Maida Heatter, Cookbook Writer and the ‘Queen of Cake,’ Dies at 102

Sounds like a sweet lady--maybe put her remains in a cake to go out in style ;)

"sinful desserts ?" Heatter's recipes were "sinfully good" and created several dessert-birthday traditions in my family, which we still cook and devour eagerly. Her recipes do take some work, tho.

I have been making Maida's chocolate desserts for 40 years and they have consistently been the highlight of any dinner party or any other social occasion. The way she wrote the steps to be taken in what first appeared to be very complicated recipes made them actually quite simple - it always felt like she was in the kitchen with you. Her two best desserts in my opinion were her Chocolate Regal and her New York Chocolate Cheesecake.

I’m mourning the passing of an old friend! In the early 80s when I started my catering business so that I could be home with the children, a non-weeping Lemon Meringue Pie, and Maida’s Queen Mother’s Cake were always the go-to deserts for family, friends and customers. Reading her obituary, brought me back to a happier time when I wore the younger Woman’s clothes!

She is my "go-to"expert for excellent cookies and chocolate desserts. I am a crunchy cookie person - no soft and mushy for me. She is my cookie idol and I will be sad knowing that she is no longer somewhere in the world.

I, too, learned to bake with her by my side. Her cookbooks have accompanied me when other things have been jettisoned in my many, many moves. Not only are her recipes foolproof, and amazing, but the way she wrote about each one, giving you a reason why you should make it, letting you in on the secret of how it was special, has always meant so much. The world is a little less sweet today. Oh, and I have had people pursue - possibly stalk - me for raspberry brownies.

Some years ago, in Columbus, Ohio, at Betty Rosbottom's La Belle Pomme Cooking School,of which I was a teaching staff member, the city's finest cooks were treated to a parade of celebrity chefs beginning with the inimitable Jacques Pepin, who became a frequent visitor, followed by the adventurous Paula Wolfert, and, of course the most beloved of them all, Maida Heatter, a woman of great inspiration, perfect technique, and overflowing with love. After a day's session, one student, the wife of one of the city's richest and most powerful men, at home, in her own kitchen, worked late into the night, reproducing Maida's recipe for chocolate and vanilla checkerboard cookies, a difficult feat for the most accomplished baker. They were perfectly executed and the following morning, made a wonderful present for this esteemed visitor. This is perhaps the greatest, and most well deserved tribute any cooking teacher can receive. Of course, Maida shared them with everyone there!

In the mid 1990's I relocated to Miami from Brooklyn . My husband , Mo, opened a jazz club on The Beach and I was a lost soul. I knew about Maida Heatter , probably owned one of her cookbooks and so I went to hear her talk at Books and Books on Lincoln Rd. It was outside, sunny and quite warm. She was almost 30 years older than myself , ebullient, gracious and generous; passing out her delicious cookies . I remember thinking… get yourself together and tap into some of that enthusiasm for life...

She was witty and reading her recipes was always a hoot. She taught me that a well-baked dessert is the hit of any party. Her recipes are American classics. My life has been a sweeter one thanks to her. Thank you dear lady!

As a bored pre-teen in 1970’s Philadelphia suburbia I turned to the first of these books for entertainment and creativity. They offered hand holding mentorship as I worked through more and more complicated recipes. I owe my previous career as a professional pastry chef to Maida and her books. They still grace my kitchen bookshelves, penciled in changes and all, waiting for my kids to request “my” brownie recipe again!

Ms. Heatter’s father, the radio commentator Gabriel Heatter, was famously optimistic. He began every broadcast by saying, “Ah, there’s good news tonight.” Particularly during the World War II period this much have cheered a lot of people. In her obituary, it is obvious that Ms. Heatter inherited this positive attitude and optimism. She had a long and interesting life, and she will be missed.

Maida Heatter's recipe, Pearl's Southampton Fruitcake, is a gem that puts the lie to the tasteless bricks that have become the jokes of this holiday icon. Heatter's recipe is well worth the work and time put into it, and those to whom I serve the cake can't believe that it's actually fruitcake. It's a time-honored favorite in my house. And I have to say that any recipe I have tried in Maida Heatter's cookbooks has worked first time, every time. Thank you, Ms. Heatter, for your delicious gifts to the world. My sweet tooth salutes you!

Hand-holding, as a recipe MO, achieved its apotheosis in any Heatter tome. This not a criticism. The recipes are lengthy, extraordinarily detailed narratives in which every possible glitch is anticipated and countered; every process explicated. This is her legacy: the colloquial, fool-proof recipe that both amateur and expert could learn from.

