Gâteau: The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes
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- Create Date：2022-10-05 09:51:41
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Aleksandra Crapanzano
- ISBN：1982169737
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Summary
James Beard Award–winning writer Aleksandra Crapanzano shares the secrets of the cakes Parisians bake at home， from the simplest yogurt cakes to a deceptively easy bûche de Noël， from yuzu madeleines to boozy flourless chocolate confections。
When we think of French desserts， we tend to imagine ornate creations and confections。 Perhaps we envision a tarte Tatin， but rarely a homemade cake， whipped up on a weeknight with little fuss。 But that is exactly what Parisians make and eat。 Gâteaux are simple， delicious cakes， both sweet and savory， served to family and friends。
As food-columnist Aleksandra Crapanzano spent time in Parisian home kitchens， she realized that the real magic is a certain savoir-faire， that distinctly French know-how that blends style and functionality in every aspect of life。 By and large， the French do not try to compete with their chefs， nor with their boulangeres and patissieres。 But many Parisians are natural cooks， and most finish dinner with a little something sweet， effortlessly made and casually served。 The trick is having an arsenal of recipes that， once mastered， become blueprints， allowing for myriad variations， depending on what’s in season and what’s in the cupboard。 It is a practical approach， and the French are nothing if not practical。 That is the savoir-faire—from tying a silk scarf just so to popping a gateau in the oven without anyone even noticing。 When you know what you’re doing， there’s no need to overthink it。 It looks easy because it is easy。
While the Paris culinary world is experiencing a fresh vibrancy， certain traditions remain intact yet may surprise in their modernity。 For example， French cakes have less sugar。 The pure taste of apples is not masked by cinnamon， and vanilla is never a given。 A gateau may be lightly glazed， dusted with cocoa or confectioners’ sugar， drizzled with rose water， but rarely heavily iced。 A splash of brandy， a squeeze of lemon or a thin blanket of ganache elevates even the easiest of cakes in mere minutes。 And then there are savory cakes made with cheese， herbs， ham， baked into a delicious loaf。 These cakes salés are ideal for picnic lunches， accompanied by a salad and a glass of Sancerre。 Gâteau includes cakes for birthdays， summer feasts and winter holidays， last-minute dinner parties and school lunches， as well as beloved regional recipes and guest contributions from superstar Parisian bakers。
Practical， simple， and filled with over 100 rigorously tested recipes and charming illustrations， Gâteau celebrates every day and sometimes fanciful French cakes in all their glory。
When we think of French desserts， we tend to imagine ornate creations and confections。 Perhaps we envision a tarte Tatin， but rarely a homemade cake， whipped up on a weeknight with little fuss。 But that is exactly what Parisians make and eat。 Gâteaux are simple， delicious cakes， both sweet and savory， served to family and friends。
As food-columnist Aleksandra Crapanzano spent time in Parisian home kitchens， she realized that the real magic is a certain savoir-faire， that distinctly French know-how that blends style and functionality in every aspect of life。 By and large， the French do not try to compete with their chefs， nor with their boulangeres and patissieres。 But many Parisians are natural cooks， and most finish dinner with a little something sweet， effortlessly made and casually served。 The trick is having an arsenal of recipes that， once mastered， become blueprints， allowing for myriad variations， depending on what’s in season and what’s in the cupboard。 It is a practical approach， and the French are nothing if not practical。 That is the savoir-faire—from tying a silk scarf just so to popping a gateau in the oven without anyone even noticing。 When you know what you’re doing， there’s no need to overthink it。 It looks easy because it is easy。
While the Paris culinary world is experiencing a fresh vibrancy， certain traditions remain intact yet may surprise in their modernity。 For example， French cakes have less sugar。 The pure taste of apples is not masked by cinnamon， and vanilla is never a given。 A gateau may be lightly glazed， dusted with cocoa or confectioners’ sugar， drizzled with rose water， but rarely heavily iced。 A splash of brandy， a squeeze of lemon or a thin blanket of ganache elevates even the easiest of cakes in mere minutes。 And then there are savory cakes made with cheese， herbs， ham， baked into a delicious loaf。 These cakes salés are ideal for picnic lunches， accompanied by a salad and a glass of Sancerre。 Gâteau includes cakes for birthdays， summer feasts and winter holidays， last-minute dinner parties and school lunches， as well as beloved regional recipes and guest contributions from superstar Parisian bakers。
