Product Description

A cupcake can change your life. Ever since Magnolia Bakery opened its doors in 1996, people have been lining up day and night to satisfy their sugar cravings -- patiently waiting in line at the old-fashioned yet funky bake shop to buy cupcakes, layer cakes, pudding, and ice cream, much to the surprise and delight of owner Allysa Torey. Now, from the baker who brought cupcakes to everyone's attention, come even more recipes from Greenwich Village's favorite bakery and her home kitchen.

Whether it's a birthday cake, weekend breakfast treats, or sweets for a bake sale, you'll find simple and delicious recipes to delight family and friends on all occasions in More from Magnolia: Recipes from the World-Famous Bakery and Allysa Torey's Home Kitchen. Beginning with the ever-popular cupcakes and frostings, you'll find the much-requested recipes for the mouthwatering Magnolia's Famous Banana Pudding and sinfully rich Red Velvet Cake with Creamy Vanilla Frosting, all with helpful hints that let you achieve the same sweet results as the bakery. In the well-loved Magnolia style, Allysa Torey brings you new twists on old favorites, such as Devil's Food Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting, Peaches and Cream Pie with Sugar Cookie Crust, and Apple Tart with Hazelnut Brown Sugar Topping. You'll also find breakfast treats like Cream Cheese Crumb Buns and Blueberry Coffee Cake with Vanilla Glaze; and afternoon snacks like Black Bottom Cupcakes, Walnut Brown Sugar Squares, and Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chip Cookies. From Banana Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing to Heavenly Hash Ice Cream Pie, these are the desserts that Allysa makes for friends and family at home -- unfussy, straightforward, and simply delicious.

Illustrated with eight pages of beautiful color photographs, as well as black-and-white stills that capture the daily life of the bakery, More from Magnolia is an irresistible collection of new classics that will inspire you to fill your kitchen with sweet things.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5744 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-28
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 160 pages

Amazon.com
Located in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, the near-shoebox-size Magnolia Bakery has become a destination for lovers of all-things sweet. The reason? From the beginning its owner Allysa Torey and her staff have offered cakes (and particularly cupcakes), pies, and other pastries that are utterly unpretentious but deeply satisfying in a grandmother-would-have-made-it-if-she-could-have way. More from Magnolia Torey's second book, adds to her already impressive recipe roster 75 formulas that range from Pear Streusel Breakfast Buns, and Pumpkin Walnut Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting, to Chocolate Pecan Pudding Pie, and Old-Fashioned Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. Included also are recipes for signature specialties like Magnolia's Chocolate Cupcakes and famous banana pudding, plus a section on frostings and sauces. All are easy to do, even for beginning bakers, and all have the straightforward Magnolia appeal. --Arthur Boehm

From Booklist
Who would have thought that a good store would limit its customers to a specific number of cupcakes? Or that a down-home bakery, without the patisserie appellation, would have garnered such a following in sophisticated Manhattan? In the second of her cookbooks (following The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook, 1999), bakery owner Torey adopts 75 easy recipes to home ovens--with the appropriate preparations, of course. Whether cookies or coffee cakes, cheese pies or ice creams, her sweet stuff is always distinguished by a twist in traditional ingredients--banana bread enlivened by coconut and pecans, or a white chocolate ice cream made crunchier with peanut brittle. Recipes rarely take up more than one page; directions are eminently understandable. Barbara Jacobs
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Introduction

When we first opened the Magnolia Bakery, I imagined a cozy, old-fashioned shop where people could come for a cup of coffee and something sweet. I expected our customers to include some local regulars and lots of neighborhood families. I thought we'd close at seven each evening so I could go home and make dinner. I never expected that Magnolia would turn into a city-wide hangout, much less that on weekend nights there would be lines out the door!

The bakery is busier now than ever. Our customers stop by as much for the feel of the store as they do for the desserts. With its vintage American decor and desserts, customers often tell me that walking into the bakery is just like stepping back in time to their grandmother's kitchen. They come in for a slice of cake and end up with a little piece of their childhood. Many want to meet me to say thanks for making the red velvet cake they remember from church picnics or the banana pudding just like their mom used to make.

Since the publication of The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook, many people have suggested that I do a second book. While working full-time at the bakery, the idea of writing another cookbook seemed impossible. Finally, after putting together a committed staff at the shop, we were able to move full-time to our country house, and I could really consider the idea, knowing that I would have the time and energy necessary to write the book I wanted to write.

The kitchen in my house is the one I've always dreamed of having. It's a big country kitchen with a window over the double white enamel sink that looks out on my vegetable garden and the cornfields beyond. The walls are painted pale yellow, and the glass-fronted cabinets, filled with vintage dishware and linens, are a creamy white. I have a counter just for baking that holds my 1950s Sunbeam Mixmaster, and there is a big enamel table that sits in the middle of the room, which is the perfect place for rolling out piecrusts.

