The very best cakes are always the ones we bake with love at home.

Claire Ptak has two homes: her native Northern California and London's East End. Inspired by the best ingredients found in both places - from fresh-picked berries to peach orchards - these 85 recipes for cakes, cookies, desserts and savoury bakes bring the flavours of her kitchen to yours.

In this book, English classics come with a west-coast twist, giving you recipes such as Chocolate Violet Babka Buns, Tahini Halva Brownies, Raspberry Loganberry Roulade with Mascarpone and Brown Sugar Victoria Sponge. Californian classics are reimagined as Ras el Hanout Snickerdoodles, Coconut Pudding Cake and Black Tea and Poppy Seed Muffins. You'll even find the recipe for Prince Harry and Megan Markle's Lemon and Elderflower Wedding Cake.

Hard-boiled, chewy, soft or sticky, sweets are the stuff of childhood memories, and the good news is that they are surprisingly easy to make at home. This fabulous book opens with an overview of the history of sweets and chocolates, and a cook's guide to ingredients, equipment and techniques. More than 150 step-by-step recipes follow. Packed with tips and variations, this guide will enable cooks of all abilities to recreate their best-loved sweets and chocolates at home. This volume evokes all those memories of long-forgotten tastes, with recipes for sweets, candies and chocolate confections, whether hard, chewy, soft or sticky. It includes old-fashioned treats and some modern twists on traditional classics. The book also includes a fascinating history of candy and chocolate, a guide to ingredients and equipment, and an in-depth directory of techniques, all explained step by step and with helpful photographs of tricky stages. * Re-create best-loved candies in your own kitchen with this beautiful new cookbook. * Satisfy your sweet tooth with this wonderful collection of home-made confectionery * 150 recipes feature classics from around the globe, such as Pear Drops, Salt-Water Taffy, Honeycomb, Vanilla Fudge, Rocky Road, Turkish Delight, Champagne Truffles, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups and Mini Lamingtons * More than 750 gorgeous photographs include step-by-step pictures and a picture of each finished dish * A comprehensive introduction covers ingredients and equipment, as well as a guide to techniques from working with fondant to tempering chocolate

Renowned for the wedding cake she created for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Claire Ptak knows there's nothing like a cake when it comes to expressions and celebrations of love. A Chez Panisse alum, Ptak is a Northern California native who now runs the wildly successful Violet Bakery in London. Reflecting on her upbringing and love of in-season produce, she shares 75 sweet and savory creations, including Huckleberry Basil Sugar Scones, Peaches and Cream Angel Food Cake, and a strawberry-coconut meringue cake. Her bakes are homey yet elevated, made with the best possible ingredients, so as to extract the best possible flavors. Included are gluten-free, refined sugar-free and vegan bakes, as well as the sought-after recipe for the Duke and Duchess's lemon elderflower cake. Featuring gorgeous photographs shot in both England and California, Love is a Pink Cake is a treasure trove of inspiration for anyone eager to emulate Ptak's unique sensibility and dreamy creations in their own kitchen.

Indulge your sweet tooth with this gorgeous collection of classic confectionery. From traditional hard candies and suckable lollipops to chewy taffies and shaped fondants, there is a best-loved treat for everyone here. Irresistible morsels include classics such as Pear Drops, Peppermint Humbugs, Aniseed Twists, Raspberry Lollipops, Salt-water Taffy and Sugar Mice, as well as lesser-known twists such as Honey and Star Anise Chews, Fondant-stuffed Pecans and Lemon Cream Dreams. It includes sugar-working techniques, such as making a sugar syrup, using a sugar thermometer, working fondant, and pulling and stretching taffy. Every recipe is described clearly, with easy-to-follow instructions and an inspiring photograph of the finished confection, making it simple to achieve success. This delightful little book brings the tastes of childhood to the present day, with 20 foolproof recipes for sweet-shop classics. It explains how sugar can be worked in various ways to achieve different effects - for hard, soft or chewy bites. You can impress your friends with home-made Sour Drops, Candy Canes, Rhubarb and Custards, Barley Sugar Sticks, Jewelled Lollipops, Pineapple Chews or Maple Cream Candy, which are all perfect for gifts. Vibrant photography shows difficult stages of preparation and includes a gorgeous picture of each finished sweet, making this recipe collection a delight for the eye as well as the tastebuds. The recipes are written clearly and simply, and there are plenty of helpful tips and variations, which make this pretty gift book a real treasure.

With more than 100 sweet and savoury bakes, LEON Happy Baking contains recipes for everyone, from the novice cook to the expert baker. Following the LEON principle that what tastes good can also do you good, many of the recipes are sugar-, dairy-, wheat- or gluten- free - so there's plenty to indulge in even if you have a food allergy, an intolerance or an eye on your waistline. New recipes from the LEON menu are combined with favourites from the classic cookbook, LEON Baking & Puddings, now with fresh photography.

This book is about making baking worth it: simple to cook and satisfying to eat. Wholesome and indulgent - these are recipes you'll want to make again and again. The Violet Bakery is a cake shop and cafe in Hackney, east London. The baking is done with simple ingredients including wholegrain flours, less refined sugars and the natural sweetness and muted colours of seasonal fruits. Everything is made in an open kitchen for people to see. Famed for its exquisite baked goods, Violet has become a destination. Owner Claire Ptak uses her Californian sensibility to devise recipes that are both nourishing and indulgent. With real thought about taste and using the purest ingredients, she has created the most flavoursome iterations of classic cakes, as well as new treats for modern palates. Discover the recipes behind the bakery that made Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding cake. Over 100 recipes include Cinnamon Buns, Mozzarella, Rosemary and New Potato Tarts, Butterscotch Blondies and Loganberry-vanilla Birthday Cake.