Celebrate: Joyful Baking All Year Round

The Great British Bake Off judge Hollywood (Bake) delivers a solid if somewhat stodgy collection of bakes tailored for festive occasions. Hollywood opens with a section on cakes, which, he writes, are a requirement for “a proper celebration,” including a classic fudge cake, fluffy Japanese cheesecake, and hazelnut orange cake using orange four ways. Subsequent sections are organized by season, with spring offerings including international Easter treats such as crostata pasquale from Italy and tsoureki from Greece. The summer section caters to BBQs and picnics, with recipes for flatbreads to be turned into sandwiches, indulgent tiramisu ice cream cake, and a beautiful but fussy fraisier cake. For fall, there’s a cozy pear bakewell tart and pumpkin spiced macarons, while winter brings such holiday bakes as mince pies and an over-the-top madeira cake made to look like an igloo. The final chapter, “Party,” concludes with crowd-pleasing retro dishes like a towering pavlova with boozy berries sandwiched between layers of chewy meringue. While Hollywood’s recipes are somewhat old-fashioned and his dry prose comes off a bit formal, he provides ambitious home bakers with reliable guidance to produce memorable and often showstopping confections. Fans will get what they came for. (Sept.)