What a lovely cake book! I loved the hints and tips at the beginning, even as a seasoned baker myself I found a tip that I'm going to use. I enjoyed the bits of history before the bakes and the additional information. I do prefer a photograph of the bakes, just so I know what they're meant to look like but the drawings are beautifully done. Looking forward to trying the recipes out.

Book of Cakes by Linda Collister

Love , love , love it when the national trust brings out any of its cookbooks and they are always the oǹes I pull off my shelf to refer to when I get the urge to bake.
Reading through this one I know this book will also get plenty of use.
Cake , what's not to like !

A great book about making cakes suitable for absolutely beginners, with lots of tips and clear instructions.
Lovely recipes and the history behind them.
I’m sure I will be making these frequently for my family.
Thank you to NetGalley and and Collins Reference National Trust Books for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Book of Cakes" by Linda Collister is a delightful exploration of traditional baking that captures the essence of preserving and respecting culinary heritage. The book's rich array of traditional recipes offers a delightful journey into lesser-known bakes, showcasing the importance of continuing these time-honored traditions. The introductory section provides valuable insights and innovative ideas, while the simplified tips ingeniously ease the baking process, making it accessible even for beginners. The straightforward recipes with modest ingredient requirements not only simplify the baking experience but also prove to be budget-friendly. Overall, this book is a brilliant read that effortlessly combines tradition, innovation, and practicality. Thanks to NetGalley and the author for this wonderful read.

Book of Cakes by Linda Collister is a wonderful collection of tasty and timeless recipes.

I really loved this cookbook. It pooled together several different categories of cakes/loaves that will appeal to a mass audience. Multiple levels of bakers will be able to find something that can work for them.

I also really liked the historical context that was given with each category and a snippet with each individual entry. Not overwhelming us, the background information helps the reader appreciate the traditions, history, and evolutionary changes that have taken place.

I especially liked the category of fruit cakes…plenty to try!

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Collins Reference, National Trust Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 3/14/24.

It can hardly be said that what the world needs is another book of cakes and yet this one manages to be both beautiful and interesting. The illustrations are lovely - it's nice to have watercolours of them so you have an idea of the look rather than the usual photos - and the layout is very pretty. What I liked most, though, was the range of recipes. There are the more common cakes but also some more unusual recipes that you wouldn't expect to find and I also enjoyed the balance of very sweet cakes with the plainer teatime types, or the different size and types of cakes. The National Trust tea rooms are a perfect advert for good baking so it's good to see a range to make at home too. Lovely!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

#BookofCakes #NetGalley

I love to bake. I used to do it every day practically. I baked for birthday parties, for weddings, for funerals, and mainly just for the hell of it. It's the way I manage my emotions. Which makes it even sadder that my current physical disability has limited my ability in the kitchen. But that hasn't stopped me buying recipe books and reading recipe books, and this one definitely caught my eye.

Linda has added an historical element to the different sections of this book, about the origins of baking and the history of that particular cake. I've read a lot of cookbooks and baked a lot of things, and so I already have a certain amount of knowledge and understanding, but Linda's added a lot more detail that I wasn't aware of, which was nice.

Linda has offered the basic recipe, and also gluten free and vegan options, which is definitely an important aspect in cookbooks now.

I have made several of the cakes mentioned in this book, but obviously the recipes she has provided are new to me, so it was interesting to compare those with what I know. On a personal note, it was nice to see a recipe for a Bara Brith in it. Fruit cake has gone down in popularity, and as a general rule, I am not a fan of fruit cake, but I do love making and eating a Bara Brith, but not many people have heard of it so for me, it was a nice little inclusion.

I reviewed a digital copy which meant the formatting wasn't exactly what the final copy will be like and so I can't comment on that, but it showed some of the illustrations which I really liked. I love an illustration and I feel more books need them - especially adult or non-fiction books.

I wasn't 100% when I read this which meant I wasn't able to test the recipes prior to this review, but I've saved them to try another day, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they bake.

There's not much more I can say in a review about a cookbook really, as there isn't a plot or characters to talk of. But I will say it's a lovely little book with some exciting recipes, interesting facts, classics and modern classics, and wouldn't look out of place on any baker's bookshelf.

What a beautiful book Book of Cakes is by Linda Collister

I absolutely adore everything about it from the overall design of the book to the pictures and layout of the recipes. These national trust books are a guilty pleasure.

Cake. I love cake, Baking it, eating it and sharing it. This is my kind of book. This is a book for any cake or baking lover, from beginners to the experienced. It has some great advice, hints and tips as well as some wonderful and classic cake recipes.

This is a book that would take pride of place on any bakers bookshelf and I can guarantee the recipes will be tried and tested in my household over the coming weeks, months and years. All I can say now is YUM!

Thank you NetGalley and Collins Reference, National Trust Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I always love getting a slice of cake from National Trust gardens so that makes me even more excited to test out these recipes.