Practical， simple， and filled with over 100 rigorously tested recipes and charming illustrations， Gâteau celebrates every day and sometimes fanciful French cakes in all their glory。
Reviews
Karen Hancock
，
Love to bake cakes？ Then you’ll want to pick up Gateau: The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes by award winning author Aleksandra Crapanzano。 This excellent cookbook has dozens of great recipes for cakes – both sweet and savory， as well as toppings and fillings。 The names of the recipes are in French （as well as English）， which makes them sound much more fancy and romantic than regular titles。 At the beginning of each recipe， there is a paragraph or two giving information about the origin of Love to bake cakes？ Then you’ll want to pick up Gateau: The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes by award winning author Aleksandra Crapanzano。 This excellent cookbook has dozens of great recipes for cakes – both sweet and savory， as well as toppings and fillings。 The names of the recipes are in French （as well as English）， which makes them sound much more fancy and romantic than regular titles。 At the beginning of each recipe， there is a paragraph or two giving information about the origin of the recipe， vignettes， stories， etc。 The prose is very well-written and interesting; surely this cookbook is one that can be taken to a warm corner and read cover to cover。 The recipes are easy-to-follow; there are excellent instructions to insure perfect results。 The variety is excellent so that anyone who wants to bake a cake and is looking for something specific will find it in this cookbook。 Some of the recipes are a bit involved – these aren’t particularly quick or easy – but the end results will be spectacular。 This will become a go-to cookbook because cake is just one of those things that belongs at meals， whether fancy for company or just for everyday。The only unfortunate drawback is that there are no photographs of the finished cakes。 While there are nice illustrations， they don’t inspire like a beautiful photograph。 Nevertheless， Crapanzano knows her subject and is an excellent writer。 Everyone will be able to find a good cake recipe （the savory ones are especially enticing） for any occasion。 Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book。 。。。more
Marian
，
I loved this book -- not only for the wonderful recipes， but also for the delightful illustrations as well as the narratives that Aleksandra Crapanzano writes before each recipe。 It came as news to me how much the French love to bake at home and that their baking is more simple -- they leave the "grand" and intricate cakes to the patissiers and patissieres who have gone through long apprenticeships。 According to Crapanzano， the French master the classics and always have "an arsenal of recipes th I loved this book -- not only for the wonderful recipes， but also for the delightful illustrations as well as the narratives that Aleksandra Crapanzano writes before each recipe。 It came as news to me how much the French love to bake at home and that their baking is more simple -- they leave the "grand" and intricate cakes to the patissiers and patissieres who have gone through long apprenticeships。 According to Crapanzano， the French master the classics and always have "an arsenal of recipes that， once learned， become mere blueprints， allowing for myriad variations， depending on what's in season and what's in the cupboard。" And Crapanzano fills her book with a lot of these variations， so much so， that those "blueprint" cakes will take on many changes。 Crapanzano's recipes go from simple cakes to chocolate cakes， to layer cakes， as well as so much more to include holiday as well as savory cakes。This is a delightful book and one that I know will be a staple in my kitchen。 A huge thank you to #NetGalley and Scribner for this ARC of #Gateau。 。。。more
Elaine
，
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Gateau。Anyone who knows me knows I love sweets， especially cake！This is one of the most well-written， thoughtful cookbooks I've ever read。 Also part memoir since the author offers beautiful， heartfelt stories with each recipe， providing context and humor as to why this particular dish resonates with her。Imagine my surprise when I saw there were no photographs of the cakes I was so desperate to salivate over！OK， I was shocked。 I'm all for doing something d Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Gateau。Anyone who knows me knows I love sweets， especially cake！This is one of the most well-written， thoughtful cookbooks I've ever read。 Also part memoir since the author offers beautiful， heartfelt stories with each recipe， providing context and humor as to why this particular dish resonates with her。