Why Claire Saffitz Is Taking The Fear Out Of Baking Desserts - Exclusive

Claire Saffitz is a chef who knows how to wow with her desserts. Her first cookbook "Dessert Person" showed readers not only her love for something sweet but the many different ways to go about creating some of the most sought-after treats. 

Her latest cookbook, "What's for Dessert: Simple Recipes for Dessert People," is all about showing everyone just how easy baking can be so at-home bakers can create anything no matter their skill level. "I'm excited for people to experience the accessibility of the recipes," Saffitz told Tasting Table in an exclusive interview. "I'm excited for people to see there's a lot that you can accomplish with less equipment and [fewer] specialty ingredients."

Saffitz opened up about why it was so important for her to take the fear out of baking desserts for others. She thinks conquering that fear can lead to mastering everyone's favorite recipes in no time.

Claire Saffitz is known to have some fun in the kitchen and her first cookbook "Dessert Person" showed just that. But she told Tasting Table that some of the feedback she received made her realize that the more involved aspects of baking were intimidating to some people. '"Dessert Person' was so much about my own point of view as a baker, and everything is baked, so there's a lot of technique involved, and some of the recipes are fairly elaborate," she said. 

However, this time around, her latest cookbook "What's for Dessert: Simple Recipes for Dessert People," is about taking the fear out of baking by keeping things simple. "I used a lot of feedback from 'Dessert Person' to shape this book," she said. "What I heard — which is not that surprising — was that people wanted more streamlined, simple stuff. I feel like I delivered with this book."

One recipe, in particular, is a classic that so many at-home bakers may find intimidating: the molten lava cake with the perfect gooey center. 

"I had never made it before, but it felt like the recipe I wanted to include in the book because it feels fancy and super celebratory," Saffitz said. "I was doing a lot of research, and I realized it's not as complicated as you might think." 

Saffitz explains there are two things to keep in mind when making this dessert. One, remember to grease the molds with butter, not oil — "you need a fat that is solid at room temp so that you can get a nice thick layer on it," she said. The second tip is to unmold the cakes and serve them quickly so they set correctly. "It's a somewhat straightforward recipe, and I want people to realize from the book that some things they thought were hard are a little bit easier than they thought."

See what other recipes Claire Saffitz demystifies by following her on Instagram.