Claire Ptak

A design-forward cookbook for sweet and savory baked goods from London's popular Violet Bakery that focuses on quality ingredients, seasonality, and taste (as opposed to science) as the keys to creating satisfying, delightful homemade pastries, tarts, sweets, and more. Violet is a jewel box of a cake shop and caf in Hackney, east London. The baking is done with simple ingredients including whole grain flours, less refined sugars, and the natural sweetness and nuanced hues of seasonal fruits. Everything is made in an open kitchen for people to see. Famed for its exquisite baked goods, Violet has become a destination. Owner Claire Ptak uses her Californian sensibility to create recipes that are both nourishing and indulgent. With a careful eye to taste and using the purest ingredients, she has created the most flavorful iterations of classic cakes, as well as new treats for modern palates. Over 100 recipes include nourishing breakfasts, midday snacks, desserts to share, fruit preserves, and stylish celebration cakes. This book is about making baking worth it: simple to cook and satisfying to eat.

The Violet Bakery is bustling cake shop and cafe in Hackney, east London. Famed for its exquisite baked goods and contemporary feel it has become a cult destination. In this book, structured around times of the day, she shares the flavour secrets of her delicious Violet bakes for home cooks.

Renowned for the wedding cake she created for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Claire Ptak knows there's nothing like a cake when it comes to expressions and celebrations of love. A Chez Panisse alum, Ptak is a Northern California native who now runs the wildly successful Violet Bakery in London. Reflecting on her upbringing and love of in-season produce, she shares 75 sweet and savory creations, including Huckleberry Basil Sugar Scones, Peaches and Cream Angel Food Cake, and a strawberry-coconut meringue cake. Her bakes are homey yet elevated, made with the best possible ingredients, so as to extract the best possible flavors. Included are gluten-free, refined sugar-free and vegan bakes, as well as the sought-after recipe for the Duke and Duchess's lemon elderflower cake.Featuring gorgeous photographs shot in both England and California, Love is a Pink Cake is a treasure trove of inspiration for anyone eager to emulate Ptak's unique sensibility and dreamy creations in their own kitchen.

**AN OBSERVER FOOD BOOK OF 2023** **A NEW YORK TIMES BEST COOKBOOK OF 2023**'Absolutely enchanting' Nigella Lawson | 'Delightful' Nigel SlaterWhether it's for ourselves, to show love for a child, friend or partner, or to celebrate a rite of passage, there is no denying the incredible effect that cakes can have. Claire Ptak started baking as a child, taught by her mum and grandma, and has now been running her own food business, Violet Cakes, for nearly two decades.This book is a collection of her formative baking stories and tips and current favourite recipes - what she is baking throughout the day, for any occasion. From Brown Sugar Victoria Sponge, Chocolate Violet Babka Buns, Tahini Halva Brownies, and English Angel Cakes that are perfect for a birthday party to Ras el Hanout Snickerdoodles, Coconut Pudding Cake and Black Tea and Poppy Seed Muffins, you'll find bakes that are perfect for making every day delicious and memorable. You'll even find the recipe for Prince Harry and Megan Markle's famous Lemon and Elderflower Wedding Cake.These 85 recipes - from cakes to cookies and puddings to savoury bakes - are a reminder that baking is, in its own way, a love story too.'Marvellous... a ravishing trove of recipes and baker's lore' Jeremy Lee | 'My favourite baker ... A Violet recipe always works perfectly' Anna Jones | 'Generous, intuitive, beautiful' Laila Gohar

Hard-boiled, chewy, soft or sticky, sweets are the stuff of childhood memories, and the good news is that they are surprisingly easy to make at home. This fabulous book opens with an overview of the history of sweets and chocolates, and a cook's guide to ingredients, equipment and techniques. More than 150 step-by-step recipes follow. Packed with tips and variations, this guide will enable cooks of all abilities to recreate their best-loved sweets and chocolates at home. This volume evokes all those memories of long-forgotten tastes, with recipes for sweets, candies and chocolate confections, whether hard, chewy, soft or sticky. It includes old-fashioned treats and some modern twists on traditional classics. The book also includes a fascinating history of candy and chocolate, a guide to ingredients and equipment, and an in-depth directory of techniques, all explained step by step and with helpful photographs of tricky stages. * Re-create best-loved candies in your own kitchen with this beautiful new cookbook. * Satisfy your sweet tooth with this wonderful collection of home-made confectionery * 150 recipes feature classics from around the globe, such as Pear Drops, Salt-Water Taffy, Honeycomb, Vanilla Fudge, Rocky Road, Turkish Delight, Champagne Truffles, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups and Mini Lamingtons * More than 750 gorgeous photographs include step-by-step pictures and a picture of each finished dish * A comprehensive introduction covers ingredients and equipment, as well as a guide to techniques from working with fondant to tempering chocolate

