Review: Stacie Bakes classic cakes and bakes for the thoroughly modern cook by Stacie Stewart

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Since reaching the finals in Masterchef in 2010, Stacie Stewart has launched her Beehive Bakery to critical acclaim. Her bakes and cakes have proved enormously popular at festivals and events around the country – and she is now judge and mentor for the sweet baking category on the new primetime ITV show, food.Glorious.food.
This book includes all of Stacie’s most well-loved recipes, from Beehive bars to Cheesecake brownies. She gives a modern twist on traditional bakes, so there's Lemon meringue pie cake, Banana chocolate baked Alaska and White forest gâteau. There are gluten-free recipes too, including Old school Bakewell tart and an orange and almond cake. You will find tarts, cakes, biscuits, bars, puddings, breads, sweets and savoury pies. There's something to suit every occasion, with chapters ranging from Hello, Summer! and Mother’s Day & Vintage Tea to Valentine’s Day and New Year, New Baking Rules.
Author Information
Stacie Stewart is the judge for the sweet baking category on Simon Cowell’s new series Food.glorious.Food. A Masterchef 2010 finalist, she is now poised to introduce the joys of baking to a new generation. Stacie runs her own online bakery business, The Beehive Bakery. She appears regularly on TV, in newspapers and magazines. Stacie also DJs on the Northern Soul circuit. She lives in Sunderland.

MY TAKE:
I wasn't able to watch Stacie's season of Masterchef but I'm all for baking books so I gave this one a try.

In Stacie Bakes, we are treated to tips and various baking recipes for all occasions. Recipes are divided by seasons and celebrations such as Valentine's Day and Mother's Day.

The way the book is written as a sort of mix between a recipe book and a biography book. In between sections of recipes, we are treated to pictures of Stacie and her family members, as well as stories from her life. The stories are written in a very conversational manner and they are interesting for the most part. The baking tips are actually pretty useful and most of them are stuff I've either heard before but forgotten or this is my first time hearing them. For example, sifting flour makes a difference when it comes to the lightness of cake, and you should also weigh the flour after sifting.

The recipes look delicious but I feel like overall they are better suited for intermediate to advanced bakers than for beginner bakers. Some of the recipes require special equipment or tins that those who are starting out may not have yet. Some of the ingredients may also be hard to find at regular stores especially if you're from a smaller town. In my city, for example, vanilla pods aren't usually found in supermarkets. There are only certain baking specialty stores that carry them.

There aren't as many pictures as I'd like, though, as a number of recipes did not include pictures of the finished product.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pavilion for the e-ARC.

THE GOOD:

1. Stacie inserts tips within recipes that can help improve your dish.
2. Ingredient measurements are very precise.
3. The recipes are not your typical recipe book fare.

THE BAD:

1. Some of the recipes may be intimidating to beginner bakers.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

In medieval England, kings and their courts enjoyed six-hour breakfasts featuring dishes such as roasted stuffed swans, pies and jelly.

READ IT IF:

1. You liked Stacie on Masterchef.
2. You are looking for English recipes you can try.
3. You are a beginner baker who wants to try slightly more complicated recipes.

RATING:


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