'The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook'
Recipes by Tarek Malouk and the Hummingbird Bakers
Photographs by Peter Cassidy
Rylan Peters & Small -- 2009
Buy it on Amazon

Once a journalist, London-based writer Tarek Malouk forsook his career to indulge his love of American desserts. As visions of cupcakes, pies and brownies pranced in his head, he enrolled in baking classes in New York and returned to London, eager to open a restaurant to showcase his cherished treats.

Though one might typically be hard-pressed to picture a hard-nosed journalist convert to cooking and create such a loving, warm cookbook, Malouk successfully conveys his love and appreciation for the range of American desserts in "The Hummingbird Cookbook."

See what we tested and find out whether the book's worth buying after the jump.

Takeaway tips: Replete with a variety of delicious categories (cupcakes, cakes, pies, brownies and bars, muffins and -- finally! -- cookies), this cookbook is a must-have for the entertainer. The recipes range from easy and everyday (Lemon Bars, Spinach and Cheese Muffins, Banana Bread) to labor-of-love sophisticated dishes (Brooklyn Blackout Cake, Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies and the trademark Hummingbird Cake -- similar to a carrot cake, but swapping in bananas and pineapple) and are suited to serve every occasion.

Quality of pictures: Sweet as pie, yet not cloying and remarkably warm at the same time. Though we credit the photographer for capturing appropriately gorgeous photos, recipes this enticing would have lured us on their own.

We tested: Ginger Cupcakes and Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

The two simple-yet-sophisticated recipes piqued our interest as refreshing varieties on the usual vanilla, chocolate or red-velvet cupcakes (though versions of those are included in the book too) -- and both sets were the best cupcakes we've ever baked! The ginger cupcakes were airy, with a zesty finish and an impossibly light and fluffy frosting; while the cheesecake cupcakes used a vanilla base, stuffed with fresh chopped strawberries and topped with a rich cream-cheese frosting, then got a dose of texture with the graham-cracker crumb topping.

Both recipes build upon a similar "foundation" cupcake recipe and inspired us to be more adventurous in toying around with the base in future baking endeavors.

Worth the investment: Its inventive recipes appeal to the sweet-tooth and savory taste buds alike. Anyone who has ever baked -- or ever intends to -- should add this cookbook to their collection.