Claire is my favourite baker. I know so many of these recipes will become favourites baked again and again. A Violet recipe always works perfectly. Anna Jones, author of 'One: Pot, Pan, Planet' Claire Ptak is the coolest girl I know. She makes baking sexy ... in a wolrd of saccharine this is the antidote Fiona Leahy Stir in the chopped almonds, flour and baking powder just to combine. Dollop this over the jam—don’t worry about spreading it evenly as it will melt into place in the oven and spreading it can cause the jam to get mixed in rather than remaining its own layer. Return to the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until golden and set. Allow to cool for 20 minutes. It’s the transferable wisdom that makes Love Is A Pink Cake invaluable . . . And you will find that even the classics—yellow sheet cake with chocolate frosting, treacle tart with whipped cream—can be improved upon by following Ptak’s advice." Vogue - Hayley Maitland For royal watchers, Claire Ptak will forever be known as the London-based California ex-pat who made the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding cake : an Amalfi lemon and Sandringham elderflower confection adorned with clusters of peonies. And yet the Violet Cakes founder had established a reputation in food circles for revolutionizing the world of baking with her seasonal approach to ingredients long before 2018. As she prepares to release her latest cookbook , Love Is A Pink Cake , Vogue caught up with Ptak about cutting her teeth at Chez Panisse, falling for British baked goods, and why she takes a West Coast mentality with her wherever she goes.

Love Is a Pink Cake offers glimpses of Ms. Ptak's personality, as well as of her personal life . . . Rich in color (a pistachio-green plum cake with candied violets) and texture.--Emilia Petrarca "New York Times" Ptak asserts that "baking is, in its own way, a love story," and her own love shines through. This is a treasure trove.-- "Publishers Weekly (starred review)"

Meanwhile, whisk together the lemon juice and icing sugar until smooth. Spread this glaze over the cooled Bakewell, then slice into fingers. Decorate each slice with a preserved cherry.

For the topping, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy but not fluffy. Add the extracts, salt, eggs and egg white, then beat well. Harry and Meghan’s wedding cake baker Claire Ptak at the Love is a Pink Cake launch party at Rochelle Canteen Marco Bahler Claire Ptak's recipes are generous, intuitive, and beautiful. This is a celebration of life, and the bounty of the earth. You will feel as though an old friend is taking you by the hand and teaching you how to make the perfect fluffy blueberry muffin. Pull up a chair. Claire is the friend everybody needs in their life.--Laila Gohar Ptak, a Northern Californian who was a pastry chef at Chez Panisse before moving to London, started off selling cakes from an East London market stall and opened her cafe, Violet, in 2010. In key ways, Ptak and her bakery typify an East London style that I’ve been describing to my friends for the past year. It’s a post-industrial space softened by the memory of a country house you’ve never been to: a little gingham and a lot of linen; terra-cotta pottery; dried flowers; sponge painting; enamelware; natural wine; white-washing; candlelight. The food in this paradigm, especially as shot for Love Is a Pink Cake, is unfussy, neutrally and pastel-colored, and showcases big, ripe hunks of whichever fruit’s now in season, all arrayed in rustic interiors nobody’s swept up before the shoot. Indispensable . . . Not only is Ptak’s book compelling—her baking is excellent." Eater - Rachel P. KreiterClaire Ptak, the Chez Panisse alum who runs London’s Violet Cakes, divides this sumptuous book into two. ‘California’ is produce-forward, while Harry and Meghan’s wedding cake is the talk of ‘England.’" Vanity Fair - Laura Regensdorf

There's some cookbooks you enjoy reading and there's some that you read for the delicious recipes. This book is the latter. (Besides, not to sound like an old fart, but the type is tiny.) Add half of the dry flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar and mix well. Then add the coconut milk and vanilla and mix again. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the remaining dry ingredients to the bowl. Mix well to incorporate all of the ingredients, but do not overmix or this will make your cake tough. Ptak grew up in California and was Chez Panisse trained. She's a seasonal baker and an artist. An endearing reference to Amy Vanderbilt's Complete Cookbook with illustrations by Warhol. I love that Vanderbilt book just for the illustrations alone. London's East End meets Northern California in 75 indulgent bakes from the author of The Violet Bakery Cookbook.Divide the batter between the cake tins and bake for 45–50 minutes, depending on which size tins you are using. The cakes should be starting to turn golden, feel springy to the touch and a skewer inserted should come out clean. Indispensable . . . Not only is Ptak's book compelling--her baking is excellent.--Rachel P. Kreiter "Eater" I know that all I’ve pretty much done is shout recipe titles at you, but it’s hard to temper my excitement, and I’m not sure I’d ever want to. I regard the happiness I get from Love is a Pink Cake as a real gift, and I’m so grateful to Claire Ptak for it. It remains for me to do no more than tell you that the recipe I’m sharing with you today is her mother’s Lemon Meringue Pie Bars.