Book Review: Peggy Favourite Cakes and Cookies

By guest blogger Victoria of http://whatboodid.blogspot.com blog

You may not have heard of Peggy Porschen unless you are interested in cake decorating like me.  Peggy is an expert in decorating cakes in a beautiful girly way.  Peggy has released several books full of gorgeous cakey projects. 

Peggy’s Favourite Cakes and Cookies is Peggy’s latest book.

 This is a lovely book packed with beautifully decorated cakes and some simple recipes.  The victoria sponge recipe is the best I have come across, lovely and moist and full of flavour.  The best tip being the sugar syrup you brush on after baking which locks in moisture and adds flavour. 

The book has instructions for cupcakes, wedding cakes, cookies and fondant fancies.  I made the fondant fancies, they tasted delicious and looked pretty. 

I have also made sugar cookies from Peggy’s recipe for a hen party, I decorated them in sugarpaste, everyone loved them. 

Peggy is obviously a practised and expert cake decorator and therefore she makes everything look easy.  For those of us who aren’t experts some of these projects can be quite technical and time consuming.    

This usability of the book could be improved by the recipes being printed and laminated and being separate to the projects.  It was very time consuming keep flicking through the pages for the cake recipe, buttercream, royal icing and then back to the project.  I love keeping my books looking immaculate and that’s quite difficult when you’re covered in sticky icing!  I also wish publishers would spiral bind recipe books so they sit open properly. 

If you do already have some of Peggy’s books you should be aware that this is an amalgamation of her other books.  If you are new to Peggy’s books this is the perfect one for you. 

I would give this book 5/5 for girly prettiness and 3/5 for ease of use.

Peggy’s website Peggy Porschen

Last month we had a blogger’s outing to Peggy’s Parlour in Belgravia, the cakes were divine and the parlour is so pretty.  Peggy has also opened an academy that is running a diploma in cake decorating, how I’d love to do that!

I was lucky enough to be able to ask Peggy some questions:

  

When did you decide you wanted to be a professional cake decorator?

I was always given a fabulous cake every year on my birthday as a child growing up in Germany which is a nation that loves cake! The cake was always the highlight for me and even then I was incredibly passionate about both the taste and the look.

When I was 14 yrs. old I decided to make my own and it really just started from there. I moved from home in Germany to London in 1998 to study at the internationally renowned cookery school Le Cordon Bleu. After successfully completing ‘The Grand Diploma of Cuisine & Patisserie’, I worked as a pastry chef at London's Lanesborough Hotel and celebrated caterer Rhubarb Food Design, followed by a position as cake decorator for German master-baker Gerhard Jenne, proprietor of Konditor & Cook. I set up my
business in 2003 from my home in Battersea.

Where do you get your inspiration from?
I’m a really typical girl! I love anything pretty, dainty or feminine. Anything can inspire me from fashion to vintage tea cups or stationary – just whatever catches my eye.

What is your favourite type of cake to make?
It would be absolutely beautiful, elegant and incredibly pretty, intricate without being over the top, the classic and traditional softened with a satin bow perhaps and plenty of my signature sugar flowers.

What is your top cake decorating tip?
My tip would be to attend my academy and take a 3 day professional wedding cake class which I run regularly. My students not only go away with a cake made under my supervision, but also with the skills and techniques to recreate for friends and family again and again in future.

What is your favourite recipe?
My cravings change with the seasons but at the moment I am obsessing over my sticky toffee cupcakes which are sold in the Parlour, they are incredibly comforting, with a gooey toffee centre and nutty sponge - I just can’t resist.

                                   

Everyone Loved Peggy's Cakes....

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Cake Pop Crazy!

This weekend I went cake pops crazy! Thanks to Hobbycraft I was able to stock up on everything necessary needed to make pop cakes, it is was great fun.

Cake pops are a quickly growing trend in the UK and now I can see why. They are cute, great for kids, taste great and are easy to make. Actually they were really easy to make, I’m sure my family will be finding them in their stockings this Christmas.

Being my first attempt, I have no shame in telling you that I did make some mistakes along the way, but thankfully nothing that affected the taste or appearance and don’t worry I’ll be sharing them with you, so you don’t make the same faux pas.

Here are mine, follow my quick step by step cake pop tutorial to produce your own.

Equipment 

Sponge

Coloured chocolate drops

Pre-made icing - I used Betty Crocket Rich & Creamy Chocolate fudge icing

Lollipop sticks

Cellophane covers

Decorations – i.e. sprinkles,etc

Nice and simple bake a sponge, mine was a really simple chocolate sponge.

Don’t let the sponge cool too much as you have to break it down into crumbs and mix in the pre-made icing.

