The Sweetapolita Bakebook


The Sweetapolita Bakebook
Rosie Alyea
Clarkson Potter


Paint, doodle, and sprinkle your way to stunning one-of-a-kind sweets. 
 
   The world of Sweetapolita is sparkly and sprinkly and charming as can be, with 75 recipes for everything from pretty homemade cookies to decadent layer cakes. But what really sets these treats apart are interactive designs that let everyone in on the fun of decorating: Painted Mini Cakes are served with edible "paint" for guests to personalize at the table, the fondant-covered tiered Chalk-a-Lot cake is paired with homemade edible "chalk," and Rainbow Doodle cookies are made for kids to go to town on with edible markers. 
 
   Rosie Alyea, the creator of the Sweetapolita blog, frolics in flour and frosting, and she loves to get her two young daughters involved, too. The pages of her debut book are full of playful ideas that will inspire creativity in bakers of all levels—including a recipe for making sprinkles at home and numerous ways to showcase them, such as the Sprinkle-Me-Silly Pizza with rainbow jimmies and nonpareils galore. 
 
   With 75 full-color photographs of cookies, cakes, and more plus step-by-step technique tutorials, The Sweetapolita Bakebook will change the way bakers decorate, while entertaining every kid—and kid-at-heart.

   I have a major sweet tooth, and books with pretty desserts are one of my weaknesses. Still, I've seen a lot of dessert cookbooks, so I admit I wondered if this one could stand out. Well, it did!

   This book was basically filled with sparkles, sprinkles, and sunshine. Many of the recipes were perfect for kids to either help make or help decorate, and it even had a recipe for ICED ANIMAL CRACKER COOKIES. My childhood self was jumping up and down in glee.

   Can I just talk about the chalkboard cookies? My word, that is BRILLIANT. The Coney Island Cheesecake had me drooling, and the colorful cake layers and interiors of the many cake recipes made me want to run up to the store and snatch all the ingredients to make them!

   Unfortunately, so far I've only been able to tackle one recipe in this book, the basic sugar cookie. Now, this wouldn't have been my first choice simply because many of the other recipes were much more appealing, but this was the only recipe for which I had all the ingredients on hand, so I went for it. I have rather mediocre track record when it comes to sugar cookies, so I was really impressed with the way these turned out. Refrigerating/freezing the dough not just once, but three times, really does make a difference, even if you're tempted to be impatient and skip those steps.

    I will say that several of the recipes might be a little complicated for those unfamiliar with baking, and a few were downright overwhelming in the number of steps. Still, if the finished product looks (and tastes!) as good as those in the pictures, they seem pretty worth it :)

   Anyway, this book was fun and filled with imaginative, appealing (and girly!) recipes that I know I'll be using in the future. I was unfamiliar with the author before this book, but her treats are so adorable that I think I'm going to start stalking her blog...

Rating: 9

I received this book for free from bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for my honest review.


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