Bake Me I'm Yours... Sweet Bitesize Bakes by Sarah Trivuncic of Maison Cupcake

I have long been a fan of Sarah's, although referring to her by a 'real' name is a little odd as I am more familiar with her blog and Twitter name Maison Cupcake. Sarah started by having a bit of fun. She published pictures of cakes she was making for a street party which turned into a blog about baking and family at maisoncupcake.com. This is Sarah's first book, but hopefully there will be more to come!

A flood of excitement came over me when this little beauty arrived. It's so cute it's been on my coffee table ever since. Pretty pastels cover the front with a tempting array of mini treats to entice you in...

This little book of wonder has a balance between baking and decoration, cake and pastry and easy through to difficult; so it will suit all types of bakers. 

The book is split into an introductory section which includes a bit of Sarah's own reasons for loving baking, useful tools and equipment, recipes, fillings and toppings and techniques. This gives you the 'tools to do the job'. Next comes five sections which looks at specific types of bakes:

• Fondant Fancies
• Mini Cupcakes
• Cutesy Cookies
• Little Tiers
• Petit Fours

There's even a section at the end which gives you some templates and a list of suppliers. 

Some of Sarah's ideas are really very simple yet very effective. For example the mini Victoria sponges which are actually two cupcakes with jam in the centre, are prettied up with a little sugar rose.

The styling of the book is beautiful with an almost whimsical approach to the photographs. The finished products are well accomplished but the pictures look very natural with their crumbs and slightly wobbly edges. I love this. It feels much more real than Photoshopped perfection. This is more likely to encourage even novice bakers to have a bash. 

Recipes have a clear step-by-step approach, with handy little tips from the author at the bottom of each. These range from advice on the execution to putting your own stamp on something. After all, isn't that what a love of baking is all about? Perfect the method then make it your own. 

My friend Dawn and I are organising a Summer Fete in July to raise funds for Royal Bolton's Neo-Natal Unit, so I'm saving my mini bakes for then. I've already eyed up some whoopie pies and got some brilliant ideas for cupcake decorations. This is the beauty of this book. Not only are you given step-by-step projects, but is a great source of inspiration for bakers at all levels.

Publisher: David and Charles, 2012

Hardback, £9.99 
Purchase at rucraft.co.uk

Disclaimer: I reviewed this book because I am a fan of Sarah's after reading her blog and Twitter feed.

Read more about the author at maisoncupcake.com.

Please note - all pictures used are owned by FW Media International Limited, 2012

Reader Offer Alert!

Readers can order Bake Me I’m Yours… Sweet Bitesize Bakes for the special price of £7.49 (rrp￡9.99 with free p&p (UK only). 

To order please visit www.rucraft.co.uk/bitesizebakes and quote code R11675 upon checkout or call RUCraft on 0844 8805851