Desaulniers’ prose is nearly as seductive as his way with chocolate. No pedantic, chef-on-high stuff here: Desaulniers writes about baking with a wayward grin, assuring us that cake is not only food for the gods, but that it is, after all, just cake. Made in kitchens just like ours, with chocolate bought in the local grocery, using “conventional” bake ware and regular (not restaurant) ovens, Desaulniers’ cakes are ones we really can bake ourselves.