Absolutely not your ordinary baking book: 50 outstanding and delicious recipes for cakes, cookies and cupcakes to bake at home, presented by New Zealand's talented Jordan Rondel aka “The Caker”.

The cakes are specialty treats not usually seen in cake shops. Some are gluten free, dairy free or vegan and Jordan uses as many organic ingredients as possible. The flavours are surprising combinations that will thrill your taste buds. From fig and raspberry cake, brown butter spice cake and earl grey tea cookies, to flourless black forest cupcakes, chai latte cake with condensed milk icing and black pepper, and peanut butter and jelly cake.

Includes15 gorgeous icings and toppings, and top baking tips from The Caker herself. Designed with flair and photographed with imagination, this book is the perfect gift – whether for someone else or for yourself!

My aesthetic is rather humble; I tend not to do elaborate themed cakes and steer well clear of any sickly sweet fondant icing (nobody likes to eat the stuff anyway). In my opinion, it’s more important for a cake to taste incredible rather than look inedible and the perfect adornment is often a scattering of crushed pistachios, some fresh flowers or glossy berries. Jordan Rondel

SAMPLE RECIPE
Raspberry Fig Cake With White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing (pictured)

125 g softened butter
125 g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 organic eggs
175 g sifted plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ cup milk
2 tbsp finely grated orange rind
1 cup roughly chopped figs
1 cup raspberries – fresh or frozen

Icing
375 g white chocolate buttons
500 g cream cheese

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease two 22cm cake tins and line with baking paper. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and eggs, one at a time, beating between additions until combined.
Stir in the flour and baking powder in two batches with milk and then combine orange rind. Using only half of the batter, evenly pour between the two tins and add figs and raspberries. Pour over the remaining batter and bake in a moderate oven for about 45 minutes.

To make the icing, melt white chocolate over a double boiler and leave to cool to room temperature. Once cool, beat in cream cheese and spread over the cake.

Author Biography

Jordan Rondel is a young New Zealander who runs a small business baking and delivering specialty cakes to order – The Caker. Her love of baking began at an early age and stems from her French roots, her sweet tooth and her desire to please people with culinary delights. Visit her website: http://www.thecaker.co.nz/menu/