Imagine my surprise when I saw there were no photographs of the cakes I was so desperate to salivate over！OK， I was shocked。 I'm all for doing something different， but I'm not a fan of no photos。 I liked the illustrations but I love color photographs of food， especially dessert。 It was a downer not being able to see ripe， glistening fruit or the glossy richness of chocolate oozing over a cake。You eat with your eyes and I certainly do。The collection of recipes is comprehensive and well organized and the author includes plenty of variations for certain cakes。 Gateau is ideal for any baker or chef looking to expand their baking horizons。 Some of the recipes are labor intensive and challenging， but are still worth the effort， if you have the time。One star removed for lack of photos。 。。。more
Jennifer
，
An amazing and delightful book about the often-overlooked types of French "cakes" that are both easy to make and delicious to eat。The author obviously knows how to develop recipes， which are written in both U。S。 volume and metric measurements。 The recipes are accompanied by beautiful watercolors of the cakes （no photography）。Contents include "The Simplest of the Classics" such as Yogurt cakes， and go on to cakes that are layered， Regional Classics， Nut or Fruit cakes， Savory "cakes"， Madeleines， An amazing and delightful book about the often-overlooked types of French "cakes" that are both easy to make and delicious to eat。The author obviously knows how to develop recipes， which are written in both U。S。 volume and metric measurements。 The recipes are accompanied by beautiful watercolors of the cakes （no photography）。Contents include "The Simplest of the Classics" such as Yogurt cakes， and go on to cakes that are layered， Regional Classics， Nut or Fruit cakes， Savory "cakes"， Madeleines， Buche de Noel， and even a section about sauces， icings， fillings， and glazes。Most of these are not typical "American" style layer cakes， but rather baked goods meant to be thrown together for a dinner party along with a cup of tea or coffee。 They are not super-sweet but rather sweet with another flavor dominating， which is more European in style。 Many of the recipes offer various adaptations such as the inclusion of other flavors like nuts， chocolate， citrus， spices， or fruits。This book would make a wonderful gift for a baker or as a wedding gift as it is lovely to look at。 。。。more
Bozhena Levine
，
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this fantastic book！ I really enjoyed the journey into the world of French cakes and pastries。 I loved a story behind each and every recipe as well as the straightforward directions。 Can’t wait to try some of the recipes！
Becca
，
I love baking， but French baking has always felt waaaaay out of my league: too much finicky-ness， too many ingredients。 This book really broke things down in a way that felt both accessible and exciting-- it made me want to bake！ Easily my favorite part was the introduction， where Crapanzano reviews just about EVERY ingredient/tool/technique you'll need to approach French baking。 I love baking， but French baking has always felt waaaaay out of my league: too much finicky-ness， too many ingredients。 This book really broke things down in a way that felt both accessible and exciting-- it made me want to bake！ Easily my favorite part was the introduction， where Crapanzano reviews just about EVERY ingredient/tool/technique you'll need to approach French baking。 。。。more
Elizabeth
，
Gateau is a compendium of delicious recipes for French cakes。 （My favorite kind of cookbook ever！） The recipes are complete with detailed instructions; each one gets an introduction and some helpful notes + advice。 Included are various types of cake， with countless options for customization and adaptation。 From sweet， to savory， those with fruit or without， chocolate， vanilla， orange flower water， nuts， and beyond。 Speaking from personal experience， the madeleines are fantastic。 （Madeleines do r Gateau is a compendium of delicious recipes for French cakes。 （My favorite kind of cookbook ever！） The recipes are complete with detailed instructions; each one gets an introduction and some helpful notes + advice。 Included are various types of cake， with countless options for customization and adaptation。 From sweet， to savory， those with fruit or without， chocolate， vanilla， orange flower water， nuts， and beyond。 Speaking from personal experience， the madeleines are fantastic。 （Madeleines do require a madeleine pan， but they are fairly inexpensive on Amazon and totally worth it。） The recipe also lists precise changes to make for over 40 different flavors of madeleines， not to mention the separate recipes for honey， chocolate （and 11 variations on that one）， hot chili， or ganache-filled cookie-cakes。 （Madeleines are indescribable - and indescribably good！） Thanks to this delightful cookbook， I have added dozens of new recipes to my list。 I'm so excited to try these！ Many thanks to the publisher， author， and Edelweiss for the free DRC。 My one comment on the DRC is there are no pictures; I'm guessing in the final edition there will be （I'm seriously considering buying it， once released）。 Even without pictures， I highly recommend this cookbook to francophile bakers。 :） 。。。more
