American Cake: From Colonial Gingerbread to Classic Layer, the Stories and Recipes Behind More Than

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Taste your way through America with more than 125 recipes for our favorite historical cakes and frostings.

Cakes in America aren’t just about sugar, flour, and frosting. They have a deep, rich history that developed as our country grew. Cakes, more so than other desserts, are synonymous with celebration and coming together for happy times. They’re an icon of American culture, reflecting heritage, region, season, occasion, and era. And they always have been, throughout history.

In American Cake, Anne Byrn, creator of the New York Times bestselling series The Cake Mix Doctor, takes you on a journey through America’s past to present with more than 125 authentic recipes for our best-loved and beautiful cakes and frostings. Tracing cakes chronologically from the dark, moist gingerbread of New England to the elegant pound cake, the hardscrabble Appalachian stack cake, war cakes, deep-South caramel, Hawaiian Chantilly, and the modern California cakes of orange and olive oil, Byrn shares recipes, stories, and a behind-the-scenes look into what cakes we were baking back in time. From the well-known Angel Food, Red Velvet, Pineapple Upside-Down, Gooey Butter, and Brownie to the lesser-known Burnt Leather, Wacky Cake, Lazy Daisy, and Cold Oven Pound Cake, this is a cookbook for the cook, the traveler, or anyone who loves a good story. And all recipes have been adapted to the modern kitchen.

Our Top Reviews

Reviewer: JLCarty
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: This book is amazing for the history alone but the cakes are great. Only one fail so far.
Review: I saw this book at the library and tried the Mary Ball Washington Gingerbread. It didn’t turn out right. Mine was short, dense and dark. I took a picture of my cake next to the picture. I knew I still needed this book for the history alone so I bought a copy. I’ve since tried many recipes and they’ve each been excellent.The ones I’ve tried and the photos include:Mary Ball Washington Gingerbread, a failTunnel of Fudge Bundt Cake. This was the first cake I made in my new Anniversary Nordic Ware Bundt Pan. The book includes the history of this pan.The Coca Cola Cake. Pretty good but there are better tasting chocolate cakes. My favorite is the Texas Sheath Cake. I can’t find the picture of that one.Wacky Cake. An interesting way to make a dairy free cake in one pan. This one tasted like childhood because my mom would sometimes make this one when I was a kid.The Hershey’s Chocolate Cake. It was good but the batter tasted stronger than the cake. Wonderfully moist, soft crumb, it was niceFruit Cocktail Cake. This one is delicious and makes a good breakfast cake. We grew up eating cake for breakfast and I still like partaking in this tradition.Angel Food Cake. Mine was short and light tan in comparison to the picture and the ones I’ve seen at the store but my was it delicious. It tasted so good I don’t care what it looked like. I found online a recipe called a 12 Yolk Pound Cake that I made with the 12 yolks and it was a delicious cake as well.Chocolate Stout Cake. I’ve been making this cake each year for the Super Bowl since about 2011 and the recipe in this book is the exact recipe I found online and have been making each year. It was fun to learn the history of the cake.I also have learned so many things like how the 9X13 cake pan was popularized by the recipe for Rice Crispy Treats.Definitely a wonderful book and well worth the purchase.

Reviewer: Justine P.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: I’ve tired over half the recipies!
Review: I adore this book. During the winter I have made it a point to make one of these cakes every weekend. In the book I write the date, weather, and a note on what’s going on in the world, and I write notes on the recipies.These recipies are just spectacular. I’ve learned so much about cake baking and different flavors that I never would’ve tried otherwise. To learn the origins and history behind the cakes makes it so much better. It’s fun to tell others the story of the cake when I share them.Recipies are well written, easy to follow and flat out good recipies. The cakes taste spectacular! I read the history before I start each recipie so I can reflect on the story as I’m baking.Photos are also gorgeous. This was a well thought out book.5 stars, highly recommend. This book has been such a joy!!! And a great hobby for me when it’s cold and nasty outside.

