• MittenRD on May 31, 2018

  Note that this book was recalled for the US edition due to inaccurate baking temperatures and times. They kindly sent me a new copy for free, signed by the authors, along with a nice olive wood spoon gift. It would be worth checking out if you have the first edition United States version. https://ottolenghi.co.uk/blog/sweet-us-edition-information/

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Custard Yo-Yos with roasted rhubarb icing

  • luluf on September 22, 2017

    The shortbread biscuit was perfect and the rhubarb icing was tangy and delicious. They were very simple to make and I will definitely be making them again

  • readingtragic on October 13, 2017

    If you leave the icing in the fridge, it sets too hard to spread - I sandwiched the biscuits, put them in a jar and then stored them in the fridge - perfect, and no worries about the butter going off...

  • Illyria on October 23, 2017

    I used three stalks of rhubarb, probably cos I wasn’t sure about how much to trim them. The icing was beautifully tangy.

  • vglong29 on April 15, 2019

    Even with the reduced temperature in the errata from publisher, the time is still too long. Best results for me are 350°F for 8-10 minutes until very light brown on bottom.

  • Jane on June 17, 2019

    These were fun. Very easy to make and great result. I love the combination of the short cookie and tart rhubarb frosting. I made the frosting a couple of days ahead and found the consistency perfect for spreading. It doesn’t like being out in a warm room so bear in mind if making these for a party. I baked them for just 20 mins at 325 F (170 C) - they were perfect. 25 mins as stated in the recipe would be too much.

  • Lsblackburn1 on April 11, 2021

    Yum! I am not sure I got the right amount of rhubarb; however, one stalk looked like such a tiny amount after roasting ( my stalk was pretty skinny!). The flavor seemed fine. I did the dough in the food processor, and that worked well. Cooked for 15 minutes, but the pan on the bottom was a bit overdone.

  • EmilyR on July 18, 2022

    I used more rhubarb than called for and probably needed to adjust the powered sugar to make it thicker, but I didn't want to increase the sweetness so I didn't. Nice rich flavor.

• Peanut sandies

  • aliradloff on February 24, 2019

    I've made these a few times now and they are delicious! It's difficult to not eat the whole batch. I have had to bake them for a little longer to get them nicely browned, and also use a slightly smaller cookie cutter (5cm). They're also super easy to make, and I suspect you could also make them as a slice and bake cookie too.

• Almond, pistachio, and sour cherry wafers

  • elysedc on June 16, 2022

    I really enjoyed this recipe (photo I added is NOT a good representation of my cherry/almond ratio, lol) but I did find it difficult to cut the slices as thinly as described, even after freezing the dough, even with a very sharp knife. I can imagine that slicing with a deli slicer, as Ottolenghi describes, would result in an even crispier cookie (which is already delightful, as is)

  • Anea25 on January 29, 2024

    these are amazing. the recipe makes so many of them !

  • eliza on March 12, 2024

    These were very tasty cookies and they’re very easy to make. I changed the nuts to hazelnuts and pecans, and roughly chopped them. Used my large chefs knife to cut the 3mm slices, baked 10 min at 350. These had quite a crunchy texture, great with a cup of tea.

• Cranberry, oat and white chocolate biscuits

  • Illyria on October 23, 2017

    Time consuming but well worth the effort. I forgot to chop the cranberries in half, so the edges of my biscuits were a bit rough, but that added to the appeal.

  • Jane on November 21, 2019

    These were fantastic cookies, great for the holidays (or any time). They are a bit more work than regular scoop and drop cookies as a lot of dried cranberries need to be cut in half, the dough needs to be rolled out and cookies cut then melted white chocolate spread carefully on the top after cooling. But they are so worth it!

  • Kinhawaii on December 16, 2019

    Great cookie, not being a fan of cranberries I usually make them with roughly chopped dried cherries. I also cut the almonds a little smaller because it makes it easier to use the cookie cutter to cut out rounds. I think these would be nice with even a mix of dried fruit & even different chocolates.

  • eliza on March 20, 2020

    I liked these quite a lot. I don’t have any white chocolate at the moment so we had them unadorned. As others have said they’re quite a bit of work. I cut them at 3” and the recipe made 23 cookies.

