Bake Smart: Sweets and Secrets from My Oven to Yours

Right from the introduction, it’s clear that Seneviratne’s book aims to clear up some misconceptions about baking—mainly that it’s overly complicated or not conducive to the experimentation and creativity that some people associate with cooking. From there, her recipes are divided into five broad categories that are further broken into eight more straightforward sections: core recipes, cookies and bars, cakes, pies and tarts, pastries, yeasted breads, quick breads, and, funny enough, desserts. The core recipes section contains instructions for baking’s most challenging staples, such as galette dough, pâte à choux, and crème Anglaise—essential recipes and techniques that can be built upon for the other bakes in the book. The other recipes spans from basics, such as chewy chocolate chip cookies and passion fruit and pineapple upside-down cake, to more creative treats, such as gianduja rugelach and apricot cardamom buns; the recipes are varied enough that all readers are sure to find a new favorite. The recipes are not simple, and many involve quite a few ingredients, but Seneviratne gives helpful tips to make the process easier.