By Caroline Shannon

For Sarah Magid, creating organic pastries and desserts stems well beyond her notion that goodies should certainly tasty better than some of the crusty, bland ones served up at health food stores.  

Instead, the feeling lying deep within her baker fingers is one that allows a mother — she is the mom of two — to create a beautifully healthy cake for her child’s first birthday, or a creative bride to bake an ornately decorated cake that will serve as the centerpiece of her upcoming wedding.  

“I wanted to try to have fun and make them [the desserts] more modern, chic, and relevant,” Brooklyn-based Magid said of her new book Organic and Chic: Cakes, Cookies, and Other Sweets that Taste As Good As They Look. “We all have celebrations in our lives… I wanted to share ideas and recipes for organic sweets that could be made for these joyous occasions, and to share my love of a well-decorated cake.” 

And did she ever. The second I cracked the spine of Organic and Chic I was mesmerized by the thoughtful details littered throughout the book. Photos of Magid’s children and friends, snapshot after snapshot of drool-worthy desserts, drawings of Magid’s original concepts (think fashion-esque designs by a baker) and colorful artwork by her children — her son, Clyde, penned a stunning cupcake — are what make this book stand out.  

And, then, of course, there are the recipes.  

There are Goldies, a chocolate pastry with creamy ganache filling Magid calls an “organic twist on a Twinkie,” Minty Strawberry Shortcakes that look straight off the farm stand, One-Bowl Dark Gooey Brownies, Million-Dollar Cookies and Kid-friendly Crazy Coconut Cookie Pops. Red Velvet Love Cake is also a favorite — it’s the cake Magid’s friends designed for her wedding to husband, Johnny Dwyer. She still bakes the heart shape cake each year for their anniversary.  

I had to obey my love of all things sweet and try one of these babies. So, I chose to whip up the Easiest Chocolate Cake because, well, the word “easy” was in the title, and I wanted to see just how lickety-split this cake-making ordeal really could be.   

I can’t lie. The baking process really was as simple as the name says it’s supposed to be. Butter, milk and eggs take a backseat to alternatives, like organic white vinegar, canola oil, organic flour, cane sugar and plain ol’ water, making the recipe vegan by default. I made cupcakes instead of a full-blown cake (see Magid’s cupcakes at right) and topped them with her Espresso Whipped Buttercream icing.  

They are… mmm…  hold on, I am taking another bite… oh-so delish. I thought it would be impossible to make something so moist, rich, decadent, delicious (need more adjectives?) with as few ingredients as Magid was calling for in this recipe. But, by golly, she pulled it off — and she pulled it off more than well.  

I didn’t get fancy with designs, but for those of you who wish to do so, Magid has a knack for helping you to complete the baking “job” so to speak. She devotes an entire section of Organic and Chic to decorating tips, including how to make flowers, butterflies and other things with wings, hand-painted touches, and “chic ways” to display the treats of your choosing. Tips for purchasing the right baking tools — everything from measuring cups to a Microplane zester (don’t ask questions, just read) — and references for finding organic food information also round out the book.  

That’s right: It’s a complete guide for everything organic and chic about baking. My copy is already dog-eared and well-loved, and it’s only been a couple of weeks. I’ve got dreams and aspirations to dust my kitchen in flour, and no one’s stopping me. 

So, pick up a copy and get your organic bake on. This copy’s mine and we’re going to be busy for a while.