Baking isn’t necessarily my strong-suit. While I actually love baking & am pretty good at it, I just don’t do it very often! Since we live so far from family & it is just the two of us, cakes & pastry work just don’t come out of the kitchen as often. So when they DO… so special! & I like to really make it fun & unique. The Sweetapolita Bakebook is helping me get there- keep reading to find out why!
The world of Sweetapolita is sparkly and sprinkly and charming as can be, with 75 recipes for everything from pretty homemade cookies to decadent layer cakes. But what really sets these treats apart are interactive designs that let everyone in on the fun of decorating: Painted Mini Cakes are served with edible “paint” for guests to personalize at the table, the fondant-covered tiered Chalk-a-Lot cake is paired with homemade edible “chalk,” and Rainbow Doodle cookies are made for kids to go to town on with edible markers.
Rosie Alyea, the creator of the Sweetapolita blog, frolics in flour and frosting, and she loves to get her two young daughters involved, too. The pages of her debut book are full of playful ideas that will inspire creativity in bakers of all levels—including a recipe for making sprinkles at home and numerous ways to showcase them, such as the Sprinkle-Me-Silly Pizza with rainbow jimmies and nonpareils galore.
I’ll freely admit that I read this book cover to cover. Legitimately. Although the photos in this book are truly phenomenal, don’t just think that’s all you will be getting! You’ll find some seriously gorgeous, unique techniques like layering, designs, & newer ideas such as the marker art on the cover. Her kids are adorable so there re also lots of kid-related ideas…but you could easily make them your own as an adult like painting your own cookies or chalkboard cakes which are a real mental throwback! Probably some of my favorite tidbits are the reminders I need like the difference between certain types of sprinkles, frostings, etc that makes navigating so much easier. In the end, this is a baking book I’ll hold onto & flip through not just for designs but basics as well!
Purchase it on Amazon here & tell me what you think! What are your favorite baking books? Where do you find creative new ideas for baking?