Tessa Huff - Layered : baking, building, and styling spectacular cakes

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I never thought writing my first cookbook would be a simple feat, but the process has proved to be much more involved and laborious than I could have imagined. I certainly could not have done it alone, and I want to thank everyone who helped bring Layered to life, one page at a time. I am so grateful to have you all in my life.

To my agent, Melissa Server Whitethank you for your encouragement and faith in this project from day one. Thank you for helping this first-time author navigate through the publishing world and always making me believe I could succeed.

To my editor, Laura Dozierthank you for your unyielding support and guidance throughout this entire process. Thank you for helping me develop my ideas and providing such a positive environment for me to create. To Sally Knapp, Deb Wood, and the team at Abrams Booksthank you for transforming my words and photographs into something beautiful and tangible. Thank you for giving me the creative freedom to make this book my own and for your expertise for making it better than I could have ever dreamed possible.

To my husband, Brettthank you for your patience and unconditional love. Thank you for your tireless hours spent washing dishes, running out to pick up last-minute ingredients, and endless taste-testing. Thank you for being the voice of reason, even in the middle of the night, and never ever letting me doubt myself.

To my mom and dadthank you for always encouraging me to follow my dreams and for being my biggest cheerleaders in all that I do. Thank you for helping me establish my former bakerydown to getting the plans approved by the city, painting the walls, and even making sugar flowers.

To my brother, Ryanthank you for my camera, which turned out to be a major turning point in my career. Thank you for our long chats about finding our passions while remaining business-minded and for keeping me grounded.

To Bob and Pinkthank you for being the most supportive in-laws I could have ever asked for and for polishing up the very first drafts of my recipes and anecdotes.

To my friends and familythank you for shaping the stories and inspiring many of the cakes throughout this book.

To my baby boy, Everettthank you for literally being with me from the very first photograph taken and recipe tested all the way until I submitted the first manuscript, just days before you were born. Thank you for reminding me what is really important in life and for teaching me a love that I never knew existed.

Reach for New Heights

Layer cakes are the ideal vehicle for both creative expression and deliciousness. Whether you are an experienced baker or a complete novice, Layered can help you take your creations to the next level. Throughout this book, I serve up plenty of inspiration and essential information for making impressive layer cakes at home.

WHY LAYER CAKES?

Layer cakes are composed of cake, filling, and frosting to create well-balanced, delectable desserts. The multiple components of a layer cake provide the opportunity to add a variety of textures within a single cake and to blend different complementary flavors together to create something both simple and complexsomething artisanal. Ranging from textured buttercream to pure, rustic finishes, and even those covered in sprinkles, layer cakes are the perfect canvases for an array of decorations and a chance to add a bit of drama to ones dessert. With all the different kinds of cakes, buttercreams, ganaches, and garnishes, just think of the countless combinations you can make!

Beyond being sweet and delicious, layer cakes are a symbol of celebration. It is a layer cake with swooping frosting on which children blow out candles on their birthdays, that happy couples slice into on their wedding day, and that one parades into a dinner party with, turning heads with each step. Velvety layers of yellow butter cake smothered in fluffy fudge frosting bring back memories of youth, and a slice of decadent, almost sinful chocolate cake shared with a loved one keeps romance alive.

And lets face iteveryone loves a layer cake. Eating it, baking it, admiring sky-high layers of it elegantly frosted in buttercream. Im talking two-, three-, and even up to six-layer confections adorned with edible decorations and candied garnishesthe sugar-clad flights of fancy that are wrongly assumed to be out of reach for the home baker. Layered empowers you to create awe-worthy cakes in your own kitchen. It covers classic to contemporary baking techniques, industry tips and tricks, and new, innovative flavors that make you wish your birthday came more than once a year. Its time to toss the cake mix and canned frosting and reach the height of your cake-baking potential!

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

for more pairing inspiration.) While there is still some science necessary for baking the perfect cake, feel free to play with flavors and experiment with different textures. Mix and match the decorating techniques and edible garnishes to create custom cakes to celebrate any occasion.

Throughout the book, you will find a variety of tips and tricks from my years spent as a pastry chef and cake-maker. Bakers notes, shortcuts, decoration ideas, and suggested uses for extra ingredients are sprinkled over the pages to enhance the baking experience.

In the end, baking should be fun! Confidence is key, but with the right knowledge and a little bit of practice, the possibilities are truly endless. This book is not just pretty pictures and delicious flavors, but also the stories they tell. It is about selecting just the right recipe with a special recipient or occasion in mind, hand-picking the finest ingredients and sharing your hard work with people you care about. It is not about spreading the frosting flawlessly on the first try, but about turning an ordinary day into a celebration. Making cakes is more than putting sweets in our bellies; its what the process says when you present someone with a homemade, decorated cake. In this way, a thoughtfully prepared layer cake speaks its own language. When other words or actions cannot express how much you care, say it with a layer cake!

After my husband (who has become well versed in all things baking over the years) glanced over the first draft of recipes for this book, he looked at me quizzically and asked, How did you come up with all of these? This opened a can of worms, as I launched into memories about each and every recipe. The following pages are full of those stories and the tips and techniques you need to make the cakes your own.