HomeArts & LifestyleJane Dunn - "Jane's Patisserie" review

Jane Dunn – “Jane’s Patisserie” review

Jane Dunn is proof that you can take a passion and turn it into a fulfilling career. In 2014 she started her blog “Jane’s Patisserie” and over the past seven years, it’s gone from strength-to-strength. Regularly pulling in millions of views, Jane has become well-known for her creative recipes and ability to create tantalising sweet treats that bakers of all skill levels can make. I myself have used Jane’s blog on numerous occasions and she’s definitely my kind of baker, often developing recipes for hybrid desserts and combining confectionary favourites with classic bakes to create something new.

Jane’s first book, named after her blog of course, takes some of her most popular recipes along with plenty of new ones, and it’s an absolute treat. As a keen baker myself, I find myself frustrated with recipe books as half the time I make one or two things from them, and then struggle to find anything else that’s to my taste. That absolutely isn’t the case with “Jane’s Patisserie” and I’d happily make (and eat) every single recipe.

The book is split into 9 sections – ‘Cheesecakes’, ‘Cakes’, ‘Cupcakes & Muffins’, ‘Cookies’, ‘Breads & Doughnuts’, ‘Traybakes’, ‘Desserts’, ‘Tea Time’ and ‘Sweets’. What I should probably point out is that Jane’s focus isn’t on creating exceptionally difficult bakes that you need a fine degree in art to pull off. There’s no fondant or modelling in sight, and that’s what makes this book so accessible to anyone with an interest in baking. If you’ve got the raw basic ingredients, piping nozzles and bags, and a passion to create something delicious, you’ll have a fantastic time.

Trying to pick favourites from this book is near impossible because every recipe is incredible. Jane’s ‘NYC Chocolate Chip Cookies’ recipe, which has been a firm favourite of her blog and was recently demonstrated live on ‘This Morning’ by Jane, is definitely a go-to of mine. The recipe is super simple, very quick and the end result is mouth-watering. I made of batch of cookies recently and they didn’t even see 24 hours after coming out of the oven.

One section I struggled to leave was the ‘Cheesecake’ one. Jane is known for her cheesecake recipes and if you’re looking for no-bake recipes, this is your new bible. How can anyone resist the ‘No Bake Millionaire’s Cheesecake’ or the ‘No Bake Salted Caramel Cheesecake’? They are perfect to make as crowd pleasers for your next dinner party. Want drip cakes and layer cakes? Head over to the ‘Cakes’ section and wrap your baking muscles around the ‘Death By Chocolate Cake’ or the ‘Cookies & Cream Drip Cake’, complete with Oreos as decoration.

Some of Jane’s best recipes are her hybrid ones. Her ‘Chocolate Cheesecake Doughnuts’ are to die for as is her “Millionaire’s Trifle’, which is perfect for anyone who isn’t a fruit lover but still wants a trifle centrepiece at their dinner party. There’s even no-churn ice cream recipes, microwave recipes for mug cakes and cookies (both are delicious), and recipes to make your own honeycomb.

An element of “Jane’s Patisserie” I love is that Jane offers tips on every recipe that allow you to customise each bake. Those tips give you the confidence to tweak the recipes and if you’re feeling super confident, you can evolve Jane’s recipes into your own. It’s a really nice touch and feels a million miles away from the more regimented way that a lot of recipes can be. As I’m sure Jane would tell you herself, part of the joy of baking is experimenting and the more you try, the better you’ll get at it.

“Jane’s Patisserie” is a wonderful collection of recipes from a seriously talented baker. It’s incredible to watch Jane’s continued journey as she builds an incredible platform to show off her talents and inspire a new generation of bakers. Having used plenty of Jane’s recipes (seriously, she has the best red velvet recipes out there), I can safely say that they are as tasty as they look. If you love indulgent treats or just want to push yourself to make something impressive, this is the book for you.

Publisher: Ebury Press Release date: 5th August 2021 Buy “Jane’s Patisserie” now

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Pip Ellwood-Hughes Editor / Owner
Pip is the owner and Editor of Entertainment Focus, and the Managing Director of Piñata Media.

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