Claire Ptak

'Absolutely enchanting' Nigella Lawson | 'Delightful' Nigel Slater

Claire Ptak mixes the best of her acclaimed British bakery with her roots in Northern California ... Her command of flavours and textures and the outright beauty of her creations has made her one of London's best-loved bakers, sought after by Hackney residents and royalty alike.

Killian Fox, Observer Food Monthly

Claire Ptak - founder of the famous East London bakery, Violet - started baking as a child, taught by her mum and grandma. She learned her craft with Alice Waters at Chez Panisse, worked for Ottolenghi and Jamie Oliver and in 2018 she was commissioned to make Harry and Megan's wedding cake.

This book is a collection of her formative baking stories and current favourite recipes. From Brown Sugar Victoria Sponge, Chocolate Violet Babka Buns, Tahini Halva Brownies, and English Angel Cakes that are perfect for a birthday party to Ras el Hanout Snickerdoodles, Coconut Pudding Cake and Black Tea and Poppy Seed Muffins, you'll find bakes that are perfect for making every day delicious and memorable. You'll even find the recipe for the Royal Lemon and Elderflower Wedding Cake.

'Marvellous... a ravishing trove of recipes and baker's lore' Jeremy Lee

'My favourite baker ... A Violet recipe always works perfectly' Anna Jones

In Love is a Pink Cake, Claire Ptak elevates baking to an art form... Beyond the recipes proper, though, it's the transferable wisdom that makes Love Is A Pink Cake invaluable. You will learn how to grow geraniums on your windowsill and bake with their leaves; discover that soaking poppy seeds in black tea brings out their flavour; and come to realise that it's worth deseeding Fragola grapes for their deep purple colour and incredible sweetness. 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. Hailey Maitland, British Vogue

She has published four cookbooks: The Home-Made Sweet Shop, Leon: Happy Baking, The Whoopie Pie Book and The Violet Bakery Cookbook.