★ 11/15/2015 Eighty spice-infused desserts—from fragrant Sri Lankan love cakes to cardamom-scented Swedish cream buns—fill this engaging debut from food writer and recipe developer Seneviratne (lovecommacake.com). Each of the seven chapters (e.g., "Peppercorn & Chile," "Nutmeg," "Ginger") begins with an evocative personal vignette, followed by background information on individual spices. Recipes such as s'more pie, frozen eggnog pops, and butter rum snack cake have "just enough sugar necessary for the best possible experience," which will please health-conscious readers who find excessive sweetness unpalatable. With bright, unfussy photographs, this volume speaks effortless elegance. VERDICT Marked by a sense of the exotic, Seneviratne's recipes will lure many home cooks, including fans of Alice Medrich's Pure Dessert and Claudia Fleming's The Last Course.