BOOK REVIEW! Boutique Baking: Delectable Cakes, Cupcakes and Teatime Treats - Peggy Porschen

I received Peggy Porschen's 'Boutique Baking' a few hours before one of my final exams in Philosophy and immediately noticed that keeping myself from pouring over it for hours at a go was going to require all the self-control that I could muster. I kept it close by and kept on revising. I sat for the exam. I came home. And then I almost literally devoured the book. In Maltese we would say 'kiltu' (which literally means that I 'ate' the book).

I like the look of 'Boutique Baking'. Everyone likes the look of 'Boutique Baking'. The cover itself (illustrated by Carol Gillott) is quite different to that of other cookbooks and the bottom part of the front cover that features the tables, chairs, teacups, teapots, cupcakes and a little dog reminds me of something that Beatrix Potter might have illustrated. 

Anyway, 'Boutique Baking' and I were destined to become best friends. Forever friends. Look at the pictures below. The photography inside is superb and the 'props' that Porschen uses in each photo fit perfectly. Every 'setup' is picture perfect as each dessert and its mode of presentation, be it a cake stand or a candy jar, for instance, is coordinated beautifully with teacups, saucers, flower arrangements and a backdrop that compliments all that is set against it.  

Porschen's divides 'Boutique Baking' into 'Sweet Treats', 'Beautiful Biscuits', 'Cupcake Heaven', 'Luscious Layer Cakes', 'Classic Cakes & Bakes', 'Delicious Drinks and 'The Icing on the Cake' and, whilst I usually like the look of a select few recipes in each book that I pick up, I want to bake almost every sweet treat that Porschen has included. Each dessert that I've tried out so far both looks and tastes absolutely divine. My favourites are the Neapolitan Marble Cake, the Chocolate Crunch Cake and the Vanilla Cupcakes - and I'm extremely tempted to bake either the Creamy Caramel Cake or the Sticky Toffee Cupcakes tonight. Please don't suggest that I bake both, as I would, were it not for the awkward looks of others. 

As the book is made up of almost 200 pages and costs only 20 GPB, I'd recommend Porschen's 'Boutique Baking' to any reader who enjoys pretty, yet makeable, desserts.