-create and serve to family and friends, from modern floral cakes and cupcakes to rustic farmer's-market sweets made with seasonal fruits:Red Velvet Love Cake frosted with Vanilla Whipped Buttercream and garnished with edible flowersVanilla-Bean Butter Cake filled with Sweet Chocolate Ganache and decorated with hand-sculpted butterfliesMinty Strawberry Shortcakes, celebrating the bounty of the summerGoldies, a tasty tribute to America's favorite cream-filled sponge cakeWhether you're preparing some simple Double Ginger Cookies for a block party or bake sale, or experimenting with a rich and luscious dark chocolate birthday cake, you can be confident that you're serving desserts that are gorgeous and flavorful without resorting to fake, chemical-laden ingredients. Magid offers detailed step-by-step decorating instructions and enough inspiration to help even the most novice baker create bold cake-decorating effects, including eye-popping flowers, hand-sculpted leaves, and metallic-painted brushstrokes.A must for every health-minded baker, this unique cookbook balances exquisite flavors, organic ingredients, and stunning visuals to help you create your own masterpieces.