Penmouse
，
Gateau by Aleksandra Crapanzano was not quite the cookbook I expected as I have prepared recipes from The Way to Cook or my old Gourmet cookbooks （which had a good selection of French recipes） and the recipes were a bit different than what I found in Gateau which is a good thing。 Gateau's recipes seem updated and have a fresh approach to French baking。 I liked how the author discussed the cooking techniques and ingredients as her writing helped explain how to use both in her recipes。 Some of the Gateau by Aleksandra Crapanzano was not quite the cookbook I expected as I have prepared recipes from The Way to Cook or my old Gourmet cookbooks （which had a good selection of French recipes） and the recipes were a bit different than what I found in Gateau which is a good thing。 Gateau's recipes seem updated and have a fresh approach to French baking。 I liked how the author discussed the cooking techniques and ingredients as her writing helped explain how to use both in her recipes。 Some of the recipes you'll find include:Yogurt CakePound CakeChocolate Orange Marble CakeStrawberry CakeCharlotte with Chocolate Mousse and Chestnut CreamPistachio Roulade with White Chocolate Cream and RaspberriesTomato， Mozzarella and Basil Savory LoafNote: I used English recipe names for ease of writing。 The book contains both French and English recipe names。 Recommend。Review written after downloading a galley from NetGalley。 。。。more
Kimberly
，
A beautiful cookbook cover， very cute with drawings that emphasize the French baking theme。 The cookbook's is format very traditional， but I wish there were photographs of the recipes。 All the ingredients are both in grams and cups which I prefer， grams being more exact。 I loved that there was a section just for chocolate cake！ Te most intriguing recipe was Moelleux Chocolat Framboise （Molten Chocolate Raspberry Cake）。 The recipes are so decadent and exotic and provide a new challenge for the av A beautiful cookbook cover， very cute with drawings that emphasize the French baking theme。 The cookbook's is format very traditional， but I wish there were photographs of the recipes。 All the ingredients are both in grams and cups which I prefer， grams being more exact。 I loved that there was a section just for chocolate cake！ Te most intriguing recipe was Moelleux Chocolat Framboise （Molten Chocolate Raspberry Cake）。 The recipes are so decadent and exotic and provide a new challenge for the average baker。 。。。more
Trena
，
A must read for those of us who enjoy baking。 I adore the illustrations throughout the book which really add to its character。 The recipes are concise and easy to follow。 I especially appreciate the variations of the recipes Crapanzano adds often。 For instance， there's a recipe for pound cake with fifty variations。 How great is that！ This would make a beautiful gift for the baker in your life。Many thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for an ARC。 A must read for those of us who enjoy baking。 I adore the illustrations throughout the book which really add to its character。 The recipes are concise and easy to follow。 I especially appreciate the variations of the recipes Crapanzano adds often。 For instance， there's a recipe for pound cake with fifty variations。 How great is that！ This would make a beautiful gift for the baker in your life。Many thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for an ARC。 。。。more
Debbie Tanner
，
This is a lovely cookbook detailing French cakes and the variations of the cakes。 The directions are straightforward and easy to understand but what makes this one amazing is the breadth of variations on the easy to follow recipes。 I can't wait to try some of these recipes！ This is a lovely cookbook detailing French cakes and the variations of the cakes。 The directions are straightforward and easy to understand but what makes this one amazing is the breadth of variations on the easy to follow recipes。 I can't wait to try some of these recipes！ 。。。more
roxi Net
，
