As a self-described curious cook, I immediately cracked open a review copy of âFruit Cake: Recipes for the Curious Bakerâ and said, âYes, please.â The debut work by Brooklyn-based food stylist Jason Schreiber, âFruit Cakeâ defies all notions of those stodgy loaves doubling as doorstops. As the title promises, there is fruitcake in the traditional sense (including the Jamaican Black Cake, below), but that alone would be skimming the surface of Schreiberâs very fruity vision.
His collection of 75 recipes offers something for fruit-loving bakers of all levels, from âblueberry ginger studmuffinsâ and a single-layered peanut butter and jelly cake (âeasyâ) to ume-shiso watermelon frozen yogurt cake and bourbon peach kugelhopf (âintermediateâ). Schreiberâs wit runs throughout; youâll find little unexpected zingers in the recipe steps (no spoilers) and his head notes often read like short stories. Clearly, he loves h