  • Lsblackburn1 on December 05, 2021

    These only needed 10 minutes in the oven for me - not 18 (maybe I rolled them too thin?). Tasty - especially with the white chocolate- but not sure they’re worth all the effort they require.

  • TrishaCP on December 24, 2021

    These are very tasty, but a lot of work and my execution was a bit problematic. About half of my cookies spread badly and then broke while the remaining cookies were fine. They were also very scraggly. Given the sweetness of the white chocolate (the kind I had was difficult to spread)- I would also really prefer a much smaller cookie. Bottom line is that I’m not sorry that I made them, they will certainly be eaten, but I probably won’t make them again.

  • laurenlangston on March 27, 2024

    Delicious, but between the rolling, cutting, and frosting, not quick. Exceptionally well-balanced flavors — neither too sweet nor too “healthy” tasting. As for yield, the recipe states 30-ish; I got 22 and a runt. (Er, I mean, a cook’s-treat.)

  • LindaMM1 on January 07, 2026

    Great biscuit type cookies. Must chop up the dried cherries or cranberries or they make it very hard to roll out.

• Chocolate chip and pecan cookies

  • stef on December 06, 2017

    I made the dough and refrigerated it overnight. Next day it was very crumbly even at room temperature. Maybe because I made my own self rising flour. Cookie is good with a shortbread type of texture.

  • Mtetpon on December 12, 2017

    I agree the dough was very crumbly. The cookies do not spread very much at all.

  • Tatiana131 on January 25, 2018

    The dough does not contain enough moisture as written, especially in our very dry climate. As written the dough was super crumbly and did not spead into cookies when baked. We added just enough milk to bind the dough together to get actual cookies. The balls that didn't spread tasted of uncooked flour in the middle. Very mediocre recipe.

  • mondraussie on February 18, 2018

    I didn't bother with the 1 hour in the fridge and they turned out just fine. I didn't have SR flour so I mixed baking powder with plain flour. Next time reduce the quantity of baking powder to make the finished product a little denser.

  • stef on June 22, 2018

    Made these again with corrected amount of flour. They turned out well. Will reduce sugars a bit next time.

  • raybun on March 23, 2020

    I almost didn’t make these after reading the previous Notes, but am glad I went ahead. I slightly reduced the sugar and the texture was perfect, not dry at all. My new favourite CCC!

  • Livmichelle on May 06, 2020

    Great recipe! Didn’t see any note before I made them, 1st dozen no fridge time pressed the dough flat a little, perfect; 2nd doz. 2hr in fridge and didn’t flatten balls and they didn’t spread at all, still delicious. No fridge time, flatten a bit and and alls good

  • Nossovitzky on June 14, 2020

    Very delicious but a little dry in the dough - might try reducing the flour slightly next time. Makes a lot of biscuits so froze half.

  • Beth891 on July 28, 2024

    I did half quantities and as I only had one 100g bag of chocolate chips I added extra pecan. Mixed by hand as I couldn't be bothered cleaning the mixer but if I made full quantities I'd use it. Otherwise I followed the recipe - 45g-ish balls made 16 cookies so I baked 6 and put the other 10 in the freezer. I didn't chill or flatten and they spread nicely and gave them 12mins at 180fan. I didn't rotate the trays as my oven is pretty even and they came out perfect:) delicious and crisp on the outside and soft in the middle. My new favourite chocolate pecan cookies! Definitely one to make again.

  • Schooffiecooks on March 27, 2026

    Delicious!!

  • anya_sf on April 17, 2026

    Glad I saw the additional errata, although the one I see on EYB says "PAGE 26, CHOCOLATE CHIP AND PECAN COOKIES: Bake at 375°F/190°C for 14 minutes", so I went with 375 F. Made 1/2 recipe, 45 g each, got 18 cookies. Chilled the dough balls overnight, flattened slightly before baking, and they spread nicely. Baked 15-16 min. Crisp edges, chewy center, great texture IMO. Also very happy with the amount of chocolate and sweetness level. Loved the pecans even if my husband complained (likes nuts, but not in dessert for some reason, weirdo).

