Love is a Pink Cake: Irresistible bakes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything in between

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Add the second cake layer on top of this and then repeat the previous steps before adding the third and final layer of sponge on top. Bring up the overhanging cling film and pop in fridge to chill for a few hours, or overnight. Put the butter, sugar and oil into the bowl of a stand mixer and cream until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time until combined. Claire Ptak, the Chez Panisse alum who runs London’s Violet Cakes, divides this sumptuous book into two. ‘California’ is produce-forward, while Harry and Meghan’s wedding cake is the talk of ‘England.’" Vanity Fair - Laura Regensdorf Love Is a Pink Cake offers glimpses of Ms. Ptak’s personality, as well as of her personal life . . . Rich in color (a pistachio-green plum cake with candied violets) and texture." New York Times - Emilia Petrarca

Stir in the chopped almonds, flour and baking powder just to combine. Dollop this over the jam—don’t worry about spreading it evenly as it will melt into place in the oven and spreading it can cause the jam to get mixed in rather than remaining its own layer. Return to the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until golden and set. Allow to cool for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 150°C fan/170°C/340°F/ gas mark 3½. Grease and line either 1 deep or 3 shallow 20cm (8in) cake tins. From pastry chef and “Junior Bake Off” judge Ravneet Gill comes a joyful celebration of all things sweet, from cheesecakes to ice creams, sweet doughs to tarts and pies Ptak asserts that "baking is, in its own way, a love story," and her own love shines through. This is a treasure trove.-- "Publishers Weekly (starred review)"It's the transferable wisdom that makes Love Is A Pink Cake invaluable . . . And you will find that even the classics--yellow sheet cake with chocolate frosting, treacle tart with whipped cream--can be improved upon by following Ptak's advice.--Hayley Maitland "Vogue" 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. When ready to finish the cake, unwrap it, turn out onto a turntable or cake plate and cover the top and sides with the remaining coconut icing, then lightly press desiccated coconut to cover. For the topping, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy but not fluffy. Add the extracts, salt, eggs and egg white, then beat well.

Claire Ptak, the Chez Panisse alum who runs London's Violet Cakes, divides this sumptuous book into two. 'California' is produce-forward, while Harry and Meghan's wedding cake is the talk of 'England.'--Laura Regensdorf "Vanity Fair" As a sort-of celebrity baker Ptak is webbed across continents and industries; what seems like name-dropping can also be true to the author’s experience. From simple sweets to complex confections, create dazzling desserts with this beautifully illustrated chocolate cookbook from a baking "legend" ( New Yorker). There's some cookbooks you enjoy reading and there's some that you read for the delicious recipes. This book is the latter. (Besides, not to sound like an old fart, but the type is tiny.) Meanwhile, whisk together the lemon juice and icing sugar until smooth. Spread this glaze over the cooled Bakewell, then slice into fingers. Decorate each slice with a preserved cherry.It might sound like I’m down on this, but on the contrary: There’s an intellectual honesty in this book. As a sort-of celebrity baker Ptak is webbed across continents and industries; what seems like name-dropping can also be true to the author’s experience. As she writes in the introduction, “Take the experience of your life and let it shape your baking. Bake more often. Bake for those you love. Love is a pink cake.”

Claire is my favourite baker. I know so many of these recipes will become favourites baked again and again. A Violet recipe always works perfectly. Anna Jones, author of 'One: Pot, Pan, Planet'Of course, Berry’s cookbook is good; just to be sure about that tart shell, I remade it for a quiche, and it remained an unassailable tart shell, one I’ll make again. To say that the book suffers in comparison to Ptak’s would be incorrect; they are different, with divergent goals, and as a hobbyist I need a completist tome as much as I enjoy reveling in Ptak’s meadowy sensibilities and artistic sympathy. But as both books are being issued around a great national inflection point, it makes sense to note that, just as they illustrate two very different kinds of baking books, they each also represent how baking can explain two confections of Britain’s national character, the cool multicultural East London and the white upper-middle-class English countryside. Ptak, a Northern Californian who was a pastry chef at Chez Panisse before moving to London, started off selling cakes from an East London market stall and opened her cafe, Violet, in 2010. In key ways, Ptak and her bakery typify an East London style that I’ve been describing to my friends for the past year. It’s a post-industrial space softened by the memory of a country house you’ve never been to: a little gingham and a lot of linen; terra-cotta pottery; dried flowers; sponge painting; enamelware; natural wine; white-washing; candlelight. The food in this paradigm, especially as shot for Love Is a Pink Cake, is unfussy, neutrally and pastel-colored, and showcases big, ripe hunks of whichever fruit’s now in season, all arrayed in rustic interiors nobody’s swept up before the shoot. Indispensable . . . Not only is Ptak's book compelling--her baking is excellent.--Rachel P. Kreiter "Eater"