Marian Keyes’ new baking book has the wit we expect from her chick lit with creative recipes as gorgeous as the Cath Kidston fabrics in the pictures. Watch out Rachel Allen – there’s a new Irish baker in town!
Does cake make you happy? I’ve certainly noticed peoples eyes’ light up when I tell them what I do, the discussion of home made cakes, cookies and biscuits would appear to be a universally accepted topic of conversation akin to the weather or X Factor.
Now Marian Keyes you may be more familiar with as the writer of chunky page turning novels like Sushi for Beginners and Rachel’s Holiday. If you’ve read her autobiographical short writings in Under the Duvet, you’ll also know that she’s a lady who’s met a few demons in her life.
Saved by Cake is a treatise to baking yourself happier with whisks and spatulas and the warm glow from the oven. Whilst no-one is claiming any scientific evidence for baking conquering mental illness, focussing on a short term creative project is a kind of therapy most of us can relate to.
This is a stunningly pretty book featuring 80 baking recipes. Chapters include classics, cupcakes, pastry, chocolate, meringue and macaroons all introduced in Marian’s familiar chatty style. Expertly styled, stamped with personality graphics and stuffed with recipes like Fridge Set Honeycomb Cheesecake, Slightly Sinister Star Anise Cupcakes (!) and Puff Pastry Pineapple “Tarte Tatin”.
Marian’s publisher has been kind enough to let me share with you one of her divine cheesecake recipes which I will share with you in the next week along with a more detailed review.
Giveaway #41: Win a copy of Marian Keyes’ baking book Saved by Cake
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I think all cake cheers me up, something which someone has obviously put a lot of thought into, not necessarily the prettiest but the most thoughtful.
Or the ones I make myself, nothing cheers me up like a few hours in the kitchen and the look on peoples faces when I give them cake!
I LOVE baking, it makes me feel at one with the world: hot Aga, free-range eggs, flour and creamy butter…..pot of coffee and my music…..nobody around,and then the smiles on my friend’s and family’s faces when they sample my cakey efforts! LOVE it!
Karen
A Fondant Fancy (or a ‘dimple’ as we used to say when we were little!) The pink and yellow are my favourite and you can even buy a HUGE Fondant Fancy celebration cake now wooooo!
Anything soft and gooey in the middle, love to dig in and get a surprise.
Chocolate cake always does the trick
coffee cake with lots of crumbs
It’s got to be my mum’s chocolate cake if someone else is making it for me. Otherwise, making any new cake successfully for the first time gives me a boost.
Black Forest Gateau/Cake or a nice moist Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese frosting.
chocolate cake!
Lemon cake does the trick
Lemon drizzle because it reminds me of spring and sunshine!
A chocolate cake which isn’t too sweet.
Carrot cake – LOVE IT!
Chocolate raspberry ganache cake – my mom makes it for me every time I get to fly home!
A victoria sponge with cream and raspberries in the middle. Yum!
Chocolate Fudge Cake 🙂
Baking cupcakes with my sister always cheers us both up 🙂
the cake that cheers me up is any lemon sponge or a lemon mousse that makes my tastebuds go nuts!!!! 😛
chocolate
The gorgeous pastel cupcakes we tried (and are going to have) for our wedding!! 😀
Carrot Cake with cream cheese frosting
LEMON CAKE
CHEESECAKE – IRRISISTABLE
Cheese cake.
For me it has to be lemony – drizzle, cupcakes, or- the best – lemon sponge with lemon curd and fresh cream mmmmmmm
Only chocolate cake!!
carrot cake
Warm choc fudge cake with fresh cream nomnomnom!
carrot cake
Cheesecake – any topping is fine with me, ahhh the texture combined with the crumbly digestivey bit!
Baking is a way to give and receive love / friendship / reasons to visit / reason to say thank you / make the house/ home smell fun and interesting /
I love baking, experimenting with flavours, teaching my grandson, feel worthy,
My favourite cake would be the one I’ve just made but I do love a tangy lemon
Chocolate cake with lots of buttercream
Lemon cake 🙂
I love baking when im feeling down it always seems to lift me – my favourite baking is when I do a nice big sponge cake (my personal favourite is coffee) My mum asked me to show her how i make mine the other day as hers come out like a pancake so we are going to have a day of baking together next time I get a day off – I cant wait!!