  • anne_pvnm70 on April 30, 2026

    Our favorite choc chip cookies! I make them without nuts since I am allergic and always use whatever chocolate I can find. They never disappoint and are very handy to have in the freezer.

• Cats' tongues

  • Livmichelle on January 23, 2018

    Yummy hard to get the right shape

• Chocolate, banana and pecan cookies

  • lilham on October 22, 2017

    This is a gooey cookie and very delicious. I used a mini blender to chop the pecans because i don’t like the idea of very large pieces of pecans. I also skipped the second chill after rolling in pecan pieces, putting the baking sheet straight into the oven instead.

  • Zosia on October 23, 2017

    Oh, these are good! With subtle banana flavour, fudgy interior and nutty crunch, they're much much more than other chocolate crackle cookies. Note that a 3 hour chilling time is required though I reduced that by portioning the just-made dough on a cookie sheet (cookie scoop #70; yield of 34 cookies) and freezing it for 20 minutes before rolling in the pecans.

  • stef on April 29, 2018

    As described these are so good and fudgy. I also made them smaller and got 30 cookies. Toasted the pecans and then ground them in my mini cuisinart.

  • Jane on April 24, 2020

    Loved these cookies. The banana flavor comes through, surprising as quite a small amount is added. I like the nutty, crackled exterior a lot.

  • adelina on April 26, 2020

    Needed a recipe other than banana bread to use up my bananas. This was a nice combination that had a brownie texture a little. I used walnuts instead since that's what I had at home. To save time, I processed the nuts with powdered sugar.

  • Livia on May 24, 2020

    These are lovely. Used a whole banana and cooked for 20min at 150c and only a small dusting of icing sugar at the end. Froze half of the cookie dough for next time but have used up all the pecans.

  • anya_sf on June 28, 2020

    I would have overlooked this recipe if not for all the positive reviews, and am so glad I made these as my family loved them. I chopped the pecans in the food processor. Weighing the dough balls (20 g), 1 got 26 cookies. Baked half right away (after the chilling steps), then froze half for later. I wasn't sure whether to freeze before or after rolling in powdered sugar - I chose before, which worked - then rolled them in sugar right before baking from frozen, which took 2 extra minutes. The cookies aren't large so it's far too easy to eat several :-)

  • Rachaelsb on October 17, 2020

    Delicious. Would definitely make again. Agree with other notes, banana flavor is surprisingly present but not overpowering which adds a great dimension to this cookie.

  • DePollepel on June 19, 2021

    fun and tasty. easy to make ahead and eat warm

• Brown butter almond tuiles

  • Avocet on December 28, 2021

    We found these a bit too sweet. The baking time was too long, 12 minutes at 350 was plenty. I have other almond tuiles recipes that we prefer.

  • elysedc on June 16, 2022

    I found that mine burned, even accounting for my oven (which runs a bit hot) - I would cook for a bit less time next time. I also expected a more "almond-y" flavor, but these just tasted kind of sweet.

• Gevulde speculaas

  • Kitchengeek on November 24, 2017

    These were fairly easy to make, and fantastic - not to sweet. // I did not have dried ginger so I subbed a bit of fresh ginger, adding to the wet ingredients rather than the dry, and that worked fine.

  • Lsblackburn1 on December 05, 2021

    Loved these! Not too fussy to make and that almond filling is delicious. Baked for about 25 minutes.

  • elysedc on June 16, 2022

    this recipe looks fussier than it actually is, and the final product is 100% worth it. So delicious. These have become a regularly requested treat.

  • CordovaBayCook on June 20, 2025

    These are absolutely delicious. Much easier to make than I had anticipated! I added a bit of almond extract to the almond paste filling, and I think that was a good move. I made these, along with the Speculaas from the Crust bakery book, for a Dutch-themed luncheon, and they were very well-received.

  • katie_q52s7k on March 04, 2026

    I love to make this every year on sinterklaas and I have my son decorate the top how he likes. They’re some of my favorite cookies.