By mixing in the icing it binds the mixture, so you can mould the sponge into the shape you’d like. (there isn’t really a right or wrong amount to add. It depends on how much sponge you have made, but make sure it binds enough that the sponge doesn’t crumble or not too much that it is too sticky)

Once you’ve found the right consistency, start rolling the sponge into balls

Now it starts to get messy! Melt down the chocolate. This is a lot easier than it use to be as the melting can be achieved in the microwave.

 Tip: I divide all of my coloured chocolate into separate bowls and melted as needed so it doesn’t set again.

Setting the lollipop stick in the chocolate ball. Dip the stick into the melted chocolate and pushed into the ball. When the chocolate sets it will set into place.

My Biggest Faux pas was making my balls too big!! My eyes were obviously bigger than what the sticks could handle, so please don’t make the same mistake as me or you will also have trouble getting the ball to stay on the stick!!

Pop your cakes pops into the fridge for an hour to set.

Now for the Fun.. Decorating the Cake pops.
This part is entirely up to you, go as crazy or not as you like here are mine

Oh! it looks like someone is enjoying their food.

Thank you to Hobbycraft for Sponsoring this blog post, to get the ingredients to make your own cake pops, click on the cake pop link: Cake Pops

Sponsored by: 

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Book Review: The Home-Made Sweet Shop

By Guest Blogger Lizzie Evans of Who has a Blog.

The Home-Made Sweet Shop is a recipe book with a difference. It has over 90 classic recipes for sweets, candies and chocolates, to help you turn your kitchen into your very own sweet shop.

With old school childhood favourites such as Peppermint Humbugs, Peanut Brittle and Turkish Delights, accompanying modern alternatives including Raspberry Lollipops, Fruit Sherbet and Rocky Road Fudge, you are spoilt for choice, and may find it impossible to choose between them.

Originally from California, the writer, Claire Ptak, trained as a pastry chef at Chez Panisse in Berkeley. She then moved to London with her husband and opened a cake company in East London called Violet Cakes. It has a very loyal following, with celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson and Thomasina Miers all being fans of her tasty treats.

Claire is also a food stylist, and has worked on a number of cookbooks and newspapers including The Guardian, and The Independent. This, however, is her first book.

The book begins with an insightful overview of the history of sugar, sweets and chocolates. It looks at their origins, up until their modern day forms, and looks at why they are so successful today. It then goes onto a directory of key ingredients and equipment needed for sweet making.

I found this particularly useful, as I have never done anything like this before, and some of the terminology was a little intimidating. It was comprehensive, and easy to understand, but could have done with some alternatives to the equipment mentioned, as I found it hard to find all the pieces that I needed.

The book is then organised into 7 sections. From Boiled Sweets, Lollipops, Pulled Taffies and Fondants, to Marzipan, Nut Confections and Liquorice. There is literally every kind of sweet recipe you could possibly ask for, and something for everyone to enjoy.

Each recipe has it's own page, so they aren’t cramped, and are nicely organised in to simple steps, which are easy to follow. They also have the occasional helpful tips from Claire herself.

Here’s one we made earlier.

               

 The book is also illustrated with over 450 beautiful photographs, all snapped by the talented Nicki Dowey, who has worked on many food publications, and has also done photography for clients such as Marks and Spencer, Fortnum and Mason, and Waitrose.

The book ends with a nutrition breakdown for each sweet, which is really handy if you are making the sweets with your children, or are watching the calories.

 Mark Out of Five -3/5 The recipes are simple and they are clearly explained, but I wouldn't recommend it to a complete beginner.  The sweets are quite temperamental, and require a lot of concentration. The ingredients and equipment can also be quite pricey. They do, however, make great little gifts, and it’s well worth the read if you’re interested in making home-made sweets.

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Book Review: A Zombie Ate My Cupcake

By Guest Blogger Lizzie Evans - Look Who has a Blog

Author Lily Jones, more commonly known as Lily Vanilli, is an East London based baker, known for her creative and unconventional designs. Dubbed ‘the rock n’ roll baker’ by Dazed and Confused magazine, she has worked with the likes of Elton John and Nigella Lawson. ‘A Zombie Ate My Cupcake’ is her first recipe book.

Each recipe has a mini introduction, accompanied by easy to follow instructions. The layout is simple, and nicely spaced. And each step is clear, honest and concise, with images on some recipes to show you how to deal with the trickier stages.

I think the over-the-top ‘part graphic novel, part cookbook’ design is brilliant. It’s a little different to your other cupcake related books on the market at the moment, and really stands out. The illustrations by Paul Parker are amazing, and really fit the cake designs.

What I really like is that there is a cupcake design for everyone! At the back of the book, she lists a range of simple cupcake recipes, from her famous red velvet flavour to simple vanilla. She also provides helpful tips so you can change them to fit your taste or preferences, making the book timeless.

The ingredients are easy to find, and she has also added a list of tools and suppliers so you don’t miss out on anything. Lily is also a promoter of fair trade ingredients, so that gives her cupcakes an added edge. Here's one I made earlier.

