Kim-Joy - Celebrate with Kim-Joy: Cute Cakes and Bakes to Make Every Occasion Joyful

Ive always thought that people who bake are some of the nicest people ever, because we want to put time in creating something that will bring a moment of happiness to others. So thank YOU all, you kind bakers out there, for spreading happiness around! Plus I LOVE seeing all your amazing creations born from my recipes!

To my three main cheerleaders and taste testers my partner Nabil and our two rescue cats Inki and Mochi thank you all for your excellent feedback. Inki and Mochi your feedback mainly consisted of meow to cream and butter, and no interest in anything else, so I had to ignore it from time to time. But youre furry and keep me company so I forgive you.

Also thank you to my weird and wonderful family (Kenneth have you tried any of my recipes yet?) and friends (lets have a cake party soon please!)

Special mentions to Cline Hughes, Alicia House, Ellis Parrinder, Sarah Hardy and Charlotte Love. You all have been a joy to work with (though it didnt feel like work!) and the best team members I could ask for. I am also so grateful to Linda van den Berg, Danni Hooker, Mary Kate McDevitt and Vivienne Clore.

Thanks to everyone else who has been amazing you know who you are and I need to bake a giant cake for you all soon!

This is my go-to plain vanilla cake recipe, which you can then flavour however you like! Here are just some of the flavours you can play about with in this recipe: citrus zest (for this quantity Id use the zest of 34 fruits), almond extract, freeze-dried fruit powders, orange blossom water, rose water, liqueurs, lavender and spices, such as cinnamon, cardamon, etc. You can also layer this cake up with your choice of fresh fruits, homemade curd, crme ptissire, caramel, etc!

480g [2 cups plus 2 Tbsp] unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing

480g [2 cups minus 4 tsp] caster or granulated sugar

1 tsp salt (or use salted butter and omit this)

480g [17oz] eggs (about 8 medium)

1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste

260ml [1 cup plus 4 tsp] whole milk

200ml [ cup plus 2 Tbsp] whole yogurt

560g [4 cups] plain [all-purpose] flour (or use gluten-free flour plus 2 tsp xanthan gum)

6 tsp baking powder (use gluten-free baking powder if making gluten free, a lot of standard baking powders contain gluten)

60g [ cup] almond flour

fresh whipped cream and fruit

1 / Preheat the oven to 170c [325F/Gas mark 3]. Grease 5 x 18-cm [7-in] cake tins with butter and line the bases with baking paper.

2 / Add the butter, sugar and salt to a stand mixer (or use a handheld electric whisk) fitted with the balloon whisk attachment and whisk on medium speed until the butter is smooth, then increase the speed to high and whisk until the butter is fluffy and pale in colour.

3 / Lightly beat the eggs in a separate bowl. Add the egg mixture, 1 Tbsp at a time, to the creamed butter and sugar mixture, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla bean paste and mix to combine.

4 / In a separate bowl, mix the milk and yogurt together. Sift the flour, baking powder and almond flour together into another bowl.

5 / Alternate between sifting in a quarter of the flours, then adding a quarter of the milk and yogurt to the main mixture, mixing on slow speed after each addition. Be careful not to overmix and add the flour and milk when the ingredients from the batch before have only semi-mixed in. Divide the batter between the prepared cake tins and bake for 3035 minutes until a skewer or a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.

6 / When the cakes are baked, leave them to cool in their tins for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and turn out onto wire racks. Peel off the baking paper and leave to cool.

7 / Make sure the cakes are cool before assembling you can make 1 tall stacked cake or 2 shorter cakes. Decorate simply with fresh cream and fruit between the layers OR follow one of the basic cake designs ().

This ginger cake never fails to impress soft, fluffy and moist, this is a loud and proud ginger cake made with ground ginger plus additional crystallized stem ginger for extra bursts of flavour. This quantity makes a 5-layer cake for an impressively tall celebration cake, but you can always reduce the quantity.

This recipe makes a large quantity so you need a big bowl, although the batter can be divided in half if you like.

335g [1 cups] salted butter (or use unsalted and add 1 tsp salt), plus extra for greasing

335g [1 cups plus 1 tsp] dark muscovado [soft brown] sugar

160g [ cup plus 1 Tbsp] black treacle [molasses]

500g [3 cups] plain [all-purpose] flour (or use gluten-free flour plus 2 tsp xanthan gum)

3 tsp baking powder (use gluten-free baking powder if making gluten free, a lot of standard baking powders contain gluten)

5 Tbsp ground ginger

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

400ml [1 cups] whole milk

135g [ cup plus 1 Tbsp] crystallized stem [candied preserved] ginger, roughly chopped

5 medium eggs

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda [baking soda]

90ml [6 Tbsp] water

240g [1 cups plus 2 tsp] caster or granulated sugar

225ml [1 cup minus 1 Tbsp] double [heavy] cream (or coconut milk to make vegan you wont taste the coconut flavour due to the strong flavours of the cake)

fine table salt, to taste

quantity of Dulce de

120g [1 cup plus 1 tsp] pecans, lightly toasted and roughly chopped

1 / Preheat the oven to 160c [325F/Gas mark 3]. Grease 5 x 18-cm [7-in] cake tins with butter and line the bases with baking paper.

2 / For the cake, place the butter, salt (if using), sugar and treacle in a small pan and heat over a low-medium heat, stirring, until melted and combined.

3 / Combine the flour, baking powder and spices in a separate bowl.

4 / Heat the milk in a small bowl in the microwave for a minute until warm. Set aside.

5 / Pour the liquid sugar and butter mixture over the flour mixture, then stir quickly until smooth and combined. Add the chopped ginger, then the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition.

6 / Add the bicarbonate of soda to the warm milk and mix until foamy. Pour into the main mixture and mix with a balloon whisk until just combined.

7 / Quickly pour the mix evenly among the prepared cake tins. Bake for 2030 minutes until a knife inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

8 / Meanwhile, make the (without the red dye). Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 3045 minutes. It will thicken as it cools.

9 / When the cakes are baked, leave them to cool in their tins for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and turn out onto wire racks. Peel off the baking paper and leave to cool.