Thanks to Page Street Publishing for the complimentary copy of The Farmer's Daughter Bakes: Cakes, Pies, Crisps and More for Every Fruit on the Farm. I’m excited to share my honest review of this gorgeous new cookbook.
A note from the publisher about The Farmer’s Daughter Bakes: Cakes, Pies, Crisps and More for Every Fruit on the Farm
Savor the Flavors of Every Season with Beautiful Baked Goods
Bake along with Kelsey Siemens, creator of The Farmer’s Daughter blog and fulltime apple farmer at her family’s orchard. In this inspiring collection, she shares the ins and outs of a year on the farm, along with new and heirloom recipes, plus gorgeous photography. Layered with crumbles, fillings, creams and curds, these impressive treats bring out the best in every fruit. Whether you want to take your pies to the next level with a braided lattice crust and creative flavor pairings, or just need clever ways to use your farmers’ market haul or garden harvest, you’ll find a bounty of delicious ideas and easy techniques.
Welcome spring with Great-Grandma Enid’s Rhubarb-Pistachio Coffee Cake and capture the sweet taste of summer in Blueberry–Earl Grey Cream Roll Cake. Celebrate autumn’s return with favorite flavors in Apple Crisp Cheesecake with Salted Caramel and warm up your winter with preserves and spices in a festive Gingerbread Loaf with Chai-Spiced Poached Pears. Straight from Kelsey’s cozy farmhouse kitchen, these recipes turn everyday produce into irresistible creations that will have you looking forward to every season.
- Paperback: 216 pages
- Publisher: Page Street Publishing (October 13, 2020)
My thoughts about The Farmer’s Daughter Bakes: Cakes, Pies, Crisps and More for Every Fruit on the Farm
If anything has become apparent this year, baking something delicious can be just as stress-relieving as eating something delicious. When I first opened ‘The Farmer’s Daughter Bakes: Cakes, Pies, Crisps & More for Every Fruit on the Farm’ by Kelsey Siemens of The Farmer's Daughter blog, I immediately fell in love with the way everything was laid out seasonally. If you have rhubarb, there are 6 rhubarb recipes right after the other, if you have blackberries, those are grouped together too. When fall comes around you’re welcomed by several recipes using early fall apples before transitioning to pumpkin and squash. The winter holidays are packed full of winter citrus, cranberries, and rich jam-filled treats.
After my first flip through, I had bookmarked many of the gorgeously photographed recipes to make, but my attention kept falling back to a recipe that was slightly out of season -- the Raspberry-Almond Cake. Though raspberries are not a fall fruit, I happened to have an excess of unreasonably ripe juicy ones sitting in my fridge. I also have serious heart eyes for anything involving almond as a primary flavor and this recipe happened to be filled with homemade almond paste and plenty of sliced almonds to top. Raspberries + almond = basically a dreamboat of a cake. The resulting cake was supremely fluffy and, dare I say, moist. The sweetness paired lovely with an afternoon cup of milky tea.
As a Team Pie member in the classic pie vs cake debate, it’s not often you’ll find me truly raving about a cake -- but this bake was not only one of the best cakes I’ve had in recent memory, it also stands out as one of my very favorite desserts I’ve had in a long while. I would like to formally apply for dual #teampie and #teamcake membership, please.
I am excited to dive into the rest of Kelsey’s bakes because if they’re anything as good as the Raspberry-Almond cake, the spine on my book is going to get plenty of wear. The recipes in this book feel like cozy, home comfort. The kind of recipes that get passed down generationally to be enjoyed at family dinners at home for years to come.
Who this book is a good fit for
The Farmer's Daughter Bakes: Cakes, Pies, Crisps and More for Every Fruit on the Farm would make a tremendous gift for any home baker, especially those with a fruit-forward sweet tooth, as this book is a great resource for utilizing all the fresh fruit each season has to offer. Those who are just starting out in their baking journey may find some techniques difficult, but I don't think there's anything in this cookbook that I moderate home baker would find intimidating.
ABOUT KELSEY SIEMENS
Photographer and stylist, Kelsey Siemens is the author of The Farmer's Daughter blog. She grew up on a beautiful farm in the idyllic Fraser Valley in BC, Canada, where she works alongside her parents.
Check out her blog, The Farmer's Daughter, and follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.
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