• Speculaas biscuits

  • Astrid5555 on November 29, 2018

    Lovely cookie for a Christmas cookie platter. The dough comes together quickly in a standmixer and is easy to work with. I rolled it out between two pieces of parchment paper. I expected the spice mix to be more pronounced, so next time I would add more of it. Made only 2/3 of the dough (ran out of dark brown sugar) and used a 5cm cookie cutter, which resulted in 80 cookies. Reduced the baking time to 9 minutes.

  • elysedc on June 16, 2022

    Agree with reducing the baking time - these can get too crispy if you're not careful. These have become a holiday tradition and are worth the trouble of putting together the spice mix. Didn't count, but makes a LOT of cookies. Not too sweet, though, so they'll go fast. Great with a cup of tea. I didn't have a circle cutter so used a light bulb shape, then used the almond flakes to make them into pinecones

• Amaretti with honey and orange blossom

  • LadyCJKT on January 27, 2018

    I really enjoyed this recipe. It's quite straightforward and easy to follow. I used double the almond extract called for as my one is not a good quality one. I didn't think the orange blossom came through strong enough so may try a little more next time. I would also try rubbing the zest into the sugar next time to release the oils more from the zest. I loved these both warm and cold and will be making them again. They would be perfect to take along to dinner at a friends.

  • darcie_b on May 27, 2020

    A tad complicated for a cookie but delicious. The orange flower water and orange zest elevate this above traditional amaretti.

  • elysedc on December 28, 2022

    I followed LadyCJKT's lead by using double the almond extract, as mine was also not a high quality one. I came into this recipe thinking they would require a lot of me (as do most recipes in this book, and Ottolenghi recipes in general) and was surprised by how well they came out and how relatively easy they were to make. Yes, multiple chills in the fridge are required, but the rest was fairly straightforward and resulted in a soft little cookie with a delicate crunch on the outside and a lovely depth of flavor. Where most xmas cookies are a bit one note, these are not and will add variety for sure! Good cold, VERY good warm. Oh - I also went out of my way to use a delicious orange blossom honey. Probably didn't make any difference either way but will try to use this in the future as well.

• Coffee and walnut financiers

  • bwhip on September 22, 2017

    These turned out excellent. A nice crispy edge, with a moist, delicate crumb, and wonderful flavor from the coffee and brown butter. The glaze was a little sweet for my taste, but overall we really enjoyed these and will make them again.

  • DKennedy on October 23, 2017

    My second recipe out of the book - made for Tea '17. Lots of steps for mis en place can be done in advance (brown butter, toasting the walnuts, sifting the dry ingredients, making the coffee). If all that is done in advance the recipe will be quite simple to throw together. If done all at once, a bit overwhelming. Note that I bought the straight sided pan referenced in the book/photo and using that mold, made 17 financiers baked at 400 for 14 minutes. I loved how these came out. Note that the icing sets quickly so it is best to make just before using and put on while the cakes are hot so it will run down the sides. The icing is wildly sweet and makes a ton so next time 1/2 the frosting recipe and maybe add cream instead of milk to cut through the sweetness and maybe add more liquid? So, so good.

  • anya_sf on December 06, 2017

    I made half the recipe and got 21 mini-muffins, so my molds must have been small. They baked in 12 minutes. They were a nice two-bite size. I omitted the espresso powder (didn't have it), but the financiers still had plenty of coffee flavor from the instant coffee. These were easy to make, but do require a couple hours of chilling, so plan ahead. I used less icing, but it seemed like enough. The icing was quite stiff; I had to add a bit of water to thin it enough to spread, and even then it didn't drizzle. I tried a few cakes plain, and they were good too, so the icing isn't needed, although it looks pretty. We really enjoyed these.

  • jluvs2bake on June 17, 2018

    Love the melding of the flavors. The brown butter and coffee almost have a caramel hint together. My husband ate the leftover icing plain... I made mine with pecans instead of walnuts, and it was delicious! I made mine in a popover pan because the book said that's how they make them, and that's what the accompanying photo was. I wanted mine to look like that rather than a muffin. It would have made 6 regular popovers nice and tall, but I filled them slightly less and put the extra batter in 2 ramekins for a total of 8 financiers. These would be lovely for a coffee or brunch.

