CakeLove in the Morning

You might not always start your day out with a big slice of cake, but baked goods are definitely a staple of breakfast time even when they come in different formats than dessert baked goods. CakeLove in the Morning: Recipes for Muffins, Scones, Pancakes, Waffles, Biscuits, Frittatas, and Other Breakfast Treats is a cookbook written by Warren Brown, a baker well known for his cakes, that is dedicated to morning baking of all kinds.

The book is clearly written and easy to read, with recipes that not only sound appealing but sound do-able even in the early morning hours. It opens with an introduction that focuses on ingredients and equipment that you need to get breakfast ready, with a few nice notes about herbs and spices that wouldn’t typically come into play with strictly sweet baking. The recipes start with a chapter on French Toast, Pancakes & Waffles, followed by chapters on Eggs, Frittatas & Quiches; Muffins, Scones & Biscuits; and Quick Breads, Sticky Buns & Cakes. Just about every dish sounds irresistible, from the simplest pancake recipes to unusual twists on french toast to indulgent breakfast sandwiches and coffee cakes. The egg chapter definitely stands out in a baking book, but it gives some real substance to breakfast and helps you to put together a full meal (or a huge brunch) with lots of options using only this book. The recipes are written with lots of detail, so even a novice cook can work through them without a hitch. And both novice and experienced cooks are going to appreciate the great little tips that you’ll find in here, such as reminders to keep your oven on low heat so that you can store pancakes and keep them warm before serving them up.

Breakfast always sounds appealing to me in any format that I read about it, but the fun style of this book and catchy graphics make these ideas seem to jump off the page. The well-styled food photos of many of the recipes help to get mouths watering, as well. The book has a good mix of sweet and savory recipes and many ideas that you can use even if you’re not working directly with the main recipes from this book. For instance, there is a section on flavored butters and syrups that can be used with all kinds of dishes, and are not just limited in use to the pancakes in this book.