Buttermilk Cupcakes (p. 90). Calls for cake flour or bleached AP flour, which I didn't have, so made them with unbleached AP. Turned out good, but I think the texture could have been better so will try again with cake flour. I always seem to have buttermilk that needs using up.

Marzipan Cookies (p. 33). These were good but had a chewy, candy like consistency. Not so cookie-like. I overbaked them slightly (v. easy to do), and they were tough at first but softened up nicely the second day. They keep for several days.

Neoclassic Buttercream (p. 332). This recipe did not work for me at all. She has you heat the sugar syrup with a little corn syrup so that you don't need to use a thermometer, then transfer it to a glass measure to stop the cooking before adding it gradually to the beaten eggs. When I transferred it to the glass measure it cooled too quickly and became un-pourable. Completely unusable.

Marble cake (12-31-20). Halved the recipe and made it in a small bundt pan. Baked it about 42 min.
(Dec. 2020)

First let me say that every cookbook should be required to come with a pretty pink ribbon bookmark. No other color will do now, lol.

This cookbook is mislabeled. The recipes are not 'the basics'. RLB doesn't do basic. These recipes are The Essentials.

This is not the book for you if you're looking for anything new and different. (No cronuts in sight.) This book is about honing technique, reinforcing the foundation that you've built on, even if you've been building on it for over 35 years like I have.

If you're new to baking, don't bother with the rest- start here and get it right the first time. If you're an experienced baker, get this book if you're ready to level up. ( )