Cherry and almond loaf – perfect comfort food!
Chocolate cake
my husbands bakewell cake that he makes – absolutely gorgeous
A Devonshire honey cake, too scrumptious not too cheer you up!
Chocolate!!
COCONUT SPONGE
Cheesecake!
Lemon drizzle for me.
It has to be my own homemade Lemon & Lime drizzle cake….. its gorgeous.
Victoria Sponge
Chocolate fudge cake
Anything chocalatey 🙂
Iced fruitcake
Has to be gooey choclate cake
Lemon drizzle cake
Chocolate cupcakes
Oooh, a lemon drizzle!
Katie xox
Red velvet. Nom nom.
Got to be a lemon one – I make a victoria sponge, but substitute lemon juice and zest for the milk and vanilla, then fill with lemon curd and lemon buttercream. Yummy!
A red velvet cupcake is my ultimate pickmeup
Lemon cake – it’s so zingy and fresh
got to be a lovely cupcake
A really nice gooey chocolate cake. The type your mum or grandma makes. Nothing better than a cuppa and a slice of that.
Coffee and Walnut Cake
Love making chocolate cake but a Battenburg cheers me up – reminds me of being a kid!
Not very good at making cakes but i enjoy trying – I love Nutty cakes
Carrot cake is lovely :o)
Carrot Cake, I LOVE IT!
A lemon loaf cake cheers me up the most.
Lovely Victoria Sponge does it for me.
chocolate fudge cake!! mmm 😀
peanut butter and chocolate cake
Decorated cupcakes – preferably with sprinkles 🙂
Vanilla Cheesecake…everytime!
Chocolate cupcakes
..
Chocolate cupcakes
..
Victoria Sponge Cake
My favourite cake has got to be lemon drizzle but I can be tempted with a chocolate one too!!
a big sponge cream cake
coffee and walnut cake Mmmmm!
A gooey chocolate cake!
Spiced apple cake – rich, moist and packed with cinnamon and juicy apples xx
Has to be chocolate fudge cake
Chocolate
chocolate cake!
Any flavour at all, but my favourite kind is when my friend secretly leaves me a cupcake on my desk to cheer me up!
chocolate
For me it has to be a coffee cake: no one seems to like coffee cake, so I dont buy or make it too often, otherwise Id eat it all myself! I seldom see it for sale either, so I dont buy it too often either, however, when I do see it for sale, I love to buy it and cheer myself up with the rare treat!
I like New York-style cheesecake 🙂
Chocolate fudge cake cheers me the most
It would have to be fudge cake its so yummy
Chocolate brownie cheesecake
Chocolate cake always works for me!
chocolate cheese cake
the same as blob
chocolate!
Coffee and walnut cake every time for me !
Polish home-made chocolate cake (made with real cocoa, not some ‘flavoured’ varieties!).
Can I be cheeky and also say, baked cheesecake with blueberry coulis……
chocolate brownies
Carrot cake
tiramasu always does it for me
Most kind of cakes but especially home made carrot cake!
CHOCOLATE cake 🙂 Though pretty much any cake cheers me up!
My favourite cake would have to be a chocolate fresh cream gateau
Got be gooey chocolate brownies for me or lemon drizzle cake
chocolate fudge cake
Goooey Ginger Cake x
Carrot cake with walnuts and lots of yogurty topping.
Jaffa Cakes !!!
chocolate cake
Chocolate cake
lemon cake so refreshingly zingy 🙂
Battenburg
Birthday cake! Any kind – it’s the occasion that matters.
Currently loving Madiera cake, I have just learnt how to bake AND ice a double layered..its cake crack!!
My mother makes the most delicious Sacher Torte with apricot jam and soaked in lots of alcohol!