The new LEON cookbook Big Flavours is out in Spring 2025.***With more than 100 sweet and savoury bakes, LEON Happy Baking contains recipes for everyone, from the novice cook to the expert baker. Following the LEON principle that what tastes good can also do you good, many of the recipes are sugar-, dairy-, wheat- or gluten- free - so there's plenty to indulge in even if you have a food allergy, an intolerance or an eye on your waistline.New recipes from the LEON menu are combined with favourites from the classic cookbook, LEON Baking & Puddings, now with fresh photography.

The book opens with an insightful overview of the history of sweets and chocolates, from their earliest inception to modern confectionery around the world. A directory of key ingredients and equipment comes next. Step-by-step techniques reveal how to do some of the more specialist techniques, such as tempering chocolate or using a sugar thermometer, enabling you to produce perfect results every time. More than 90 easy-to-follow recipes follow, and include well-known classics such as Peppermint Humbugs and Honeycomb, as well as modern twists on traditional ideas, like Rosewater Edinburgh Rock and Fresh Coconut and Cardamom Caramels. Each method is clearly set out and illustrated, and there is a stunning picture of each finished confection to help you achieve a professional result.

Indulge your sweet tooth with this gorgeous collection of classic confectionery. From traditional hard candies and suckable lollipops to chewy taffies and shaped fondants, there is a best-loved treat for everyone here. Irresistible morsels include classics such as Pear Drops, Peppermint Humbugs, Aniseed Twists, Raspberry Lollipops, Salt-water Taffy and Sugar Mice, as well as lesser-known twists such as Honey and Star Anise Chews, Fondant-stuffed Pecans and Lemon Cream Dreams. It includes sugar-working techniques, such as making a sugar syrup, using a sugar thermometer, working fondant, and pulling and stretching taffy. Every recipe is described clearly, with easy-to-follow instructions and an inspiring photograph of the finished confection, making it simple to achieve success. This delightful little book brings the tastes of childhood to the present day, with 20 foolproof recipes for sweet-shop classics. It explains how sugar can be worked in various ways to achieve different effects - for hard, soft or chewy bites. You can impress your friends with home-made Sour Drops, Candy Canes, Rhubarb and Custards, Barley Sugar Sticks, Jewelled Lollipops, Pineapple Chews or Maple Cream Candy, which are all perfect for gifts. Vibrant photography shows difficult stages of preparation and includes a gorgeous picture of each finished sweet, making this recipe collection a delight for the eye as well as the tastebuds. The recipes are written clearly and simply, and there are plenty of helpful tips and variations, which make this pretty gift book a real treasure.

This title features 25 foolproof recipes for the ultimate sweet treat with 100 photographs. You can delectable treats at home with this irresistible collection of step-by-step confectionery recipes. It is from smooth fudges and chewy caramels to hard toffees and crunchy nut brittles, there is a recipe for every best-loved sweet. Ideas include classics, such as Honeycomb Toffee, Salted Caramels and Old-Fashioned Chocolate Fudge, as well as contemporary morsels, such as Espresso-Macadamia Fudge, Fresh Coconut and Cardamom Caramels, and Salty Cashew Croccante. It features over 100 gorgeous photographs include an inspiring shot of every finished recipe, and the easy-to-follow instructions make it simple to achieve professional-looking results. You can complete with cook's tips, recipe variations and nutritional breakdowns. Very few people can resist the taste of old-fashioned fudges, toffees or caramels. Whether it is Butterscotch, Bonfire Toffee, Peanut Brittle, Salted Caramels or Vanilla Fudge, these treats have the ability to evoke fond memories. This gorgeous little book captures those wonderful tastes of childhood and brings them up to date with modern twists and accessible recipes for contemporary kitchens. The 25 recipes cover traditional bites, such as Cinder Toffee, Hazelnut Praline and Rocky Road Fudge, as well as presenting some irresistible new ideas, such as Fig Tablet, Yogurt Pecan Fudge and Burnt Caramel Shards. With plenty of cook's tips, clear method text and over 100 photographs, this book allows everyone to make confectionery with ease.