Essential Bakes
These are the essential baking recipes I relied on every day while running my bakery for 10 years - the building blocks behind countless desserts my customers loved. I've tested and refined each one to make sure they work reliably in any kitchen, so you can bake with confidence too.
Mastering these base recipes will give you the skills to mix, match, and customize them for an endless variety of desserts - from layered cakes and tarts to cupcakes and cookies. By starting here, you'll save time, avoid common mistakes, and gain the kind of hands-on insight that usually takes years of baking experience to develop.
Basic Cake Recipes
These are the cake bases every baker should have in their repertoire. They are simple, reliable, and form the foundation of many, many desserts on this site.
Base Frosting Recipes
Frosting should add more than decoration to your bakes - they provide texture, flavor, and structure. I believe every frosting should pull its own weight and taste good enough to eat with a spoon. These are my most-used frosting recipes that can be used to make various flavors.
Tart and Pie Crust Recipes
The right pastry is the backbone of any tart or pie, but is one of the most glossed-over parts of many recipes. These posts go deep into how to make pie dough, line a pie dish, and blind bake your pastry to perfection.
Basic Cookie Recipes
There are so many tasty cookie recipes on this site, but these posts cover the starting point for all the different flavors and teach the right technique for each type of cookie.
Dessert Components
These fillings, custards, and creams will allow you to make patisserie-style desserts at home. You won't believe how many recipes use these techniques, so learning them will really take your baking to the next level.
Glaze and Icing Recipes
A finishing touch can be what makes your desserts really stand out. These icings and glazes are all incredibly simple but really pack a punch when added to your cakes and pastries.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are just getting started with baking, I recommend starting with something simple with a quick payoff - like my chocolate chip cookie recipe.
For cakes or cupcakes, my French Vanilla Cake recipe is a great base vanilla cake. Pair it with Russian buttercream for a frosting that is super easy but looks and tastes professional.
For a dessert that is easy to master but impressive and decadent, try my cheesecake brownies!
Absolutely! That is the whole point of this page. Choose recipes that you like the look of and put them together. Like a chocolate cake with Italian meringue buttercream and caramel sauce!
Every recipe on my site is designed to make baking accessible to bakers of every skill level. Even though a recipe might seem challenging, I always break it down into a step-by-step post with process pictures and an explanation behind each step.
I hope you will feel inspired to try recipes you may never have attempted before!
Each post has information in it on how you can customise it. But there are so many ways to customise a recipe. You can:
- Mix a fruit puree, nut butter, or spices into the batter or frosting.
- Add mix-ins like chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or dried fruits.
- Make an extra element, like flavored pastry cream, to fill your pies.
- Use cake recipes to make cupcakes, layer cakes, or sheet cakes.
I also have information in the ingredients section of each post on common substitutions that can be made. But if you have a specific quesiton please ask in the comments.
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Here are some more basic dessert recipes you might want to try:
