Most of us learned this the hard way: baking and cooking are totally different ballparks. While cooking might be compared to an art form, where you aren’t bounded by limitation and can add something of yourself to each dish, baking on the other hand, is more of a science—where you are bound by law. With little to no room for improvising, baking requires precision and a level of mastery.
Or at least so we thought… Australian-born, San Francisco-based cook and writer Odette Williams, is determined on convincing us that baking a cake need not be that hard. In fact, most novices can give it a go. Her debut cookbook, titled Simple Cake, simplifies the process and includes recipes for 10 base cakes, 15 toppings, and endless decorating ideas to yield a treat.
According to Williams, her cakes aren’t extravagant, not too rich or complex, and above all, they’re easy and quick to make. Her book also goes into details about the fundamentals of baking, with foolproof recipes and inventive decorating ideas. “There’s a visceral, emotional reason why we bake cakes,” Williams explained once in an interview with the Martha Stewart website. “These small gestures towards one another can really pick someone’s spirits up and give us that simple happiness. That’s what it’s all about.”
With baking, there’s also a sweet note of nostalgia, that Williams traces back to her childhood. According to Williams, she actually began baking herself desserts as a child. “There was never anything sweet in the house. All that was around was vegemite,” she jokes. “I used to come home from school and make cake… I got crafty about scaling a recipe, since I didn’t want to eat a whole one.”
Whether it’s citrusy and fresh or chocolatey and indulgent, Williams’ cake recipes (which include favorites like Milk & Honey, Coconut, Summer Berry Pavlova, and Chocolatey Chocolate) are simple enough that you might just be tempted to follow. Thoughtful and inspiring, her book also makes for an ideal gift if you ask us.
