Sweet, savory and surprising.

Cake is a classic food based on basic ingredients -- eggs, milk, flour and some butter or oil. Widely thought of as primarily sweet, cakes also make delicious appetizers and exciting entrées. All it takes are some fresh ingredients and a bit of imagination to transport cake from the dessert menu into the realm of savory fare. Cakes and Loaves provides an astonishing variety of recipes. Divided into three categories -- sweet, salty and loaves -- this stylishly designed book will inspire cooks to bake cakes in fresh new ways with ingredients like chorizo, Gruyère and pistachios. A section on cake basics covers baking tips, equipment and storage.

Some of the reimagined cakes and loaves include:

• Red berries cake
• Apple, carrot and almond cake
• Olive, thyme and lemon cake
• Pecan nut cake
• Mushroom and parsley loaf
• Thai loaf
• Sesame and pineapple cake
• Zucchini and carrot loaf
• Feta and herbs loaf.
With this imaginative book filled with delightful and unexpected recipes, bakers will discover the versatility of the classic cake.