Bought at: Booktopia - I was so looking forward to the release of this book I preordered it.
Recipes Made: Spiced Honey Cake p.48, Passover Pear Cake p.57, Custard Chiffon p.112, Crunchies p.135, Coconut and Passionfruit Slab Cake p.142, 23 Minute Meringues p.274 and Anchovy Twists p.290.
I made the Spiced Honey Cake last during during a lockdown inspired zoom cook-along with the Monday Morning Cooking Club. The recipe is adapted slightly from the honey cake in the Monday Morning Cooking Club’s first book, and is well known as an excellent honey cake. I really enjoyed making this cake, though I did find mine needed a fair bit more time to cook than the recipe says. Next time I make it I may increase the oven temperature a little to compensate. This is definitely one of those cakes that tastes even better a couple of days or so after baking and I certainly enjoyed eating slices of it days after the fun of the live zoom cooking class.
I first made the Passover Pear Cake with plums rather than pears as it was early April and some plums were still around. It was delicious, even if I did get the order of the cake ‘layers’ a little off! I used superfine matzo meal that time as I had some, and it was definitely the nicest thing I’ve ever eaten that contains matzo meal! The cake was incredibly light and fluffy despite the matzo meal. The next time I made this cake I used poached quince and as one of the MMCC ladies had suggested to me, plain flour instead of superfine matzo meal. It was still such a good cake despite all the adaptations I made (both times I also used different nuts than the recipe suggested as well!), though I really should make it again with pears as the recipe says!
I have made the Custard Chiffon many times over the years, as the recipe was first published in the MMCC’s first book. I the first time I tried this cake was at a Bake Club and MMCC event in 2014, where a few recipes were demonstrated and we got to try them too. It was the lightest fluffiest most delicious cake I had ever tasted, and I have been making it ever since.
The recipe for Crunchies was intriguing to me, and I think the first recipe I made from this book. These bars are like a South African version of ANZAC biscuits, but even crunchier as the name suggests. They were delicious and very nice dunked into a cup of tea.
The Coconut and Passionfruit Slab Cake has been the most popular recipe so far from this book for me. I think I made it two times within a month or so of the book being released, and have continued to make it ever since. It is an incredibly easy cake to make, and I have found I don’t need to use a stand mixer to make it. The cake is gluten free, and I think you could easily make it dairy free too by using a dairy free margarine/spread instead of butter. When passionfruit are in season I buy them and freeze the pulp - and this cake is inevitably what I bring out the frozen pulp for.
I chose to make the 23 Minute Meringues last Christmas, when COVID related restrictions made our Christmas Day smaller than expected and making a large Pavlova for three people seemed a little much - it was also going to be hard to find fridge space for cream topped leftover Pav when there would inevitably be quite a lot of leftovers! I thought meringues would be a better option as leftovers could be kept in a container, and it just felt nice to try a new recipe too.
I made the Anchovy Twists as part of another MMCC zoom cook-along last year, and they were a big hit with the family. We love anchovies so these were always going to be a winner, but the pastry was not only easy to make but also delicious to eat and not too heavy. The sour cream pastry used to make these is a great one for many sweet and savoury bakes, and one I will be coming back to again and again.
Favourite Things About the Book: Recipes and stories are what the MMCC does best, and this book is no exception. I love the stories of each recipe contributor at the beginning of each chapter, and the delightful illustrations of the baked goods that go with it. The photography in this book is beautiful and I love that every recipe has a photo. The ‘How To’ sections at the beginning of some of the chapters would also be great for those new to baking or needing a confidence boost, making this book great for every baking level, not just those who are already quite confident and experienced.
The recipes that the MMCC choose to add to their books are always well tested, and I really love being able to bake knowing it will work. The MMCC also have videos on their YouTube channel and IGTV on Instagram, so many of the recipes from all their books can be found there and you can see how they are made via those videos if you want more clarification.
The variety of sweet (and a few savoury) recipes is really diverse from cookies and biscuits, to intricate layer cakes or tortes, simple cake and sweet breads. I was so excited when the MMCC said they were working on a cookbook with mostly sweet recipes, and I think this cookbook is not only a great addition to their other books, but also a great addition to anyone’s cookbook collection who love baking or want to bake more.
Bookmarked Recipes (to make later!): Persian Shortbread p.20, White Chocolate and Honey Madeleines p.62, Upside Down Peach Cake p.87, Russian Honey Cake p.92, Russian Sour Cream Smetna Torte p.94, Glazed Honey Chiffon p.115, Pumpkin Chiffon p.118, Passionfruit Tart p.154, Apple Honey and Cinnamon Challah p.180, Apple and Cinnamon Babke p.186-7, Cinnamon Streusel Babke p.190, Charoset Ice Cream p.242, Nut and Date Coins p.268, Spiced Cheese Biscuits p.293 and Frojalda (Turkish Cheese Bread) p.298 - so yeah, basically just the rest of the book!
