Financiers, a traditional French cake; photos from 'Small Cakes' © Sian Irvine

The first surprise you get when looking through this book is that quite a few of the recipes are not, in fact, for particularly small cakes!

There’s a very proud looking Dundee cake (one of several recipes made in 16cm diameter tins), and even a 26cm chocolate cheesecake, for example. But this is only a slight quibble, and I’d much rather emphasise that the recipes give very precise measurements (so a set of electronic scales would be useful) and clear instructions, and that many of them are quite short and simple. Add to that the clean photography by Sian Irvine, and a design which generally places recipe and photograph side-by-side, and you have a rather seductive – if at 64 pages rather slight - collection of baking recipes.

Dundee cake

However, in those pages, the book crams in a reasonable three dozen or so recipes in total, covering everything from those contemporary must-haves, cupcakes (with a range of vivid toppings, from peppermint cream cheese to classic buttercream), to raspberry & coconut buns, muffins, and classics like Bakewell tarts and Eccles cakes, not forgetting the Florentines and fondant fancies of the strap-line.

Something in the precision and method of the book tell you that it comes from the mind of a pastry chef, and I must express my pleasure at finally seeing a book by Roger Pizey, the Manchester-born baker who was once responsible for all the good things which filled the tiny Peyton & Byrne shop on London’s Tottenham Court Road (and also their cafe at the Wellcome Collection, round the corner on Euston Road), before he moved on to rejoin his old mentor Marco Pierre White at the latter’s new restaurant at Chelsea Football Club’s Stamford Bridge ground. Roger isn’t one of those “chefs” who has enjoyed overnight success, sprung on us by a TV company promoting cooking as a game show; he’s acquired skills and experience the hard way, working first for the Roux brothers and then MPW, before taking time out to help Oliver Peyton get his baking venture off the ground.

Profiteroles

He’s also proved himself as more than capable of passing these skills on – World Chocolate Award winner Paul A Young says “Roger Pizey taught me discipline, attention to detail and to work hard… It’s about being meticulously correct every time, which is the really difficult bit” – and this book brings his methodical approach to the average reader.

I’d happily recommend this book to any keen cake maker, but most of the recipes are so straightforwards that even a relative novice wouldn’t be out of their depth. A great first book, Roger; how about a follow-up with your Scotch egg and sausage roll recipes?

The best cookbooks aren’t necessarily massive tomes devoted to every fiddly detail. Some books get straight to the point and when space is at a minimum they don’t muck about. Here are a five little baking books that make short work of it.

Just Like Mother Used to Bake
A real pocket-sized volume, this book nonetheless packs in an impressive number of recipes, all with a real whiff of nostalgia. Divided into ‘Fruity Bakes’, ‘Indulgent Treats’, ‘Family Favourites’ and ‘Teatime’ sections, the only hard part in navigating ‘Just Like Mother Used to Bake’ is resisting the tempting photographs which accompany each recipe. Recipes themselves are simply laid out and a doddle to follow for anyone with even the most fleeting of baking experience. The additional prose is a nice touch, giving a little more background to each dish, and the final few pages are given over to that invaluable kitchen staple- basic pastry recipes. Well worth slipping into your pocket next time you’re in need of comfort of an edible kind.

Just Like Mother Used to Bake
Catherine Osbourne (ed.)
Published by Ryland Peters and Small
RRP £6.99

Quick Breads
Another slim volume from the reliably excellent Linda Collister, each recipe stylishly offset by Kate Whitaker’s photos. Divided into chapters for ease of use, you’ll probably find what you’re after- be it ‘Savoury Breads’, ‘Corn Breads’, ‘Breakfast Breads’ or ‘Small Breads’. Each recipe gives a concise paragraph elaborating on the recipe’s title- and with unusual breads like Pumpernickel and fig loaf, Watercress and rocket loaf and Sri Lankan coconut roti, who wouldn’t want to know more? Collister’s practical, authorative tone enables even baking novices to turn out breads as luscious as those in the pictures, whilst those with a bit more know-how should also be inspired.

Quick Breads
Linda Collister
Photographs by Kate Whitaker
Published by Ryland Peters and Small
RRP £8.99

Afternoon Tea
Yet another little treat for fans of the old institution that is afternoon tea, Susannah Blake brings together a clutch of recipes ideal for impressing your guests- not to mention delighting the tastebuds. Hints on making the perfect proper cuppa will be welcome, whilst the food side of the party is covered completely by ‘Sandwiches and Savouries’, ‘Scones and Teacakes’, ‘Fancies’ and a few bigger ‘Cakes’. Having a photo to accompany each well-thought recipe certainly helps with some of the more fiddly, dainty ‘canapé-type’ dishes- such as Dark chocolate, prune and Armagnac mousses- but the mouth-watering pictures come as a welcome diversion even for simpler preparations. Not many guests would turn down an invite to afternoon tea when it consisted of Baby rarebits with beetroot and orange relish, Orange and walnut scones, Praline and coffee éclairs, and a classic Victoria sponge- why not bake ‘em up and reinstate the ceremony?

