Cakes from Scratch in Half the Time: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Bake Cakes Forever

Pressed for time, many of us have whipped out a box and doctored a cake. But no matter what we do, it never tastes quite like homemade. Enter Cakes from Scratch in Half the Time. This revolutionary cookbook teaches the time-saving methods of baking homemade cakes in a fraction of the usual time. When a last-minute birthday or bake sale comes around, it's easy to impress with one of these fabulous layered confections, sheet cakes, or jelly rolls. No one will guess how easy it was to make (and who's going to tell them?). Borrowing tried and true techniques from professional bakers, award-winning author Linda West Eckhardt has developed simple shortcuts to shave precious minutes off preparation and baking time. Need a little convincing? Just try the luscious Praline Pound Fudge Cake, sweet and tangy Tangerine Jelly Roll, or the deliciously decadent Lemon Curd Layer Cake topped with lemony cream cheese frosting. So, kiss those cake mixes goodbye and forget frantic trips to the bakery. Now anyone can have their cake from scratchand you know they'll eat it too!

Linda West Eckhardt is a cooking teacher and the author of numerous cookbooks. She won a James Beard award for her radio show "Don't Talk with your Mouth Full." Originally from Texas, she currently resides in New Jersey.

James Baigrie photographs food, interiors, lifestyle, and travel. Originally from South Africa, he now lives in Brooklyn, New York. His clients include Garnet Hill, Crate & Barrel, and Martha Stewart Living.