Brilliantly designed, and really easy to use: 4/5

Earlier this month, SW Craft Club also had a bloggers’ daytrip to Lily’s shop in East London. Based just off Columbia Road, in Shoreditch, her shop is the perfect destination to spend your Sunday afternoons.

I managed to catch up with Lily to ask her about her book, and what it is about cupcakes that makes them so damn desirable!

Hi Lily, so how did the name 'Lily Vanilli' come about?

It was one of a long line of silly baking puns in a conversation with my friend Anita on msn - she was in Australia at the time. I just started using it for real after that. 

What is it about cupcakes that make you so passionate about them?

I wanted to call the book 'Zombies Ate My Cake' but my publisher was insistent that cupcakes should be in the title as they were so popular. The whole book and the grotesque style of decorating that I was doing were meant to be a reaction against cupcakes! 

So why do you think cupcakes are so popular at the moment?

I think it was a fashion moment, plus they make sense as a snack. They’re individual and the right size, pretty and portable. People like cake so it follows that they will like a cupcake.

Ok, so what inspired you to write 'A Zombie Ate My Cupcake'?

I think kids and grown-ups alike have a fascination with anything gory, or with insects and horror, I know I do. The imagery of the book is inspired by comics and B-movies and I love horror in general. 

Nice! And finally, do you have any exciting projects in the pipeline we should know about?

We have a huge event coming up! It’s called the YBF’s- it’s a celebration of all the new creativity in food and a search for the next generation of passionate foodies. We think what's happening in British food at the moment is a movement, a breaking down of the old systems and a fresh exciting start.

We’ll be sure to check it out! Thanks Lily!

If you’re interested in learning more about the YBF’s, you can check out their website here! [www.the-ybfs.com]. You can also keep up-to-date with what Miss Lily Vanilli is doing on her website! [http://www.lilyvanilli.com/]

Book Review: Spooning with Rosie: Food, Friendship & Kitchen Loving

Brixton deli owner Rosie Lovell ensures that her stomping ground is bigged up good and proper in this warm and helpful first cookery book.

 Divided into thematic sections like ‘Soulful Grub’ and ‘Hangover Cures’, Rosie offers up her wealth of food knowledge acquired from family and friends over the years and gives tried and tested recipes to satiate your every need

With holiday snaps and her own doodles on pages, this book feels as homely as the recipes adorning the pages. Particular favourites are her hot chicken wings which forego any lengthy marinading process and her delicious and economical muesli.

There are beautiful illustrations of food ‘partners in crime’ such as lentils and saffron and mint and peas and plenty of her food anecdotes involving the many colourful characters in her friendship group.  Recipes aren’t overly prescriptive or stuffy and any advice is given in an informed but friendly way.

Rosie’s regulars get plenty of mentions as do her fellow Brixton businesses so look out if you fit into either category. If Spooning with Rosie doesn’t rightly entice you into the bustle of Brixton, I don’t know what will. 

Thank you Rosie.

We give this book 4.5/5

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I ♥ Pinterest

 

When I looked up the word 'Addiction' in the dictionary, I found the following definitions: 

  1. ‘Being abnormally tolerant to and dependant on something this is psychologically or physically habit-forming'   

And I can relate to the both... That's right I'm an addict and everyday I need my Pinterest fix!

The guys at Pinterest describe their website as "Pinterest lets you organise and share all of the beautiful things on the web. People use pin boards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes and organise their favourite recipes" In essence, they sum up the function of the website nicely, but excitedly I know there is much more to it. The best way to describe it is as a digital mood board, we look at websites all day long and instead of printing off the shade of green which matches your latest colour scheme, or the shorts you just have to have, but have to wait until pay day, pin them and be inspired by other people's pins, like facebook you can follow people's boards and they can follow your boards.

Currently we're created 11 boards:

Crafts in South London - so we can share some of the great things which are happening local to you.
Things that make SW HQ smile - We're hoping if it makes up smile it will make you smile too
Inspiration - There are so many things in the world which inspire us and we're on a mission to pin them, whether it's the colour of a birds feather, an interesting use of a colander or amazing illustration, the list is endless.....
Crafts from everywhere else - finger on the pulse, we like to know what is going on, everywhere else and not miss a thing
Our home cooking - Okay this board will take a little longer to grow, not because we don't cook, far from it, it's more the fact that taking pictures whilst cooking, is really time consuming especially when we're hungry. ~But, we're on it and we be sure to show you our wares or you could email yours to us and we'll be happy to pin them
We'd love to be this organised - Ummmm it is what it says on the tin
Book Club - Did you know craft books are the fastest selling in 2011? We'll pinning lots of the latest books to inspire you.
Sweet tooth - We love cake!
Hunter gatherer - Just stuff, nik bits we've picked up along the way
East London – Oooh we do love east London too

Watch out for more - You'll find our images here, Pinterest

Anyhow don't just take our word for it, here are 10 of our pins