Gateau

James Beard Award–winning writer Aleksandra Crapanzano shares the secrets of the cakes Parisians bake at home, from the simplest yogurt cakes to a deceptively easy bûche de Noël, from yuzu madeleines to boozy flourless chocolate confections.
 

Reviews

“Offers up over 150 French cake recipes, from savory to sweet, each one eminently do-able…wherever you are. Aleksandra really understands French home baking.” —David Lebovitz

“If, like me, you get a little giddy around French cakes, take a look at Gateau. My copy has so many stick notes that I can barely close it.” —Melissa Clark

“Channel your inner Parisian and serve simple, yet stylish cakes with these tips.” —Martha Stewart

“Delightfully charming . . . featuring beguiling illustrations . . . [the cakes are] unfussy and easy to throw together, and as delicious as promised.” —The Washington Post

"Goes beyond recipes to make a bigger argument about how ease and simplicity define French baking culture.” —The Atlantic

“A smart, charming new book on French cakes... Got an urge to bake and simultaneously submerge yourself in French culture? Gateau will enchant you.” —The Boston Globe

“Crapanzano has the secret to confidently, casually chucking a cake in the oven while you pour yourself another glass of wine and get back to the table... In Gâteau, she shares her Rolodex of fantastic French cakes that you won’t spend three days psyching yourself out over.” —GOOP

“While the recipes are serious and many, the mood is every bit as playful and enchanting as the Paris afternoon of your frilliest fantasies.” —Fodors

“Want to make stunning French pastries at home with little fuss?... Flip through whimsical illustrations and charming anecdotes, and learn how to make a simple gâteux sing.”—Epicurious

“Aleksandra nails what's so inimitable about the French and how they just casually throw together a showstopper.” —Edible LA

“Shares the secrets to culinary savoir faire in charmingly illustrated pages... streamlined recipes rooted in classic techniques serve as blueprints for myriad variations based on the season or what’s in the cupboard.” —Atlanta Journal Constitution

“Charming... endlessly adaptable.” —Jenny Rosenstrach, Cup of Jo

“Her fabulous recipes will have you wooing your friends with a whole range of sweet delicacies.” —Nancy Silverton, chef and co-owner of Mozza Restaurant Group 

“Chic, charming, and delectable... Everything about it—delicious writing, lyrical illustrations, and the recipes for cakes simple and seductive—conspires to bring joy. Gâteau is enchanting.” —Dorie Greenspan, author of Baking with Dorie

“An utterly delightful compendium of simple French bakes.”—Garden & Gun