The Southern Cake Book

Book excerpt: Who doesn't love cake? There's perhaps no dessert that makes you feel more special. It's how we celebrate birthdays and graduations. It's the rarified treat at engagement parties and weddings-and the way we welcome old friends and new babies. Whether it's a cupcake with coffee at the neighbor's house or a three-layer slice at the end of an extravagant meal, cake is a sweet, simple indulgence that makes you feel loved and a little better about the world. And who knows more about cakes than Southern Living, the magazine that outdoes itself every year with new pedestal-topping cakes? Its trusted kitchens and pages have launched or popularized some of the South's-and America's-most iconic and decadent cakes, from Hummingbird Cake to Red Velvet Cupcakes.