It’s rare that a cookbook comes along with recipes that look so good you don’t know where to start because you want to make them all. Abigail Johnson Dodge’s Sheet Cake: Easy One-Pan Recipes for Every Day & Every Occasion (Penguin Random House, $29.99, 2021) is that cookbook. It’s got me thinking about:
Strawberry Mousse Classic Cake: I’ll bookmark that for when the Plant City strawberries are ripe and juicy.
Salty Pretzel Caramel Cake: I am eyeing this for a Super Bowl party, no matter who is playing, though around these parts we are rooting for a repeat performance by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Sour Cream Espresso Cake: Perfect to bring to the next potluck gathering. Or should I make Irish Cream Cake?
These are just a taste of the 55 cake recipes in Dodge’s Sheet Cake. Dodge is the author of 11 cookbooks and has written for numerous publications, including Parents and Women’s Day. She blogs at AbbyDodge.com and welcomes questions there about any of her recipes or just cooking in general. Sheet Cake recipes are accompanied by Lauren Volo’s beautiful photos, which also fuel the desire to haul out the mixer.
Dodge’ s cooking-teacher vibe comes on strong in Sheet Cake and both novice and experienced cooks will find comfort in her steady guidance. I appreciated her advice on how to serve cake that’s been refrigerated (because you know you want to make it in advance.). In general, cake shouldn’t go directly from fridge to plate but how long it sits out depends on the icing. Cream cheese frosting will come to room temperature much slower than whipped cream varieties. She’s got a handy list for that. Also, many of us are now measuring ingredients for baking by weight because it’s more accurate. Dodge includes measurements both by volume—like when you use a measuring cup—and by weight. I like this because I don’t have to do the conversions myself.
As the title implies, all of the cakes are baked in a sheet pan—though technically they call for a half-sheet, which is 9 by 13 inches. The difference between this pan and the 9-by-13 you use to make lasagna and other casseroles is that the sheet-pan is only 1-inch high, half the height of your baking pan. Cakes bake more quickly in the shallower pan, plus it’s the perfect height for rolled cakes, which Dodge includes recipes for. Cakes that are too high won’t roll as easily. She shows us how to create stacked cakes, which are made by cutting out circles or rectangles of cake. It’s a clever idea to use the half-sheet pan for every recipe rather than have to buy specialty pans that you won’t use much.
I am adding Cinnamon-Bun Swirl Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting to my list of must-makes. It will be for a holiday brunch I have yet to plan and I can make it the day before but wait until I serve to sprinkle the cinnamon chips and pecans. Nothing wrong about starting the menu planning with dessert, is there?