I fully admin I am intimidated by most recipes in this book （just seeing the French names along）， yet I'm not one to shy from a challenge （especially with instructions that are not numbered）。 I've been fortunate to visit France yet never indulged （gasp） in the beautiful French baked goods as I should have。 Though a regret， one I intent to rectify by attempting the recipes in Gateau。 With lovely illustrations， stories from the author， I will be dedicating much time baking and trying Les Classique I fully admin I am intimidated by most recipes in this book （just seeing the French names along）， yet I'm not one to shy from a challenge （especially with instructions that are not numbered）。 I've been fortunate to visit France yet never indulged （gasp） in the beautiful French baked goods as I should have。 Though a regret， one I intent to rectify by attempting the recipes in Gateau。 With lovely illustrations， stories from the author， I will be dedicating much time baking and trying Les Classiques。 Oddly terrifying。 I'll always consider myself a basic baker yet I have hope， especially with books like Gateau。 The author also includes great tips and tricks （I'd not think to use Mike's Hot Honey for Madeleines au Miel Epice。 Or make it in general。 Maybe I needed the terrifying experience the author had）。 。。。more
Cat
，
I know this is a review copy and not yet in print， so I am hopeful there will be photos of these beautiful， rustic， cakes。The recipes all look so good。 And the ones I found most interesting I looked up on internet to check out images of them。 So excited to have found a berry Gateau recipe for one of my families German kuchens。 Aand nother for a pear cake to try out as I can now access so mant different varieties in my area。 The sheer number of recipes for cakes in this book can keep a home baker I know this is a review copy and not yet in print， so I am hopeful there will be photos of these beautiful， rustic， cakes。The recipes all look so good。 And the ones I found most interesting I looked up on internet to check out images of them。 So excited to have found a berry Gateau recipe for one of my families German kuchens。 Aand nother for a pear cake to try out as I can now access so mant different varieties in my area。 The sheer number of recipes for cakes in this book can keep a home baker busy for ages。 There are also many syrup and frosting recipes to try， along with ideas for using alcohol in leiu of extracts to boost flavor。 I even enjoyed reading the introduction。 it was interesting to learn about the many influences other countries have had on the baking in France， as well as how the French have used the foods to make them uniquely their own。 I had always thought French cuisine was very fussy and difficult。 It's nice to learn that's only the hype and that even the French have everyday foods that are simple to prepare and taste good！I received a Kindle arc fro Netgalley in exchange for a fair review。 。。。more
Anna
，
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book。 I like how the author entwines a little history or tidbit behind each recipe or ingredient in the recipe。 Each recipe has story behind it; which is nice。 I also like how some recipes have various add ins to change the cake flavors。 There are so many great recipes to pick from。 There are the famous French dessert and pastry recipes one thinks of French classics but there are also little gems tucked between the pages of this bo Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book。 I like how the author entwines a little history or tidbit behind each recipe or ingredient in the recipe。 Each recipe has story behind it; which is nice。 I also like how some recipes have various add ins to change the cake flavors。 There are so many great recipes to pick from。 There are the famous French dessert and pastry recipes one thinks of French classics but there are also little gems tucked between the pages of this book。 。。。more
LittleRead
，
We’re a family that likes a little something sweet in the evenings， but we don’t like overly sweet or complex deserts。 Sure， when we go out we may order a tartine or a pavlova， but we won’t make one at home unless we’re having company over。 This book is the answer to what’s for dessert in our house， whether it’s just us， or we’re entertaining。 Filled with delicious options from simple to more complex， this book for a different dessert for most any occasion or taste we’re yearning for。 The recipe We’re a family that likes a little something sweet in the evenings， but we don’t like overly sweet or complex deserts。 Sure， when we go out we may order a tartine or a pavlova， but we won’t make one at home unless we’re having company over。 This book is the answer to what’s for dessert in our house， whether it’s just us， or we’re entertaining。 Filled with delicious options from simple to more complex， this book for a different dessert for most any occasion or taste we’re yearning for。 The recipes are clear and easy to follow。 The author has another delicious success on her hands。 Well done。 Now to decide what to make next。 。。。more
Jenessa
，
I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review。 This is a great beginner book for all those daunting french cakes you've been avoiding making！ I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review。 This is a great beginner book for all those daunting french cakes you've been avoiding making！ 。。。more
Suzanne
，