Would have to be home made vanilla cupcakes with american style frosting. Totally yummy! xoxo
cheesecake
chocolate muffins cake
Lemon buttercream cake
The cake that most cheers me up is a Victoria Sponge Cake traditional but so lush!
has to be my grandmas hand made coffee cake! theres nobody who does it like her 🙂 yummy and a family tradition yay . use to love going when i was younger on a friday tea time knowing my piece was waiting <3
Bakewell tarts
Good old Chocolate
I love cherry Madeira cake
Walnut cake with a butter icing topping
Chocolate cake cheers me up. 🙂
My Mums chocolate cake always cheers me up, as she only makes it for special occasions, so when that cake comes out you knows its a special time 🙂
i love carrot cake with proper cream cheese topping, and small carrots!!!!!
My Mum’s ‘rough cake’ recipe never fails to cheer me up when I make it. It is a poor man’s Christmas cake thought up by her when I was little and times were tough. I actually prefer it to the real thing.
battenburg
The dairy free chocolate butterfly cakes my sister makes me. My baby girl is milk protein intolerant so until shes weaned I’m dairy free and sometimes its so depressing, this special treat always cheers me up.
Carrot Cake,
hi
yes blob
I absolutely love cake, and just baking a beautiful cake is enough to cheer me up! Nothing is more spirit lifting though than a cake I make with a dark chocolate sponge and white chocolate ganache. Mmmmmmmm.
Chocolate Victoria sandwich with chocolate butter icing decorated with Smarties!
Any kind of cake, but I do particularly love Coffee and walnut cake
Carrot cake!
lemon drizzle cake – extra zingy!
Carrot Cake
lemon drizzle cake for me please
Love cheesecake!
Homemade courgette and lemon drizzle cake – delish!
Chocolate sponge cake with hazelnut buttercream … yum
Carrot cake – makes me feel healthy and good but still delicious.
Vanilla cupcakes with fancy icing
Chocolate cake, oh so makes me happy
I’m addicted to any sort of banana cake – just can’t get enough!
Classic victoria sponge with stawberries and cream 🙂
My mum’s chessecake
rich chocolate cake
My mum’s chocolate cake with cream in the middle!
A coconut sponge full of buttercream.
I love a good coffee cake and because not many people like them there is always more for me 🙂
Cupcakes because they are cute 🙂
Carrot cake with frosted icing
lovely cakes
the same as my mum
pumpkin cake
Any cake as long as it’s moist!
All cake is amazing! But especially cupcakes, I adore them. Vanilla has to be the best, followed by a sweet cinnamon one, yum.
cherry and almond cake
Coffee and Walnut cake
Chocolate fudge cake – Love it
Chocolate Mayonaise Cake, mmmm
cheesecake
chocolate!!
Chocolate !!!!
i love lemon drizzle cake the stronger the lemon the better
but i would never turn down cake
carrot cake with frosting
Chocolate fudge cake
Cupcakes!
Lemon every day mmmmmm
Chocolate fudge cake always cheers me up!!
carrot cake cheers me up 🙂
Lemon cake for me :o)
home made lemon cake , yummy
Chocolate Fudge Cake
The cake that can always be relied upon to cheer me up is chocolate cake with lots of whipped cream on the side
birthday cake 🙂
chocolate cake with a dollop of ice cream
chocolate mud cake
Salted caramel
Cheese cake 🙂 (just wish there were fewer calories!)
Chocolate fudge cake yum yum
Coffee and Walnut so rich and yummy!
cupcakes with coconut icing
I love battenburg – great colours and hmmmm marzipan
chocolate
I love apple cake. I can kid myself it’s a little bit healthy!
Pineapple upside down cake!
Carrot cake…yummy!
cupcakes of any type are my favourite cakes!! im so naughty when it comes down to cupcakes! best thing ever invented!!
a lovely cheesecake
the same here
My favourite cake that cheers me up is a lovely homemade Fruit Scone with clotted cream and jam x
Lardy cake most cheers me up – its something about the large fat content and huge amounts of sugar – plus it reminds me of summers with my great aunt x
Fairy cakes
Strawberry Cheese Cake
cupcakes lemon drizzle and i would like to have a go at a battenburg when i can afford to get a lovely tin to enable me to make it the best i can
Always chocolate cake!
Carrot cupcakes! 🙂
carrot cake is my favourite
Chocolate fudge cake
Chocolate cake Mmmm