Being able to work on the book in the country has turned out to be a wonderful experience. It's been great to be able to work on ideas for recipes while sitting on the back porch and then go straight into the kitchen to try them out. I like to create recipes in an old-fashioned style, but with new ideas and perhaps different combinations of ingredients to keep things interesting and fun.

These classic American desserts reflect the sensibilities of the bakery and my home. They aren't fussy or difficult -- they're simply my favorites.

Allysa Torey

September 2004

Copyright © 2004 by Allysa Torey

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Pecan Crust

This cheesecake has been a huge success at the bakery since its introduction. It is a lovely dessert for an autumn dinner party. I love to make cheesecakes when I'm entertaining because they can be made one to two days in advance, before the guests even arrive.

Crust

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1 ½ cups gingersnap cookie crumbs

½ cup chopped toasted pecans (see Note)

Filling

¾ pound (one and a half 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, softened

¾ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar

5 large eggs, at room temperature

1 ½ cups canned pumpkin puree

¾ cup heavy cream

1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

Garnish

Sweet Vanilla Whipped Cream

Toasted pecan halves (see Note)

Note: To toast the pecans, place on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned and fragrant.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

To make the crust: In a small bowl, combine the butter with the gingersnap cookie crumbs and pecans. Press into the bottom of a buttered 10-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, on the low speed of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until very smooth. Gradually add the sugars. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add the pumpkin puree and mix until just blended. To ensure that the batter has no lumps and that no ingredients are stuck to the bottom of the bowl, stop the mixer several times and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Stir in the heavy cream and cinnamon.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and set the pan on a baking sheet. Bake until the edges are set and the center moves only slightly when the pan is shaken, about 1 hour. At the end of the baking time, turn off the heat and, using a wooden spoon to keep the oven door slightly ajar, cool the cake in the oven for 1 hour before removing. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours or overnight.

Remove the cake from the refrigerator 15-30 minutes before cutting and serving. Garnish with the sweetened whipped cream and toasted pecan halves.

Makes one 10-inch cheesecake

Copyright © 2004 by Allysa Torey

Customer Reviews

vanilla vanilla cupcakes disappointing, but other recipes good
I've tried the red velvet cake (made them into cupcakes to fill that craving) with the cream cheese frosting. These were fabulous! I keep the frosting in a bag in the refrigerator and eat them when I have the urge. (I keep the cupcakes in the freezer and defrost when the craving strikes.) They are very light and fluffy and were the best "from scratch" cake I've had.

I just baked this morning the vanilla vanilla cupcakes with signature frosting and, after just moments ago tasting one, was disappointed. It turned out dense and with a strange subtle taste to them that I suspect was imparted by the self-rising flour. I've never used self-rising flour and was shocked to find salt among the many ingredients in the flour. The cupcakes just tasted a little funny, and even a tad salty despite my using less than the recipe called for (again, maybe the flour??). The frosting was a little sweet for me. Perhaps adding some cream instead of all milk would have mellowed it a tad. I usually make my frostings with some cream for consistency and taste.

I read the cautionary reviews that these turn out great for baking novices and disappointing for those with lots of baking experience. I'm an avid baker, and so this was unfortunately a correct predictor in my case. I'll keep trying the others, but will continue to hunt for another recipe.

Mixed results
I have never been to the Magnolia bakery, though it sounds wonderful. The cookbook is very good, easy to follow and has many helpful tips. I like that many of the recipes are traditional and old fashioned......fewer expensive and unusual ingredients. Most of these are easy to make and fine to make with kids.
Especially nice is the chocolate Buttercream and the seven-minute icing. The blueberry pie is quite good (we made six of them at Thanksgiving). The Devil's food cake was a little heavy and not very sweet, but the devil's food cupcakes were better.

no pictures!!
This is well written book about old fashion dessert recipes, the hints and tips are great if you have just started baking.

I gave it four stars just for the fact that it doesn't have pictures to go along with the recipes, it only has a few pictures in the center.

So far i baked the following:

-Vanilla cupcakes > they are wounderful
-Chocolate cupcakes > light and yummy
-Hello dolly bars > maybe it was me but i didn't like them at all
-Blondies with white and dark chocolate and walnuts > really liked them
-Peanut butter chocolate chip pecan cookies > great
-Black bottom cupcakes > so and so
-Apple cake with butterscotch cream cheese frosting > the best

I also made the white chocolate buttercream frosting and it was nice but what i really liked was the dark chocolate buttercream icing specially on the the vanilla cupcakes.

overall a really good book.