Learning to create and improvise in 'Bake Smart' by Samantha Seneviratne

A cookbook review

First Thoughts

• The recipes are packed with bright flavors that I haven’t seen elsewhere like Lemony Hibiscus Doodles, Saffron and Cardamom Creme Caramel, and Sticky Banana Monkey Bread.

• There are notes in blue text with tips to make sure you’re on the right track. It’s like a peak into a recipe developer’s notebook.

  

• The book is just over 200 pages, but it feels compact. Not that it’s a bad thing—that just means more space on the bookshelf!

The Review

‘Bake Smart’ provides an insider view into recipe development. Television personality and cookbook author, Samantha Seneviratne, shares her secrets to baking something new. It is an approachable guide to delicious treats with advice to support bakers along the way.

The table of contents is arranged by a key ingredient: Butter, Sugar, Eggs, Flours, Nuts & Cocoa, and Yeast. Each chapter starts with “core recipes” that are incorporated into other composed bakes later in the chapter. For example, a core recipe for Meringue Kisses lays the foundation for Vanilla Bean-Roasted Stone-Fruit Eton Mess. There are photographs for every recipe, but the beautiful tropical/jungle-themed artwork was not seamlessly integrated into the rest of the design, so it felt a little scrapbooky.

What really stood out were the imaginative twists on flavor and approach without the need to lean into outlandish ingredient combinations. You can sense the intent and knowledge that goes into every recipe decision. It was also fantastic to have thoughtful notes explaining the reasoning behind an ingredient, possible ingredient swaps, best practices, or explanation about the expected look and feel. Although the author’s culinary point of view was clear, I would have enjoyed some additional stories or anecdotes from Seneviratne’s life or extensive career in food.

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Recipe Test Results

I tested the Chocolate, Banana, and Oat Cookies, Coconut Lime Layer Cake, and the Carrot Cake Buns.

I usually opt for banana bread with overripe bananas, but Chocolate, Banana, and Oat Cookies were a nice change. They had just enough banana flavor with the texture of a chocolate oat cookie.

The author had some brilliant tips to make the Coconut Lime Layer Cake without having to manage multiple pans. It is baked in a single sheet pan, cut into three pieces, and then stacked to make the perfect layer cake. The lime flavor was subtle, but it provided a nice contrast to the frosting.

The Carrot Cake Buns had a beautiful golden color from carrots in the dough. The real highlight, though, were the raisins and cream cheese spiced filling.

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Overall Score: 3.0/5.0

Good: Recipe quality, innovation, and taste.

Could be better: Design, author’s personalization.

In ‘Bake Smart,’ Samantha Seneviratne shares her knowledge about recipe development with thorough step-by-step explanation to save bakers from potential pitfalls. It might not be the most design-forward book, but core recipes and creative bakes provide ample foundation and inspiration for readers to create something new.

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I’ve followed Nicola Lamb’s ‘Kitchen Projects’ Substack for some time and can’t wait to learn some baking science and share bakes from her cookbook ‘Sift.’ The timing is perfect, too, since it just won a James Beard Book Award.