She was even more delighted when the Andy Warhol Foundation were ‘so supportive’ of her using the title. The combination of dark chocolate and violet adds an elegant and unexpected touch to these babka buns.

Naturally, cake is on the menu, with Ptak planning her own reimagining of the wedding cake that made such an impression on her as a child. Perfect for: Home bakers who are looking to elevate their baking skills and bring some of the magic of Violet into their own kitchens. If you baked the cakes in one deep tin, split it into three layers with a large serrated knife, and put the bottom layer into the clingfilm-lined tin.We celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories, traditions and living cultures; and we pay our respects to Elders past and present. It was on the merit of those cakes that Ptak came to notoriety: Without the frilly piping, fondant, or stiff sponge of British celebration cakes, hers are neat, intentional messes in the style of the time, with dramatic swoops of icing and arranged with flowers. Included are gluten-free, refined sugar-free and vegan bakes, as well as the sought-after recipe for the Duke and Duchess’s lemon elderflower cake. In this simple dessert, the subtle flavour of pears takes centre stage, flavoured simply with sugar and lemon and topped with a fluffy sponge. S., I’m aware, is not doing so hot either, and it’s generally a turbulent time globally — yet things in Britain are so dire that the “ wow, the U.

As a judge on The Great British Bake Off, Berry became a representative of a kind of British baking for many in the U. 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. Featuring Amalfi lemons and elderflower syrup from the late Queen’s Sandringham estate, the multi-tiered extravaganza was decorated with Swiss meringue buttercream and 150 fresh flowers.Claire has also given us a very delicious recipe for a dessert of muscat wine and raspberries, which I have already bookmarked for my own Easter lunch. Ptak moved to London in 2005, where she staged (the restaurant equivalent of an internship) at top restaurants like Moro and St. Violet soon became a firm favourite with those in the know (Stanley Tucci, Christopher Kane and pastry chef Ravneet Gill were among the illustrious attendees at Ptak’s book launch, held at Margot Henderson’s Rochelle Canteen), but it was a certain commission in 2018 that sent things stratospheric.

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.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. When she came to work as a food stylist later in her career (for household names like Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson), it was ‘definitely’ driven by a desire to ‘scratch that itch. I think I left them in the oven for about 1 minute too long, but the texture is interesting and I'm curious to see if I can taste that the poppy seeds were soaked in tea.

I’ve always been so impressed by his work that he does for the Soil Association… so I love him in that sense. They cut beautifully, look great on a stand, and make a traybake out of the most British possible tart. Then there are vegan and gluten-free recipes that ask, for example, for flaxseeds, ground almonds, brown rice, sorghum, and tapioca flours, and xanthan gum. It’s a slightly less conventional recipe, though, that she counts as her favourite from the California section: Tequila Pumpkin Pie.Claire Ptak's brilliant new cookbook mixes the best of her acclaimed British bakery with her roots in Northern California . Now, she’s distilled everything she’s learned over the years at Violet Cakes into Love Is A Pink Cake, named after a series of early Andy Warhol lithographs about the nature of love. The indefatigable artist has been the subject of exhibitions at the world’s most prestigious institutions, from the Museum of Modern Art and Centre Pompidou to the Stedelijk Museum and Tate Modern. Inspired by African and Iberian art, he also contributed to the rise of Surrealism and Expressionism.