Aimee Twigger - Aimees Perfect Bakes: Over 50 Beautiful Bakes and Cakes for Friends and Family

Over 50 beautiful bakes and cakes for friends and family Aimee Twigger A NOTE FROM AIMEE I love to cook, but baking has to be my favourite pastime. I love to make cakes and bread for my friends and family, and I get so much joy from seeing people eat something that I have made. I started my blog, Twigg Studios, as a hobby and to share craft projects, but once I began baking and posting my recipes I really found my passion. I didnt expect it to amount to anything, but before I knew it, I was getting an average of 2,000 visitors every day. Now, when Im not at work, I spend all my time cooking or thinking up new recipes. Baking sweet things is what I love to do most (I have always had a sweet tooth), but I also really enjoy making bread kneading dough is such a great way to unwind and relieve stress.

This book is laid out so you can easily follow my recipes and enjoy cooking them, rather than being daunted by difficult technical dishes! I have not had any formal training, but I have found trial and error has given me the cooking skills I have today. After I started sharing my recipes I found that I loved taking photos too I really enjoy styling and photographing the things I make. I often search in thrift stores for props to style the photos with eBay is a wonderful place to find beautiful vintage baking equipment; I love to imagine each item has a story behind it. My dad lives in France so I also get a lot of great vintage equipment from there. If I have trouble finding an ingredient on the high street, Amazon can be useful as they have a large food selection and can deliver internationally. Baking powder: To check if your baking powder is still active add a spoonful into some water. Baking powder: To check if your baking powder is still active add a spoonful into some water.

If it fizzes up, its still good to use. Flour: There are so many different types of flour with different gluten levels, such as plain (all-purpose) flour, self-raising flour, spelt flour and rye flour. I tend to use plain or self-raising flour for most of my recipes but I like to use spelt flour, too. Sieve the flour to help prevent any lumps in a batter. When making a cake, always fold in the flour rather than mix it with a hand-held electric beater. Cheese: I generally use strong white cheddar in my savoury baking as I like the flavour, but you can use a milder hard cheese if you prefer. Nuts: Toast nuts in a preheated oven, 180C/350F for 35 minutes, to improve the flavour. Sponges: Un-iced sponges will keep well in the freezer for about 1 month defrost them completely, then frost them with buttercream. EquipmentFood processor: I use a food processor for so many things, from making cookie dough and pastry to pureing fruit and chopping up ingredients. EquipmentFood processor: I use a food processor for so many things, from making cookie dough and pastry to pureing fruit and chopping up ingredients.

You dont need to waste money investing in an expensive one with loads of attachments, I rarely use any of the attachments except the cutting blade. Stand mixer: Another kitchen gadget I would recommend is a stand mixer; it is very handy when making meringues or marshmallows. Rubber spatula: Spatulas are great for folding in mixtures, and they scrape the sides of a bowl very well so everything is mixed properly and there is no waste. A spatula can also be used to spread icing over cakes and cupcakes. Dough cutter: A dough cutter is handy, I also find it is useful to scrape any dough off the worktop afterwards. Edible Flowers: These should always be obtained from reputable sources to ensure that they are non-toxic, organic, unsprayed and safe to be consumed.

Similarly when selecting blooms or foliage for decoration you should likewise make sure they are unsprayed and organic. Difficulty Ratings: The difficulty of the recipes is indicated by the oven glove icon, one for easy, two for intermediate and three for the trickier bakes. CONTENTS 1. Cakes FEATHER-LIGHT LILAC CAKE These wonderful lilacs were given to me from Maddocks Farm Organics here in Devonthey sell fresh edible flowers and seasonal salads and herbs. I decided to infuse the crme ptissire with the lilacs and a vanilla pod to make the most of their sweet flavour.The sponge contains no butter or oil and is so light and springy; its my favourite type of cake and perfect for the delicate flavours.Feather-light lilac cakeMakes 1 cake / serves 8-10 Difficulty ratingFor the crme ptissire 200 ml (7 fl oz) milk 1 cup of unsprayed/organic lilac flowers (about 2 heads) 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped 2 egg yolks 60 g (2 oz) caster (superfine) sugar 20 g ( oz/1 tablespoons) cornflour (cornstarch) For the cake 4 eggs, separated 115 g (4 oz) caster (superfine) sugar 115 g (4 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour 1 teaspoon baking powder To finish 300 ml (101/2 fl oz) thick (double/heavy) cream 4 tablespoons lemon curd Fresh unsprayed/organic lilacs, to decorate Equipment Two 18 cm (6 inch) round cake tins Baking paper Wire rack Prep time: 10 minutes Baking time: 1520 minutes For the crme ptissire Put the milk, lilac flowers, vanilla pod and seeds in a pan. Bring to a light boil, remove from the heat, put the lid on and infuse for 10 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the yolks and sugar, then add the cornflour and mix. Pour the mixture through a sieve, then add one-quarter to the yolks and combine. Pour the yolk mixture back into the pan with the remaining milk mixture and stir continuously over a low heat until it thickens. Pour into a bowl and continue to stir to stop any lumps forming.