The decoration on top is like doing a simple oil painting, but in buttercream that you can eat – and remember that asymmetrical faces are all part of the charm, so there’s no need to be too exact.” Add the milk and white wine vinegar to a large bowl and whisk together. Add the treacle, oil, salt and vanilla, then whisk again until combined. The cutest and chonkiest fat cat in its spiritual food form”, is how former Bake Off star Kim-Joy describes these pizzas – for the uninitiated, ‘chonky’ refers to animals that are delightfully pudgy.

The pun-filled book features adorable feline fancies, such as marshmeowlow cats, miaowringues and pudgy 3D cookie cats. There’s a section at the beginning on the key ways to create a cat in baked form, and once you master these techniques you can incorporate them into ANY bake! Definitely try the 3D cookie cats, as the dough takes 5 minutes to make, and is so soft and malleable - it feels almost like playdough. Can you tell me about a particularly memorable meal you have had and what made it One woman was in the first cohort, now she mentors new trainees. I think it’s because it’s something that makes you feel useful.” ROYAL MAIL STRIKES DURING NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2022 WILL DELAY DELIVERIES. THE LATEST UPDATE ON THE STRIKE DATES CAN BE VIEWED HERE . Kim-Joy is an expert in creating gorgeous animal-themed bakes, and her adorable feline characters have a purrsonality all of their own. Catering for a range of skills levels, whether you fancy baking Tiger Buns, Meow Bao, Kit-tea Scones or a Happy Purrrrthday Cake, bring joy to your cooking and a smile to every cat-owner's face with Bake Me a Cat!

Returning home to Leeds, the newlyweds continued to renovate the house they’d bought together, while Kim-Joy put the finishing touches to her debut graphic novel (more on that later) and her latest recipe book.

I realised that instead of piping the meringue into neat cat shapes, I could show how you can make ‘scruffy’ cats by dolloping meringue onto baking paper, swirling through jam/chocolate/curd, sprinkling on freeze-dried fruit, and then just using fingers to pinch out the cat ear shapes and using edible eyes or food dye to create a little face. What are the components of a fantastic meal for you? I definitely went a bit bonkers and I couldn’t really sleep for a while – but it was all worth it in the end,” she says of the home transformation, which features decor as colourful as her culinary creations. self-raising flour (to make gluten-free, substitute with a gluten-free self-raising flour blend, plus ¾ tsp xanthan gum) To make the dough, place the flour, salt and yeast together in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment (you can also use a bread machine just to knead). Make sure that the salt is not directly touching the yeast. Stir together, then pour in the water and olive oil. We have a lot to learn from cats,” Kim-Joy tells me. “They’re secure in what they want, and they live in the moment. They’re not thinking about the past or the future, just the here and now. I think that is a good message to take across to baking.”I wanted this book to be full of life, full of the quirkiness and weirdness of cats, to capture that within the bakes.”

My cats (Inki and Mochi)have been very inspirational for Bake Me a Cat. And just cats in general because they are so wonderfully weird. I’m inspired by how cats squeeze themselves into tiny boxes; how they want to sit in plant pots; how they curl up and sleep; so many things. And all these personality traits and cat archetypes have been translated into baking form. That’s why there’s cats cosying up in fruit tarts, or kitten buns in flowerpots, and there’s even a Schrodinger’s cat box! Not to mention cat’s who’ve got the cream, and Ragamuffin cats (which obviously, had to be muffins!). What recipes would you recommend we try first from the book? Biscoff spread (this is added to a third of the buttercream; omit this if making the recipe gluten-free) It’s more like real life, in that you bake and things are a little bit better, but it’s not always good. It’s about how we keep going.” Baking can be a mindful activity, where you can totally lose yourself. There’s structure within it, too, which makes me feel a bit safe.Leave the pizzas to prove at room temperature for about 20 minutes, or until puffed up slightly. They shouldn’t increase much in size. If you did an overnight first rise, then just wait for the dough to come to room temperature (up to two hours) before you bake it. self-raising flour (to make gluten-free, substitute with a gluten-free self-raising flour blend that contains added xanthan gum, plus ½ tsp xanthan gum)