Cake Simple: Recipes for Bundt-Style Cakes from Classic Dark Chocolate to Luscious Lemon-Basil

Christie Matheson
Chronicle Books (2011)
ISBN 9780811879361
Reviewed by Irene Watson for Reader Views (10/11)


When I saw this book I smiled because it seemed like a resurgence of the 1980s trend of bundt cakes.  In fact I still have mine and it is olive green.  For some reason I never did get rid of it and I’m glad I didn’t, because when this book came in I had an opportunity to dig it out and use it.

For the purpose of the review we are asked to test three recipes.  Fortunately we have neighbors that love sampling my tests so making three bundt cakes within a few days ended up an easy task. The first recipe I tested was “Apple Butterscotch.”  The cake was very moist, almost pudding-like, and very flavorful.  I liked using walnuts with the apples which was, for me, a nice change; I usually use pecans. Topped with a home-made butterscotch icing made this cake more scrumptious.  The recipe says the cake can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days.  I can’t attest to that because nobody I gave the samples to kept it that long.

The second recipe I tested was “Lemon-Poppy Seed.”  The cake was moist, dense and had a distinct lemon flavor.  It was a little heavier than I expected but nonetheless it was a hit. I liked the lemon glaze but next time I make this cake I will leave it off.  It seemed like it was just a little too sweet and didn’t quite balance the sourness of the lemon.

The third recipe I tested was “Boozy Chocolate Bourbon Cake with - Drunken Bourbon Sauce.”  Wow...what a cake! Wicked!  It reminded me of a cake I used to make called “Death by Chocolate” but this one had booze in it. Granted the alcohol did cook out of the cake but the flavor was still there.  However, there was no cooking off of the Bourbon in the sauce.   Strong flavors, rich texture, and ultra-rich, this cake was devoured in no time. This is one recipe that I will make again. 

It’s great to shift back to using a bundt cake pan; I forgot how easy it was.  There are a few more recipes I want to try out, for e.g., ones that have filling in them.  Not only do they look good, the surprise in the middle is always fun.

“Cake Simple” by Christie Matheson is a keeper...and one that I will be using again.  Recommended.

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