Ingredients: red-skinned peanuts; golden syrup; caster sugar; ground almonds; gluten-free oat flour; cocoa powder; smooth peanut butter; vegan dark chocolate Ground Almonds (Nuts), Butter (Milk), Caster Sugar, Free Range Eggs, Polenta, Lemon Juice, Lemon Zest, Pistachio (Nuts), Vanilla Extract, Sea Salt. This recipe uses rye flour (we like Gilchesters Organics) because we love the nutty flavour it brings, but other heritage grains, such as emmer or einkorn, can also be used here. A high-quality chocolate with a decent level of acidity and bitterness will give the cake an almost savoury edge. Cacao nibs bring a crunch to the party, but you can always use nuts instead, if you prefer. To really dive in at the deep end of the flavour pool, try these with some smoked sea salt sprinkled on top. This is delicious, but the baking times are way off for both components, the sponge layer and the cheesecake layer. Both werde done after half the time, maybe it’s just my oven. However, caught it in time and tasted so good.

Three brownie recipes from The Exploding Bakery | Baking Three brownie recipes from The Exploding Bakery | Baking

Melt the chocolate and butter in a large bowl set over simmering water or in a heavy-based pan on a very low heat. Add the sugar and mix until it starts to dissolve. Scrape the mix into a roughly 23cm x 33cm baking tin lined with greaseproof paper. Scatter the sourdough croutons on top, then press down into the brownie mix. Spoon teaspoon-sized dollops of marmalade on top and bake at 170C (150C fan)/325F/gas 3 for 25-30 minutes – you want a bit of a wobble in the middle of the tray to get that fudgy texture. Serve warm with ice-cream, or leave to cool, store in an airtight container and eat over the coming days with a cup of tea. Fruit and nut vegan brownie Start simple and work your way up to experimenting with new flavour combinations, different flours and seasonal ingredients if the mood takes you. What's important is that these recipes are for everyone who's serious about delicious cake. Ingredients: blanched hazelnuts; flaked almonds; golden syrup; Earl Grey tea bag; raisins; caster sugar; ground almonds; gluten-free oat flour; cocoa powder; pistachios; vegan dark chocolate However, the first book I remember really grabbing me by the taste buds and the eyes at the same time, was Breakfast, Lunch, Tea by Rose Cararrini. It combined brilliant design with simple, delicious recipes alongside natural candid photography. And so, 15 years later, when the opportunity to write our very own cookbook was presented to us, we wanted to create something that was full of recipes that were accessible. We also wanted to inject some of the humour and levity with which we run the bakery, whilst giving a nod to the books that we were raised on.If you're after homemade cake, but without the need for fancy equipment, expert decorating skills and five spare hours, Bake It. Slice It. Eat It. is the cookbook for you. There are gluten-free options, healthier ideas, and more advanced ones, too, so there's something for every occasion. Once we were finally done testing and meticulously recording each minuscule change, we were ready to hit the creative writing hard. At first it was quite an alien feeling, writing about ingredients and techniques you've been using for years. In some ways it felt like we were divulging secrets that we've only ever talked about in the bakery. That said, it was very liberating, the more we wrote the better the rhythm we found. It started to become a joy to find different ways to introduce the same ingredients. It was nostalgic to remember the histories behind some of our classic recipes and put them out there. At low points we'd read our favourite food writers to reignite our love of how language and words can be used to paint “the everyday” into something more poetic or with meaning. Nigel Slater, Fergus Henderson and Diana Henry are a handful of writers who come to mind. Pour the mixture into a roughly 23cm x 33cm baking tin lined with greaseproof paper, sprinkle with the cocoa nibs and bake for 30 minutes, until puffed up but still wobbly. Leave to cool, then sprinkle with flaked sea salt. The brownies will keep for a few weeks in an airtight container. Wilton Steel Cake Tin and lid. This is the tray we have always used at the Exploding Bakery and the one we recommend using for the recipes in our book.

Bake It. Slice It. Eat It. by The Exploding Bakery, Oliver

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water, then add the oil and leave to warm and merge evenly. Pour into a bowl, add the sugar, combine on a medium speed, then add the raisin mixture and mix on a high speed until glossy and fully emulsified. Add the ground almonds, oat flour, cocoa powder, pistachios and salt, and mix to combine. Ingredients: caster sugar; sunflower oil; self-raising flour; unsweetened soy milk; pecans; golden syrup; overripe bananas; vegan dark chocolate Slowly stir in the melted chocolate so the mix becomes emulsified, then add the rye flour, baking powder and fine sea salt and mix until combined.They were nothing like the aspirational style so common today. Instead, they were more like short novellas with line drawings of what the finished recipe might look like, or giant tomes with sepia hued pictures of lacquered vegetables. Ones that come to mind are The Neals Yard Wholefood Cookbook, Books for Cooks and Delia Smith's complete cookery course. All of which were stalwarts in my food education and were never left on the shelf too long.