I love American books about baking pies and cookies. You get images of bake sales and lovely ladies in aprons making delicious cakes with summer berries. I don’t know if this is a movie image or maybe and hopefully reality for American people. But it’s the feeling I get when I leave through ‘Baking from the heart’. Recipes from ‘the nations best bakers’ it says on the cover for ‘the Great American Bake Sale’. Yes this book is for a good cause. It is to fight hunger in America, because 18 million children go to bed hungry every day in the land of the brave. Unbelievable…sad but true I guess. So if buying this book and baking can help I am all for it.

There is this one recipe in the book that was shouting: “Bake me, I am irresistible!” for months already. It’s the ‘Basque Custard Cookie Cake’ on page 116 from Michel Richard. I can tell you, this cake does not disappoint. It is exactly as I dreamt it would be. Vanilly, creamy, yummy. Great for a bake sale it says, but I doubt if it will ever reach it’s destination!

As I was having my ‘terribly important baking day’ anyway I also made the ‘Apricot Crumb Bars’ by Susan and Cassandra Purdy on page 42. Again very tasty. I have a feeling all the recipes in this book are great. Have to go now…more recipes are calling out to me. Yes …I will be right there ‘Chocolate-Cherry Fudge Torte’!