Jane’s Patisserie: Deliciously Customizable Cakes, Bakes, and Treats

Jane’s Patisserie blogger Dunn, in her tasty debut, offers 100 crowd-pleasing desserts served up with a hefty portion of hand-holding. Easy-to-follow recipes—some new, others culled from Dunn’s blog—range from the straightforward, like chocolate Viennese whirls, to the more complex, including rhubarb crumble cheesecake, which is constructed from a cookie base, two separate fillings, and a topping. Indeed, this collection is an ode to fillings, frostings, and decorations. No-bake salted caramel cheesecake sports an extravagant caramel, pretzel, and popcorn topping, while less elaborate treats include a gin & tonic loaf cake enlivened with a gin-tinged drizzle. Ideas for customizing recipes appear throughout, including a suggestion to amp up millionaire’s shortbread with orange, lemon, or vanilla flavorings. There’s also a chapter devoted to traybakes, an English term for baking bars, like sticky toffee brownies, in a pan, then slicing them. Enlightening ingredient lists and tips for successful preparations (be patient with “scary” techniques like frying doughnuts, the author counsels) provide further guidance for the home cook, though Britishisms, like caster sugar and sponge, may trip up some. With this accessible compendium, Dunn proves a supportive guide to bakers of any skill level. (Mar.)