Please someone tell me she didn't actually use "elephant meat" in her elephant omelet!!

Mr Claiborne, the Craig Claiborne, was not just a food editor at the NY Times. He was THE food editor, cookbook writer, of that time period. His blessing on Maida meant the world and I am sure she knew that. We are allotter people and better cooks for it. Maida had a good long run with many, many fans, including me.

I made Maida Heatter's chocolate cheese cake several times and men kept wanting to marry me!

It is comforting to know that eating lucious, rich desserts allowed her to live a long life. Bring on the whipped cream! A toast to a lady who shared wonderful recipes with us.

Straight to Heaven for anyone who gave so much joy and connection. Thank you for your gifts, Maida.

I no longer bake (conventionally) because I now have celiac disease. Nonetheless I saved Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Cookies from my cookbook purge because it’s such a great cookbook that produced eye-popping, wonderful treats.

I have used and adored her books for many decades. The recipes were famously reliable and the results consistently a hit. She empathized with the baker: "The batter may look curdled. That's okay." Whew. Thank you and farewell, Maida. Your recipes will live on.

When my mother interviewed Ms Heater, years ago in Florida, for her Omaha Women's column, she asked what Maida's favorite dessert was. Turns out, the answer was a well made APPLE PIE! I still have some of the books. They are a great reference.

I have all of Maida’s books, some are held together with rubber bands and packing tape. All of them are covered in chocolate blobs and buttery smears. When my family chooses Birthday Cakes they are always Maida’s. Her cookies are our favorites too. She gave so much pleasure to those who learned to bake and continued to bake with her. Her memory will always be a sweet blessing.

I still have a stained and crinkled magazine article with the Easy Street Lemon cake. As a young mother and wife, that recipe and resultant cake was my first effort at becoming a baker. I love that cake. My family loves that cake. Rest In Peace.

I still have two of her cookbooks - and still use them both. In one of them, I discovered a remarkable error in the recipe for my long-favorite Buttermilk Chocolate Cake recipe from that book. I have made it countless times, but the first time, I got to the end of the recipe, and was shocked to discover that at no point in the recipe did it call for combining the ingredients of two separate mixing bowls. With great trepidation, I combined those two bowls of ingredients, and thankfully, the specific order did not matter in that recipe. I have no idea whether it was ever corrected, but to this day, I still chuckle at that mistake. RIP, Ms. Heatter: you brought great joy to all of us who love baking!

I learned to bake using Maida Heatter’s baking books. She had a way of writing that made me feel confident, and of course every recipe works perfectly. I’m sad to hear she has died, but I’m glad she will live on in her wonderful recipes. I’ll be baking one of her cheesecakes this weekend!

Such a loss for we bakers. Just last week I used her milk chocolate biscotti recipe to begin developing a recipe for guava biscotti. I hope she would have appreciated that her recipes were a great jumping off point for our own variations. Than yu and we'll miss you.

Maida's recipes will always be among my favorites. They have been a joy to make and present. Her life gave us bakers much joy. RIP, Maida.

In the early 1980s we thought Maida Heater was the bomb. Her cookbooks were the ultimate authority on the subject of desserts. To this day, I find her cookbooks which combined charming illustrations by her daughter, amusing personal anecdotes, and crystal clear instructions to the be the perfect combination for fun and success in the kitchen. Oh, what joy this lady gave to young budding cooks and their lucky friends and family.

Baking from her books is like having a friend in the kitchen with you. Her personality shines in her headnotes and recipes. There will be a batch of Palm Beach Brownies happening tonight in my kitchen.

Maida's father, Gabriel Heatter, was a radio commentator in the 1930s and 40's. My father recalled that when the world learned that the Soviet Union was considering a non-aggression pact with the Nazis which triggered World War II, Gabriel announced in an ad: "Nobody knows what Russia will do, but everyone knows what Ex-Lax can do."

It would be a really nice tribute if the NYT would run a brief selection of Heatter's Greatest Hits. Not to tell you how to do your job or anything. But it would be really nice. And I personally know one person who would really appreciate the opportunity to get started with appreciating Maida Heatter even though this person is not a dessert-maker very often. You understand, I'm asking for a friend.

Actually called "Coffee Buttercrunch Pie". http://madaboutmaida.blogspot.com/2013/04/coffee-buttercrunch-pie.html

The cost of a paid subscription to the NTY is worth every penny just to have access to Maida Heatter's recipes for her dreamy chocolate mousse torte or her East 62nd Street lemon cake or her 86-proof chocolate cake or her chocolate cheesecake brownies. Each recipe is a show stopped and a true winner.

