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The fudgiest chocolate sheet cake you’ve ever had—without frosting fuss – topped with a cloud of cold whipped cream for summer-ready simplicity – and it actually gets better after a night in the fridge…
→ Page 4, Chilled Chocolate Whipped Cream Cake
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Use this one dough to make three showstopping summer tarts – savory, sweet, rustic or refined—it all starts with Erin McDowell’s flaky rough puff – and yes, you can freeze it and feel like a genius later…
→ Pages 7–8, Rough Puff Pastry
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The secret to store-bought looks with from-scratch love? Roasted fruit. – these peach tartlets caramelize into juicy perfection in your oven – then get crowned with cold vanilla mascarpone cream like you actually meant to impress…
→ Page 8, Honey-Roasted Peach Tartlets
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Madeleines aren’t just for French cafés anymore—make them memory magic – with a one-bowl batter and shell-shaped molds that feel fancy but bake in 10 minutes – and bonus: there’s a neuroscience-backed reason they taste like childhood…
→ Page 12, Madeleines & The Madeleine Effect
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Savory crepes for breakfast, lunch, or picnic magic? – this crepe base flips up golden and lacy in minutes – then becomes anything from smoked salmon brunch wraps to tomato basil showpieces...
→ Page 5, Crepes + Savory Pairings
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Turn leftover crepes into a no-bake tiramisu cake that chills like a dream – stacked high with mascarpone whipped cream and a kiss of espresso – and it slices like velvet after a night in the fridge…
→ Page 5, Crepe Cake Technique
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Why the French fruit tart is summer elegance without breaking a sweat – buttery pâte sucrée + fridge-stable pastry cream = no meltdowns, just compliments – and it’s customizable with whatever’s fresh and juicy…
→ Page 6, Cool Elegance: French Fruit Tarts
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This orange blossom loaf cake smells like summer in bloom – made with olive oil and orange zest rubbed into sugar for max aroma – and glazed while warm so every bite glistens and sings…
→ Page 10, Glazed Orange Blossom Loaf Cake
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Your blueberry curd deserves better than toast—try it swirled, layered, or frozen – from pavlova and trifles to quick ice cream pairings – and yes, it freezes beautifully for gifts or just Wednesday cravings…
→ Page 11, Blueberry Lemon Curd
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Icebox cakes are retro for a reason—no baking, no sweating, just layering love – crisp cookies + whipped cream transform overnight in your fridge – and you can build it in a loaf pan, pie dish, or even a trifle tower…
→ Page 15, Understanding Icebox Cakes
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You don’t need an ice cream maker to churn out this basil olive oil beauty – steeped cream and hand-whipped anglaise create an herbaceous scoop with chef-level flavor – and it’s the perfect base for drizzles, mix-ins, and dreamy desserts…
→ Page 18, Basil Olive Oil Ice Cream
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Before refrigerators, bakers still served cool custards and silky trifles—how? Discover the clever cooling tricks that saved summer desserts before electricity – from shaded pantries to Roman ice pits and clay “desert fridges” – and how you can still use these tips today to bake smarter in a heatwave…
→ Page 14, Cool Cakes, No Fridge: A History of Summer Baking Survival
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What does a golden top really mean? (Spoiler: cake lies.) Learn the difference between a “looks done” bake and a truly finished one – with thermometer tricks, tap tests, and the right kind of jiggle – plus the one toothpick move that saves you from slice-and-cry disasters…
→ Pages 17–18, Golden Tops Lie: How to Tell When Your Cake Is Actually Done
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Think your tiny Airbnb kitchen means no baking this summer? Think again. Aunt Agnes shares her best hacks for baking in small spaces – including how to turn a wine bottle into a rolling pin, stack cooling racks into vertical stations, and use a muffin tin for everything but muffins…
→ Page 20, Dear Aunt Agnes: Cramped in Cape Cod
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Whipped cream melting into a pool of shame at your summer party? We’ve all been there. But Aunt Agnes has solutions: from adding a spoonful of mascarpone or a bakery trick with gelatin – to simply serving it on the side in a chilled dish, like a pro who knows better than to argue with July…
→ Page 20, Dear Aunt Agnes: Wilting in Wilmington
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Dot wanted to bake her entire summer Pinterest board—until her oven fought back. In this month’s comic, Half-Baked, the heatwave hits hard and the puff pastry hits just right – with Sir Sifter and Buttah delivering a breezy baking intervention only a fictional dough fairy could dream up…
→ Page 20, Baking Nation Comic: Half-Baked
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She found the body after a baking challenge—but no one’s saying murder. In this month’s mystery installment, reality TV baker Lila stumbles upon influencer Tatum’s body backstage – but with no police and a suspiciously quick “medical emergency” statement, she’s left relying on instinct… and key lime pie…
→ Page 21, America’s Baking Star: A Slice of Suspense – Installment 2
