That's right, Genius Desserts is almost here, and we couldn't be more thrilled! It's available for pre-order today, and you lucky ones who get there first will receive your limited-edition copy, lovingly signed by author and Food52 Creative Director Kristen Miglore, in September.
To make this book happen, Kristen has been scouting, testing, and tasting desserts (this was the hardest task) for the better part of two years—with an incredible amount of help from you. We're proud to share the more than 100 recipes, tips, and riffs she's unearthed along the way, which include the ones you've loved best over the years from the Genius Recipes column, and the brand new ones you've helped find.
Genius Desserts is—let's be clear—the book that every person needs. When you’re not a baker, but you need *the* birthday cake. When you’ve tried every chocolate mousse but haven’t found one that sticks. When you're short on time and want your efforts in the kitchen to count.
Amanda & Merrill, from the introduction
In Genius Desserts, you'll get to know standout recipes that'll make your baking legendary—teaching you a new technique, showing you how to turn an ingredient on its head, or just guiding you to the very best dang version of your favorite sweet (including three types of chocolate cake—three!).
This means timeless classics like Maida Heatter’s East 62nd Street Lemon Cake, François Payard’s Flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookies, and Nancy Silverton’s Butterscotch Budino. It also means little-known gems that will make you scratch your head and salivate simultaneously: a comforting Peach Cobbler with Hot Sugar Crust from Renee Erickson, an imaginative Parsnip Cake with Blood Orange Buttercream from Lucky Peach, a ridiculously simple and rewarding Ten-Minute Lime Cracker Pie from J. Kenji López-Alt.
We're also over the moon that we can finally show you the cover, which features one of our favorite recipes in the book: Anita Shepherd's chocolate birthday cake with super-fluffy frosting (and a few surprises). It's a fudgy, show-stopping crowdpleaser, but one you can whip up at a moment's notice without any fuss—entirely from ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. Pretty genius, right?
Watch the cover come to life in this adorable video of Kristen and Anita making the cake, and try not to say "Aww!" too many times. Nothing like fluffy chocolate frosting to bring people together.
Pre-order your copy of Genius Desserts today, and get it in the mail in September! Only a limited number will be exclusively signed by Kristen, so hop to it.
From our new podcast network, The Genius Recipe Tapes is lifelong Genius hunter Kristen Miglore’s 10-year-strong column in audio form, featuring all the uncut gems from the weekly column and video series. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts so you don’t miss out.
Brinda is the Director of Content at Food52, where she oversees all site content across Food52 and Home52. She likes chewy Neapolitan pizza, stinky cheese of all sorts, and tahini-flavored anything. Brinda lives in Brooklyn with 18 plants and at least one foster pup (sometimes more). Find her at @brindayesterday on Twitter and Instagram.
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