Liam Charles - Liam Charles Cheeky Treats

Liam Charles was the youngest contestant on 2017s Great British Bake Off at 19 years old. He was the breakout star, winning over the public with his deliciously sweet baking creations and charisma. Liam Charles, from Hackney, London, is a student currently studying Drama at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is the co-presenter on the new series of Bake Off The Professionals on Channel 4. Cheeky Treats is his debut cookbook. www.hodder.co.uk First published in Great Britain in 2018 by Hodder & Stoughton
An Hachette UK company Copyright Liam Charles 2018 The right of Liam Charles to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Photography by Haarala Hamilton Hodder & Stoughton 2018 The publisher would like to thank Bear & Bear for supplying the cake stand featured in . All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library eBook ISBN 978 1 473 68721 9 Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
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Ello ello ello, Liam here. Hows it going? Seriously, I want you to reply this book has been designed to be a conversation! Throughout the book Ill be guiding you through the recipes, telling you stories and, of course, cracking jokes. But, before all of that, let me take you back to 2013 Ill admit Ive always had an incredibly sweet tooth.

Anything remotely sweet, sign me up chocolate cake, sweet potatoes or even chewing gum (it has to be bubble mint flavour, though). And, for as long as I can remember, food programmes have been my life. Mum would get so annoyed with me the TV planner was infested with them. Indulging in so many food programmes eventually led me to put my obsession into practice and I made my first ever cupcakes with a family friend they were dense, flat and green. They had a good flavour, though. It was lemon zingy, innit? Even though they werent the best cupcakes in the world (cough, cough), it took just that one bake to show me that I could express myself creatively, whether through flavour combinations or concepts.

And I was hooked. One thing Ill say, as soon as Im interested in something, I want to know every nook and cranny of it. So I began to teach myself the basics of baking. Yes, there were tonnes of mistakes but getting it wrong is all part of the process then when you get it right, the feeling is insane. There are no rules you have to learn a lot of techniques and discover different ingredients but the best part is when you develop your own style. Coming from Caribbean descent, I try to turn traditional Caribbean meals into modern bakes.

Not too difficult Gulp. Saying all that, Ive definitely been influenced by a lot of people they are people close to my heart who are widely recognised in their craft. Big love to Heston Blumenthal, Dominque Ansel and Christina Tosi and I could go on and on and on All those chefs have a distinctive style, use amazing flavour combinations and have super cool concepts. Closer to home, though, my nan, Cynthia, is the cook of all cooks. I mean it. Her flavours are just ahh! Two other people who have had a huge impact on me, even if they havent exactly influenced my work physically, are Benoit Blin and Cherish Finden.

With them it stems deeper than influence spending time with them earlier this year has helped me appreciate cooking and baking so much more than I did before. The way they talk about food is truly inspirational. Look at me getting all emotional! HOW I WRITE MY RECIPES Let us delve into the mind of Liam to see how I come up with my recipe ideas Firstly, I draw inspiration from my surroundings youll care most about what youre baking if you do that. Next, depending on the inspiration, I decide whether its going to be sweet or savoury, a pie, a cake, a tart, etc. Then I ask myself what Im currently eating and enjoying, or what is interesting me. Finally, to enhance the flavour, Ill think about and look for complimentary ingredients.

So, now we have the form, the flavours and finally the finesse the overall concept of the bake. Attach a meaning to anything in life and it will take your work to another level. FACT. I always draw my bakes first with annotations. This is just to ensure its clear in my head visually. I often draw each component separately, too, a bit like an exploded jigsaw puzzle to see what fits, what doesnt, or whats missing.

Id been inventing, sketching and baking for three years before applying for Bake Off . I thought that it was the best thing an amateur baker could achieve. I must admit, I can be my own worst enemy and there are times when I overthink things and doubt myself, but going on Bake Off helped me tackle that. It showed me that once you put your mind to something, no matter how long it takes, youll get there (I know, I know, youve probably heard it a million times). Most importantly, though, I felt there had been a certain stigma related to baking, that it was only for mums and young kids.

HOW DOES THE BOOK WORK? The book is broken down into five sections: Sweet, Savoury, Nostalgia, Simple and just outright Celebrate. HOW DOES THE BOOK WORK? The book is broken down into five sections: Sweet, Savoury, Nostalgia, Simple and just outright Celebrate.

The recipes are a mixture of all the different things that got me ticking from the get go. RECIPES FOR ALL, WOOP! The number one rule of the book is that you have to follow each recipe exactly or else this book will self-destruct in 3 2 1 Nah, Im being silly. When it comes to the actual foundations of the bakes (for example, the sponge, biscuits or pastry itself), definitely follow the proportions as listed but, in terms of the flavour of the fillings and the design of the bake, feel free to express yourself! There are times when Ive suggested how to decorate something or Ive told you what flavour to make your filling but, you know, swap the orange for that lime, add a textured surface to the cake or even come up with a new filling for the pies. Let me know how you get on. When I bake it always seems to be for a crowd, but its perfectly possible to halve the quantities in lots of the recipes and, for example, make a two-layer cake not a four-layer one or have half the number of biscuits. Not sure why youd want to of course but thats just me The Cheekiest of Top Tips 1.

Always read the recipe Always read the recipe a couple of times before you start, bud. You might need to prepare a few components beforehand. Sounds silly but there are times, even now, Ill skim a recipe once, then halfway through making it Oh, sugar! No pun intended. 2. Get out your kit and ingredients Make sure you have everything out that you need, ready to use. The last thing you want is to have to go through drawers and all sorts in the middle of a bake.