Includes index

"Gathering together years of baking knowledge in their first-ever cake book, America's Test Kitchen offers a comprehensive collection of recipes for any cake you can imagine--from better-than-the-rest yellow cake layers for birthday parties to fanciful creations and elegant holiday desserts. Cakes are the ultimate all-occasion dessert. Whether you are looking for a party-worthy cake that's sure to bring smiles or a rustic treat for any time, America's Test Kitchen has the perfect recipe in this definitive guide to cake baking. The Perfect Cake opens with a valuable chapter of mix-and-match layer cakes, frostings, and fillings, allowing anyone to find just the combination they're looking for. The following chapters traverse a range of styles, touching on easy crowd-pleasers, sky-high stunners, American classics, holiday cakes, charming minature cakes, and more. Rigorously tested to ensure the perfect outcome, these never-fail recipes will improve any baker's game, from White Cake Layers with an ultradowny crumb to a perfectly domed Pound Cake, a New York Cheesecake with a browned surface (and no cracks), and superlatively chocolaty Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes. Discover new techniques and flavors with a Blueberry Jam Cake frosted in a stunning ombre pattern, a sweet-salty Chocolate-Caramel Layer Cake, and a naked-sided Blackberry-Lemon Mascarpone Cake. And as only the test kitchen can, we fill the book with insight on everything from batter mixing methods to slicing cakes into multiple even layers.The Table of Contents:IntroductionChapter 1: Build-a-Cake: Mix-and-Match Layers and FrostingsChapter 2: Cupcakes, Cake Pops, Mug Cakes, and MoreChapter 3: Crowd-Pleasing Sheet CakesChapter 4: Sky-High CakesChapter 5: Elegant Cakes and TortesChapter 6: Great American CakesChapter 7: Celebrate! Holiday CakesChapter 8: Snack Cakes and Rustic Fruit CakesChapter 9: Pound Cakes, Bundt Cakes and Tube CakesChapter 10: Cool Down: Cheesecakes, Ice Cream, and Icebox"--