“Two thin, lightweight, dark layers are filled with white whipped cream and are thickly covered with a wonderful dark coffee-chocolate whipped cream.”....... OMG!!!

My husband has in the past been a rare/collectible cookbook dealer, a writer about food, a baker, and a huge fan of Maida Heatter. He wrote about her and her poppyseed cake recipe often in his catalogs and newsletters. We were rewarded by having Palm Beach brownies show up in our mailbox not once but twice, from Maida's kitchen to ours. What an honor!

I just made a batch of her counterfeit puff paste to commemorate. When in doubt, bake cookies. That is a motto for us all.

Ach! And just 10 minutes ago I opened Happiness is Baking to check the recipe for The Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies. RIP and may your memory....

Maida (as we call Ms. Heatter ) has been one of the most influential bakers for decades in my family. There are many of Maida's recipes that have become standards for us at holiday time. Her style of writing recipes, which included copious tips on method, is by far my favorite. Thank you for the wonderful food these past many years!

When I got engaged, one of my cousins -- a fabulous cook -- gave me three cookbooks that would, she assured me, get me through any dinner party. One was Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts. What a wonderful gift it was! Her directions were so detailed, and the results beautiful as well as delicious. One of my favorites is her merengue mushrooms. I have been making them over 40 years now, and there is still the WOW factor for me and for others. Rest in peace, Maida! May all of us cake-eaters live as long!

I have every Maida Heatter cookbook, including the one just published this year. Every recipe was delicious. Every recipe worked. Every recipe got a compliment when I served it to family and friends. Every recipe had a little story that went along with it that made her books fun to read. It started for me in 1972 when my mother made her chocolate mousse torte out of the NY Times' Craig Claiborne column. I'll never forget it - she had a dinner party and she made paella and the torte. Everyone loved it. Ms. Heatter created a lot of joy in this world and that is a life well lived. I am so grateful to her...

Ms Heatter's cookbooks were wonderful, with not only delicious and unique recipes, but also with astute, detailed instructions. Letting the reader know what not to do, and why, saved me much grief, time... and ingredients. Thank you, Maida Heatter.

I studied cooking with the late, great James Beard. But when it comes to desserts, Maida Heatter is the Queen! Every recipe is perfection! Do yourself, and those you love to feed, a huge favor - pick up “Maida Heatter’s Book of Great American Desserts”. It is out of print, but well worth the search. Though I love all of Maida’s books, this is my dessert bible. And it will be yours. Each recipe and accompanying story is a gem. I will always thank her for leaving us a most brilliant, fascinating and delicious legacy!

I have 4 of her books, with the Book of Great Chocolate Desserts starting to fall apart from use. In the 80's I made many of her recipes, putting the date made and stars (most were 4 or 5 stars)as my friends & family rated them. I even used her recipes to bake cakes for sale by order. Just last month I pulled it out to make a favorite, 86 Proof Cake, for a friend's birthday. She was amazing!

Oh no. Not one of my all time baking idols, Maida Heatter. She has been a solid staple in my kitchen my entire baking life. I have all of her books, and her "Cake Bible" has and continues to be my favorite and most used and referenced cookbook. I never could determine what I admired and was drawn to more - her fabulous and delicious recipes or the captivating and alluring photography of her plethora of baked delights. Every photo practically had the cookie, slice of pie or cake jumping off the page and onto my lap. I always felt like she was at my side in the kitchen while I baked. She resembled my mother a little and her warm and embracing smile always seem to give me confidence that I could tackle anything in her baking repertoire. While she "considered baking an art form", I considered her a down to earth baker who knew how to put ingredients together that tasted great yet the process nor instructions were daunting. She made baking easy and fun and enjoyable. I will miss you Ms. Heatter. I considered you a supportive friend in my kitchen. Baking during the upcoming holidays will be a little less festive this year. Thank you for all that you shared for so many years.

Her recipes are unfailingly delicious.

Her recipe for an "Ethiopian Truffle"a very short dough wrapped around a chocolate truffle and baked is the BEST cookie in the world. Her layered "coffee toffee pie" made me VERY popular when I made it for friends. Very rich and worth every calorie. She was a brilliant baker.

The best cakes and cookies I ever make are thanks to Maida. Her recipes are a pleasure to read, her comments delightful and funny. I look forward to a full piece on her life!