This is a really lovely selection of cake recipes. The Spicy Rock Cakes are delicious. I see Linda Collister has written several Bake Off books so it’s hardly surprising that these recipes are so good. I’d definitely buy this for myself or as a gift.

With thanks to Collins and NetGalley for a review copy.

What a Little Treasure find "Book of Cakes" byLinda Collister was, especially as I have my little sister coming over to visit me for her birthday next month and she loves all kinds of cake especially Carrot cake..........Guess what I will be baking for her special day!!!

This book is lovely and has many easy to do recipes with clear instructions from start to finish. It is beautifully illustrated throughout with tried and tested recipes includes all the classics and favourites – Coffee and Walnut Cake, Spiced Carrot Cake, Double Chocolate Brownies with some new and exciting recipes to inspire and Fresh Apricot, Saffron and Honey Cake; Sea Salt Caramel Sponge; Blood Orange Poppyseed Cake. Now the Saffron and Honey cake was amazing and did not last long in this house. We all loved it.

I can't thank the author Lynda for such a beautiful book that bought back good memories of when my mum taught me how to back some old favourite cakes when we were younger.

A must book for your kitchen. I highly recommend :Book of cakes"

A truly fantastic collection of recipes from delicate individual treats to hearty loaf and fruit cakes. The instructions are clear and thorough enough to reassure any novice baker but with a wide enough variety to tempt an experienced one. The interesting additional facts about the history of the recipes and the places that inspired them make this a worthy addition to the National Trust cookbook collection. There is definitely a parkin in my weekend plans!

My thanks to NetGalley and The National Trust for a copy of “Book Of Cakes “ for an honest review.

This little book with a varied selection of cake recipes , plus beautiful illustrations , would make a perfect addition to any kitchen shelf.
There are old favourites plus new variations to try out , and everything is very well explained.
I’m sure this book would appeal to any cake lover !

As the name may suggest, this book is poor joy!

As has been typical of this series, don't expect photographs of the extensive list of delicacies featured, but some cute drawings illustrate many of the wondrous creations, and I can confirm that these are enough to tantalise the tastebuds!

There is no shortage of cakes in this delicious book, and these are arranged by sections, comprised of loaf cakes, fruit cakes, sponge cakes and small cakes. It further includes 4 introductory sections. For those of us with specific dietary requirements consideration (and substitutions) are featured for those recipes on which it is possible to do so, where substitutions are not recommended the author has the integrity to make this very clear.

Overall this is book I will refer to again and again as I seek to increase my cake baking repertoire!

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

An absolute delight to be able to bake National Trust Bakes at home, I'm sure anyone who frequents a National Trust café will have their favourites. I also love to browse any baking book and get inspiration for my regular baking for village events without the recipes being an add on at the end of a general cookery book and I know these recipes will work having been tested and used by people who bake for the National Trust.

I also enjoyed the history section at the start of each section highlighting how bakes have developed over time. No photos in this publication but delightful drawings throughout.

Really good book for anyone who has an interest in baking. Lots of good recipes for you. Good instructions which are easy to follow.

A lovely book from the National Trust. I am looking forward to baking some of these. It is lovely to have a book of traditional cake making with clear explanations and hints. I will buy this in hard back .

A really useful little book full of easy to follow recipes with clear instructions.
The recipes are divided into 4 sections:-
1. Loaf cakes which includes lemon drizzle and malty tea loaf
2. Fruit cakes - I'm looking forward to trying the orchard figgy cake.
3. Sponge cakes with favourites such a Victoria sponge, coffee and walnut and the delicious sounding pecan fudge cake.
4. Small cakes - this has many recipes to delight children, including tiffin, butterfly cakes and chocolate brownies.
The small illustrations are delightful.
This will be a well used book.
Highly recommend.
Thanks to netGalley and the publishers for an ARC.

I have had a look through and can’t wait to try some of these recipes!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This National Trust cake recipe book contains a lovely selection of unusual, but very tempting, recipes. It includes sections on loaf cakes, fruit cakes, sponge cakes and small cakes. The brief introduction explains some of the interesting history of the development of cakes. There is a good mix of traditional cakes and newer recipes, all look delicious. Thank you to Net Galley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a wonderful book. I expected just cake recipes and I could not have been more wrong. The starter was the descriptions of the many methods that are involved with the different types of cake making. This was a fascinating starter and the descriptions and details were so clear. For each of the cakes there was a brief description about the history which was so interesting. I found that the recipes were so detailed giving amazing step by step instructions in order to produce the top cakes with no errors. It was interesting to know that these recipes have been used in National Trust properties and so when a visitor liked a certain cake they could then reproduce it at home.
This is a unique cookery book that will be very useful to anyone who purchases it.
Thank you Netgalley for getting me a copy of this magnificent book about cake making so that I could give my totally unbiased review on. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes cakes.