Afternoon Tea
Susannah Blake
Photographs by Martin Brigdale
Published by Ryland Peters and Small
RRP £8.99

Tarts Sweet and Savoury
This book is a fantastic introduction to the world of all things tart-shaped. The comprehensive ‘Basics’ section kicks things off, equipping the home baker with all the essential knowledge regarding pastry equipment, techniques and core recipes and methods. It’s useful reference material for more experienced cooks, too. Martin Brigdale’s photos are well used throughout, great especially when illustrating some of the more complex stages. Elsewhere in the book, each recipe is presented alongside a picture of the finished dish- serving both to tempt and provide a reference point. Recipes are split 50:50 between ‘Savoury’ and ‘Sweet’ offerings, ranging from the most classic (Quiche Lorraine; Tarte au pommes) to the highly original (Sausage, sun-dried tomato and potato tart with golden onions; Jack’s rose petal tart). There’s something to suit most palates in this info-packed book.

Tarts Sweet and Savoury
Maxine Clark
Photographs by Martin Brigdale
Published by Ryland Peters and Small
RRP £9.99

Cupcake Heaven
A fluffy crumb, mile-high swirl of frosting and perhaps a scattering of silver balls or rainbow sprinkles- who can resist a well-made cupcake? Or even a poor one, for that matter. That won’t be a concern for users of this beautifully whimsical book, which abounds with colourful, delectable photographs of Susannah Blake’s pretty cupcakes. A bit of a frivolous buy and the lightest of reads, ‘Sex And The City’ types will no doubt adore turning out batches of Creamy coconut or Rocky road cupcakes- there’s even a few low-fat offerings. Chapters group recipes into ‘Simple’, ‘Celebration’, ‘Indulgent’, ‘Special Diet’, and ‘Kids’’- ensuring an abundance of choice for anyone with the slightest cake fetish. And, with bakeshop cakes coming in at over £2.50 a pop, you could do well to look upon this book as an investment!

Cupcake Heaven
Susannah Blake
Photographs by Martin Brigdale
Published by Ryland Peters and Small
RRP £12.99

an even swirl through the batter gives the best result

Marble cake recipes involve what appear at first to be a simple technique swirling two mixtures together in the tin. But getting those curves perfectly placed involves a little delicate intervention in the kitchen (if you want to try the technique, there’s a recipe here).

Surely a marble cake is a strike against good taste?

The term ‘marble’ is a bad fit. Don’t think of it as one those decorative styles that turned honest concrete into a bad imitation of Carrara’s finest. We’re talking gusty swirls and twisting layers that combine flavours and textures in harmonious or shocking rhythm, depending on you mood.

Ok, we might usually want our food sombre and monastically calm. But for those anarchic moments, when you want to hijack your Madeira cake and give it striking Kuniyoshi style waves of colour and flavour then marbling is the way to go. Remember, it’s never wise to be too natural or too plain.

So I just stir everything together roughly and spoon it into the tin?

Ahhh, you wish. The beautiful curves you see in the best cakes combine planning and chance. Left to chance you might get a brilliant swirl in the middle and bleak slices at the end. Or a vague stain of a swirl where you’ve stirred too vigorously.

No, the best plan is to spoon each flavoured mixture roughly where it needs to be in the tin, alternating with the other mixture, then tap the tin firmly on the table to remove air bubbles. Last of all use a chopstick or a skewer to drag a few slow curvy lines through the batter to gently swirl everything together to create a delicate swirl in the crumb.

Can I marble any two mixtures together then bake them?

It depends on the consistency of each and how thick you want the bands to be. Take the utterly beautiful Ottolenghi raspberry meringues. The raspberry mixture is (I think) a fresh sieved puree of berries that would be liquid too hold in anything other than a thin drizzle. So if you drizzle a little puree on each plain meringue then lightly twirl it with a skewer it will appear mixed through the meringue without disturbing the volume. If you try to fold the puree through the meringue while it’s in the mixing bowl you risk the mixture deflating.

For chocolate brownies, like these beauties from Bon Appétit, you can just spoon the mixture into the tin and swirl with a skewer. Or if you want a little more control you can put the cheesecake mixture into a piping bag and squirt this in swirls directly into the brownie mixture in the tin before lightly tweaking the result with a toothpick. Sometimes this is easier and gives more definition as the mixture wont be pulled around so much. If you want to produce a tray of these brownies for an event and they need to look the business then this technique is handy.

What about biscuits and bread dough, spoons and piping bags wont work will they?

Dough can be marbled but relies on kneading to create the swirls. Say you want an all butter shortbread like this delectable one from Nigel Slater, but combining pistachios with both chocolate and vanilla dough. Use the basic shortbread recipe, divide it in two, flavour and colour one half with a few tablespoons of cocoa and half the pistachios then just mix the remaining pistachios into the vanilla dough.

Divide each flavour up into 6 or 7 pieces then combine them randomly back into a ball of dough. Thwack the dough ball onto the worksurface to remove any air bubbles then very gently knead the dough just until the colours begin to swirl. From there you can roll the dough out into a sheet or cylinder to cut biscuits from. The same method works with bread dough.