Bake Anime: 75 Sweet Recipes Spotted In—and Inspired by—Your Favorite Anime (A Cookbook)

by Emily J Bushman

Recreate the tasty desserts you’ve seen in your favorite anime series with this accessible, approachable, and most importantly, delicious recipe book, perfect for Anime fans of any age.

Embark on a sweet journey through the world of anime! Not only does Japanese animation have beautiful design, fascinating characters, and engaging story lines, it is also overflowing with scrumptiously rendered desserts that leave viewers craving. Don’t you wish you had the recipe for bouncy soufflé pancakes from Your Name? Or even custard Taiyaki from My Hero Academia? Now you can make these desserts right at home with Bake Anime!

Join an otaku on her journey through anime sweets and learn to make them yourself. Recipes include:
-Nerikiri from Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card
-Ohagi from Demon Slayer
-Pocket Monster Swiss Roll from Pokémon
-Japanese Strawberry Shortcake from Ouran High Host Club
-Queen’s Tart from Shokugeki no Soma: Food Wars!
-Soot Ball Brigadeiros from Spirited Away
-And many more!

In addition to each recipe, discover facts behind each dessert, such as history, culture, tips, and more. With Bake Anime, you can finally make your cravings a reality and enjoy the sweet, delicious desserts you’ve been dying to try.

• ISBN10: 198218664X
• ISBN13: 9781982186647
• Publish Date: 8 December 2022 (first published 8 November 2022)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Simon Element
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 208
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Bake Anime is a fun (and admittedly slightly nerdy) tutorial guide and recipe collection for anime adjacent baking by Emily Bushman, and a thematic sister volume to 2020's Cook Anime . I couldn't see any overlap in the editing/production staff, but they have a very similar vibe, although different authors. Released 8th Nov 2022 by Simon & Schuster on their Element imprint, it's 160 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats.

I liked the layout here. It's lighthearted and whimsical but well written and a perfectly serviceable cookbook in its own right. The introduction includes pantry lists, equipment, and some of the author's own background as a fan of anime and Japanese culture, followed by chapters arranged thematically: Japanese desserts, western desserts, and desserts based on specific characters. 

The recipes have their ingredients listed bullet style in a sidebar. Measurements are given in US standard only, with a metric/SI conversion table in the appendices. Special tools and ingredients are also listed, along with yields and cooking directions. Most of the ingredients are easily sourced at any moderately well stocked grocery store. Each recipe has a heading with the dish's appearance in a specific anime show/episode.

Well written and organized, this could be a fun addition to the cooking repertoire. It would also lend itself very well to fans of meal planning or once-a-week-cooking. Most of these recipes make several servings which could easily be used for a week's lunch planning. I got out of the habit of buying food at the cafe at work during the pandemic and these recipes have provided good mileage for avoiding boring lunches at work for me, as well as adding a lot of fun to my cooking.

Five stars. This would absolutely star in conjunction with an anime binge watching party with friends. Highly recommended for fans of anime or anime/manga culture. I could see this also being a good choice for a reluctant cook, to get them into the kitchen and making food.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.