Inside Baking Wisdom lies the answer to every baking question you’ve ever had (and many you haven’t yet), plus over 150 perfected recipes—both savoury and sweet—for bakers of all skill levels. Get inside Anna’s baking brain, as she shares a career’s worth of experience to build a true masterclass in baking. In this incredible baking compendium, you will learn the hows and whys of baking through her flawless techniques, patient advice and literally hundreds of photos. This is an all-encompassing guide, guaranteed to make you a better baker.

Whether you want to perfect your pie dough or dedicate your weekend to assembling a masterpiece Torta Setteveli, there is a recipe in Baking Wisdom for you:

ESSENTIALS • PIES & TARTS • PASTRIES • CAKES • CUSTARDS & CREAMS • CONFECTIONS •  COOKIES & BARS • BREADS

Within each chapter, Anna’s triple-tested recipes are grouped together by commonly shared technique or principle, so you can see how one foundation recipe can be built upon to create many more complex creations. In every one of her perfected recipes, Anna leads the way with notes of baking wisdom directly included in each recipe’s method. And she does this all with one goal in mind: to help you achieve the very best baking results every time.

Also included is extensive advice on topics such as baking ingredients, tools and actions, as well as numerous step-by-step how-to guides for all types of baking techniques. If you’ve ever wondered how to separate an egg, or frost a cake, or temper chocolate, the answers are here. And if you’re interested in a deeper understanding of how and why ingredients behave the way they do in baking, or the impacts of altitude, or even how to calculate butterfat content, there’s a whole section dedicated to the science of baking, too.

Baking Wisdom is a must-have collection of baking recipes, techniques and advice, and is Anna’s most comprehensive cookbook yet.

Anna Olson’s Baking Wisdom: The Complete Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Make You a Better Baker (with 150+ Recipes) by Anna Olson is available at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Indigo.ca.   

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Warm Lemon Saucing Cake

This cake makes its own lemon curd at the bottom as it bakes, and is super lemony, while the top of the cake develops a tender caramelized crust. If you’re making this cake ahead of time, prepare the batter up to 2 hours before and let it stand on the counter. Hold off on whipping the egg whites and folding them into the batter until right before you bake the cake.

MAKES: one 6-cup (1.5 L) dessert

SERVES: 6 to 8

PREP TIME: 15 minutes

COOK TIME: 45 minutes

SIMPLE  BITES OF WISDOM:  How to separate an egg (p. 32), How to whip egg whites (p. 34)

INGREDIENTS

3 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar, divided

¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Finely grated zest of 2 lemons

½ cup (75 g) all-purpose flour

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp fine salt

1½ cups (375 mL) milk

²/³ cup (160 mL) lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract Icing sugar, for dusting

Fresh berries, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and lightly grease a 6-cup (1.5 L) shallow ceramic baking dish.
2. Whip the egg whites if you are ready to bake the cake. Using electric beaters or a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip the egg whites on high speed until foamy. Gradually pour in ¼ cup (50 g) sugar, continuing to whip until the egg whites hold a medium peak when the beaters are lifted. Set aside or, if using a stand mixer, transfer the whites to a separate bowl (no need to wash the stand mixer bowl).
3. Make the base batter. Using electric beaters or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, remaining 1¼ cups (250 g) sugar and lemon zest together on medium speed until combined. Add the yolks, scraping down the bowl if needed. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until blended and smooth—the batter will be thick. Slowly pour in the milk while mixing, stopping to scrape the bowl occasionally. Add the lemon juice and vanilla and mix until combined (the batter will be very fluid).
4. Fold in the egg whites. Add a third of the egg whites to the batter and fold in. Add the remaining whites and fold in until no white streaks are visible. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
5. Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is an even rich golden brown and the sauce is bubbling at the sides. Let the cake cool for 10 to 20 minutes, then dust with icing sugar before bringing to the table to serve. Spoon into dishes and top with fresh berries.

Although this style of dessert is typically served warm, I actually prefer it chilled. The sauce really takes on a lemon curd character and the cake stays soft and moist.

Leftover cake will keep, loosely covered, in the fridge for 2 days. Serve cold or rewarm in the microwave.

Excerpted from Anna Olson’s Baking Wisdom: The Complete Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Make You a Better Baker (with 150+ Recipes) by Anna Olson. Copyright © 2023 Olson Food Concepts Inc. Photography by Janis Nicolay. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.