Reviewer: D. Foster
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Came in great shape
Review: If you love history and baking, this book is for you. I heard her interview on Missed in History podcast. I had to have the book. Now I’m reading about the history of cake and eating too much cake. What fun

Reviewer: Mrs Princess
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A Sweet Taste of Americana
Review: Such a beautiful book! I am an avid cookbook reader and love to bake. I am so glad that I gave this one a shot. I like how it is organized, by time period (ex: 1650-1799… ect.) The photos are gorgeous and are much appreciated as I am one that enjoys pictures to go with recipies. If you are are one that actually likes to read cookbooks like a book (I do!), you will enjoy the introduction discussing the history of cakes in the U.S. I really enjoy that there continues to be that history ed throughout the book and before each recipe there is an explanation or story that goes along with that recipe. There are a huge variety of cakes in this book, which is very nice esp if you are wanting a variation to try. My absolute personal favorites include the Hummingbird Cake and the Texas Sheath Cake! I highly recommend this book! It would also make a very sweet gift for anyone.

Reviewer: Traci Edmundson
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Neat cookbook
Review: I really like this cake book. Nice easy receipts and the pictures are great. I love the info that accompanies the cake 🎂. I have made a few of them now and they don’t last long here! More than a cake book, a brief glimpse into the past to learn how cakes where made then.

Reviewer: DBrennan
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: What a very beautiful book this is
Review: What a very beautiful book this is. It is so well researched and delightful to read, and the photos of every single cake are gorgeous. I only just received it a few hours ago and haven’t had a chance to bake from it, but the enclosed recipes look sensational, with ingredients which make it look as if all the cakes will be winners. I am thrilled with this book and can’t wait to get started baking tomorrow! I’ve already given it as a gift just based on what I’ve seen, and plan to gift it several more times. I can’t think of any cake which might have been missed and have been excited to find every single cake for which I searched. The included Pound Cake recipes alone are worth the very reasonable price of the book for me. The book itself is beautiful with a slight vintage feel to the papers and covers, almost like a favorite history textbook. Thank you for this wonderful American Cake book and Congratulations, Anne Byrn!

Reviewer: Arianna
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great book for bakers and history buffs alike
Review: I have checked out this book many times from the library and found it so interesting to read. I gave it to my dad who does baking and he is very excited to try these historical recipes.

Reviewer: Jenna
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: I absolutely love this book
Review: I absolutely love this book! I’m a history dork with a sweet tooth and this hit the spot. After hearing about the book on How Stuff Works’ podcast “Stuff You Missed in History Class,” I immediately order the book. Not disappointed! I love the beautiful pictures, the book is physically and aesthetically well done. Yesterday I made my first cake, my first cake from scratch ever and my first from this book. It was the Orange Chiffon Cake, popular in the mid-20th century. I made it for my step-dad, who was born in 1950. It was truly a birthday cake and turned out fantastic! Anne Bryn has done all the research for you to bring together a mix of history and useful recipes with skill and are easily comprehended. I recommend this book for any cake or history lover, as well as foodies.

Reviewer: H. Wiggin
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Well-researched and beautifully presented cookbook. The recipes have been sensitively updated to suit modern palates and kitchens. Unlike so many cookbooks, there isn’t a cake in here I won’t get around to baking.

Reviewer: Charlymay.
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I have not tried any of the recipes yet, but I think I have fallen in love with this book 🥴 I immediately wanted to try baking the Blitz Torte, the La Fonda Pudding Cake, Mrs Harvey’s White Fruitcake and Cowboy Cake! The photos are gorgeous and the paper quality feels lovely. It has its shortcomings. It uses only the American measurement system; in this day and age any decent cookbook should give readers a choice of cup/metric/imperial. My other grouse is for some recipes, the related photo is many, many pages away; the Cold Oven Pound Cake recipe is on pg 170 but the accompanying photo is on pg 140! The Edith Warner’s Chocolate Loaf Cake recipe is on pg 176 but the photo of it is on pg 148. There are other recipes similarly laid out. I just can’t recall them all. This split between recipes and photos really mars the experience of using and enjoying this book. Despite these flaws, I still could not put it down as I went through it, page by page. The author writes in an unfussy but engaging way. I found myself completely sucked into a cosy world of tempting cakes, fascinating history and charming origin stories. Of the eight baking books I bought in this single haul, American Cake is hands down my favourite. I cannot wait to start baking from it.

Reviewer: S. Matthews
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I love this book with it’s collection of history and recipes. Who knew that the history of the country could be reflected in it’s cakes? Here are pound cakes from English settlers, cowboy cakes made in a casserole dish over the fire, wartime cakes from the First World War, elaborate over- decorated cakes from the 50’s and 60’s and the plain health-conscious Californian cakes of the late 20th century. Now I wish there was a British version!

Price effective as of Jul 02, 2025 02:31:01 UTC

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