Jane Dunn has experienced incredible success not only as a food blogger but as a best-selling author. Her blog “Jane’s Patisserie” has turned her into a trusted and widely-known social media star, which has enabled her to translate that success into chart-topping recipe books. With four books already under her belt, all of which have topped The Sunday Times Bestsellers list, Dunn recently released her fifth book ‘Classic’.
Subtitled ‘Timeless Cakes and Essential Bakes’, ‘Classic’ doubles down on what’s made Dunn so popular. Her USP has always been that she makes baking accessible to everyone, focusing on bakes that can be fairly easily replicated by anyone as long as they follow the instructions. ‘Classic’ continues more of what Dunn’s fans want with chapters divided into ‘Cakes’, ‘Cupcakes & Muffins’, ‘Cookies’, ‘Cheesecakes & Desserts’, ‘Traybakes’, ‘Treats’, ‘Snacks & Sides’ and ‘Savoury Meals’. Of course, around those recipes are plenty of tips and tricks to help you achieve success in the kitchen.
Dunn jumps straight into the recipe for a ‘Speculoos Drip Cake’, which is one of her most popular. The tasty three-layer cake features lashing of speculoos buttercream, a fabulous speculoos drip and it’s topped with speculoos biscuits, crumble and buttercream swirls. Need a birthday cake for your nearest and dearest? Let me recommend this recipe. The ‘Cakes’ chapter contains plenty of inspiration, touching upon popular bakes, such as Red Velvet Drip Cake, Black Forest Gateau and a Pistachio Traybake Cake. There really is something for all tastes!
Known for her ‘Cupcakes & Muffins’, Dunn doesn’t disappoint. If you fancy something truly indulgent then head for the ‘Hot Chocolate Cupcakes’ or if you like a bit of fruit to go alongside your chocolate, you could opt for the ‘Blueberry Cheesecake Muffins’ or the ‘Peach Crumble Muffins’. As with all the recipes in this book, there are plenty of pictures so you know what your end bake should look like and Dunn’s steps are clear and easy to follow. Inspired by Biscuit Week on this week’s ‘Bake Off’? Well Dunn’s ‘Cookies’ chapter features mouth-watering recipes for ‘Brown Butter Shortbread’, ‘Chocolate Oat NYC Cookies’ and ‘Lemon Macarons’. Macarons are notoriously hard to get right but with Dunn’s help you’ve got the best chance of succeeding.
Should you want to wow your dinner guests, you can find something quick and tasty in the ‘Cheesecakes & Desserts’ chapter. With the festive season fast approaching, the ‘Double Chocolate Orange Cheesecake’ is a must or if you’re short on time, you could go for the ‘No-Bake White Chocolate Ginger Cheesecake’, which you’ll be able to whip up in no time. I made the ‘Self-Saucing Chocolate Pudding’ and it proved a big hit! ‘Traybakes’ are another Dunn’s specialities and there are 14 recipes in this book including ‘Cookie-Stuffed Brookies’ (yum!), ‘Salted Pretzel Brownies’ and ‘Oatmeal Fudge Bars’.
Fans of Afternoon Tea should head straight to ‘Treats’ where you can find a delightful ‘Apple Cinnamon Babka’, a ‘Giant Cinnamon Bun’, ‘a variety of fudge recipes and much more. The chapter is followed by ‘Snacks & Sides’, which proves to be the perfect accompaniment to Dunn’s ‘Treats’ suggestions. Think ‘Pizza Muffins’, ‘Cheese Biscuits’ and ‘Sausage Rolls’, which are perfect for party finger food or a light bite with friends over a cuppa. The final chapter, ‘Savoury Meals’, gives you plenty of inspiration for hearty meals for the family. From ‘Ham & Mushroom Pie’ through to ‘Caramelised Onion & Balsamic Tomato Tart’, Dunn proves that her savoury bakes are just as tasty as her sweet ones. Honestly, you can’t beat her ‘Chilli Macaroni Cheese’ recipe.
If you’ve bought all of Dunn’s previous books than picking up a copy of ‘Classic’ is a no-brainer. More ambitious bakers will find the recipes a little too easy so if you’re looking for something more challenging, I can recommend The Bake King’s ‘Cake or Fake?’, which was released earlier this year. For those looking for tasty, quick to make bakes though, ‘Classic’ has them in abundance and as always, Dunn doesn’t disappoint.
Publisher: Ebury Press Release date: 31st July 2025 Buy ‘Jane’s Patisserie Classic’ now
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