Jemma Cupcake - Jamies Food Tube the Cake Book: Seasonal Baking With Cupcake Jemma

Well, have I got a treat for you, and it comes in the form of the lovely, luscious, super-talented Jemma Wilson, who I had the pleasure of meeting many years ago when she was running a stall at one of my street festivals. Jemma runs a bakery called Crumbs & Doilies, and theres no doubt about it, shes a real pro-baker the quality of her cakes and bakes is off the chart. Theyre ridiculously, heart-stoppingly good, and shes great at telling us, in her friendly, direct way, exactly how to make them from those essential, back-to-basics recipes, to show-stoppers that you wont believe youve made, plus those all-important secrets, hints and tips thatll give you the confidence to cook these amazing creations yourself at home.

This little book is one of the first in a collection of no-nonsense, beautiful cookbooks, inspired by the incredible cooks, chefs and artisans on my Food Tube channel. If you dont know the channel already, hunt us out on YouTube, where myself and a bunch of super-talented people, including Jemma, are uploading exclusive videos every week, with plenty of clever tips, tricks and methods thatll transform your cooking. Were a community of food lovers and experts, who simply want to share our passion with you guys, so if you have any questions, please leave a comment and well be happy to answer.

In this little book, Jemma has focused on great cakes and bakes, split up seasonally so youll have a wonderfully naughty treat to choose from whatever the time of year. It might be small, but its crammed full of brilliant recipes thatll serve you very well for many years to come. Take it away, Jemma!

Big love,

UK | USA | Canada | Ireland | Australia | India | New Zealand | South Africa

Penguin Books is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com

First published 2014
001

Copyright Jemma Wilson, 2014
Photography Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited, 2014

The moral right of the author has been asserted

Jamie Oliver is a registered trade mark

Jamie Olivers Food Tube is produced by Fresh One Productions Limited

Photography by David Loftus

Design by Superfantastic

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN : 978-0-718-17920-5

www.penguin.co.uk
www.jamieoliver.com
www.youtube.com/jamieoliver
www.freshone.tv

Ive always been a creative type. At school art was my favourite subject, and I went on to Camberwell College of Arts to study graphic design, but I was lost there I couldnt seem to get my teeth into anything, and dropped out after my second year, fully believing that Id lost my imagination! It wasnt until I discovered baking and set up Crumbs & Doilies that I realized Id found my creative outlet. It wasnt painting or typography; but it was art, of sorts.

I was a latecomer to baking. Sure, Id baked a bit as a kid, but I was far more interested in eating cake than in figuring out how to make it. I used to watch my grandma baking, but it didnt occur to me until I grew up just how magical and cool it was that she instinctively measured her ingredients without scales and yet still managed to make perfect, delicious cakes every time.

My own first venture into baking-land was in Australia. Id been staying with my best friend Marisa in Sydney and wanted to host a tea party to say goodbye it seemed like the British thing to do! I borrowed a recipe book, bought ingredients, then mixed, whipped and beat until my arms were sore. I produced some of the most inedible scones of all time, but other things came out perfectly, and to be honest, it was actually that process of turning some simple ingredients into something delicious which inspired me to carry on when I returned home. I wish I could say I was a natural baker, but I wasnt; still, what I lacked in ability, I made up for in enthusiasm! If a recipe didnt work the first time, I was positive that if I tweaked something here or there, I could improve the result.

Im certainly not an expert; Im completely self-taught. I dont know how to make fancy French pastries or confectionery, and Ive made plenty of mistakes while trying to figure things out, but I strongly believe that anything is possible if you try hard enough. Theres a science to baking, of course, but its not rocket science! Patience, determination, a willingness to keep trying and the ability to get right back on to my vanilla-sponge horse after Id fallen off its under-risen back were the only qualities I needed to become a successful baker.

So this book is a collection of some of my favourite recipes, both from my own brain and also from the collective brain of Crumbs & Doilies. Every cupcake recipe makes 24 cakes, because I want you to share get out there and make friends via cake! The way cakes look and taste can really remind me of the different seasons, so while the first chapter covers baking basics and all the bits and bobs thatll make your cakes extra-special, Ive split the remaining chapters up by season not necessarily because they use seasonal ingredients, but because they evoke that unique feeling that comes with that particular time of year. Nothing here is too complicated, so youve got no excuse not to try them all. One thing we like to do at C&D is to mix up the flavours, so once youve had a go at a few recipes, shuffle things around put Earl Grey buttercream on your chocolate cupcakes go nuts! If at first you dont succeed, try, try and try again. And dont forget to check out my videos on Jamie Olivers Food Tube channel for lots of extra tips and techniques. Enjoy!