  • Astrid5555 on November 25, 2021

    As mentioned by other reviewers, most components can be prepped ahead so the final baking and decorating can be done quite quickly. Reduced the sugar in the cakes and the frosting (all the recipes in Sweet are way too sweet for my taste), worked beautifully. Recipe makes too much frosting. Great textural contrast from the walnuts.

  • darcie_b on February 23, 2019

    I wasn't wowed by the flavor, but this is a solid recipe and good for coffee lovers.

• Soft gingerbread tiles with rum butter glaze

  • DKennedy on October 06, 2017

    This is the first recipe I tried from Sweet. I made a test batch of these tiles in preparation for an upcoming tea. The dough came together easily, though I was worried it might be a little dry as I was kneading it. I didn't have any real tile molds so I used a variety of cookie cutters for this test batch. I have a tile press on its way from Russia - hopefully it will arrive in time for the tea. The cookies held their shape and impressions well. My cookies were rolled too thin and so were crispy instead of soft. Baked at 375 for 9 minutes, turning once, I think I might back off of this time going forward. I also didn't read ahead so I didn't have my glaze ready til the cookies cooled, but it didn't seem to matter. I made the lemon version of the glaze and it was perfect. Excellent right before bedtime with a cup of tea.

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on October 06, 2017

    Using the same cookie presses as those used in the photo in the book, these cookies have a diameter of almost 10 cm. The cookies very nice and fragrant and the glaze, I made the rum version was delicious. I used the time and temperature of the oven as indicated in the book and they were very good, a little soft in the middle.

  • raybun on December 20, 2017

    I loved these cookies but mine were very crisp, probably due to my fan oven. Next time I’ll reduce the baking time by a few minutes, just to compare. The rum butter glaze is heavenly. (Photo)

  • Jane on December 12, 2023

    I've been wanting to make these for ages and a Christmas cookie swap with friends was the time. I made a triple batch - lots of bicep exercise pushing the stamps into the dough! They are so pretty with the glaze and taste great too.

  • elysedc on June 16, 2022

    dough came together well, cookies were nice and soft. my rum butter glaze looked much browner than expected. As a huge fan of blackstrap molasses, I personally would seek out black treacle next time I try these - molasses flavor was much too strong.

  • dbuhler on January 17, 2025

    I am in the minority on this one because I wasn't that impressed with these. To start with the Doe was incredibly dry despite weighing all of my ingredients. Also, the baked cookies were gritty and I believe that's because there wasn't enough moisture to dissolve the sugar (he only moisture in this recipe is one egg yolk and softener butter). Because the dough was so dry I couldn't stamp the rolled out though so I needed to ball it up and push it with the stamps. The impression was very crisp and stayed crisp even after baking. The glaze set up way to fast so I had to keep heating it up to keep it loose enough to brush on the cookies. These will definitely get eaten, but I may try using my cookie presses with my favorite soft gingerbread cookie dough that's already tried and true for us. I'm glad I tried these, but I don't think I'll make them again.

  • DePollepel on June 19, 2021

    very tasty, you can use cookie stamps for the top

  • CourtneyT on December 10, 2025

    Absolutely gorgeous! The dough is a bit fiddly coming out of the mixer. It appears dry and crumbly at first but responds well to gentle kneading. I popped the dough into the fridge for a bit to cool before rolling to 6mm. I don’t have cookie stamps but used an embossed rolling pin with good results. I made the rum version of the glaze and I had enough glaze from the first batch leftover to glaze the second batch. Will definitely make again!

  • darcie_b on December 12, 2019

    Added 3/4 teaspoon powdered espresso to make it mocha gingerbread. Yum.

  • EmilyR on December 13, 2018

    Baked for about 8 minutes - both on convection and over:under heat, rotating once. Not using convection worked better. Some tiles were glazed with Glühwein and others with a light lemon. Next time I will mix the Glühwein and lemon. Very strong gingerbread molasses flavor. A double batch made 30, 1/4” thick cookies.

  • dinnermints on December 09, 2018

    Excellent! They definitely benefit from the glaze. Lovely soft texture.

  • BlueSkies21 on May 09, 2026

    Delicious and easy. But skip stamping, you can’t see the print after adding the glaze

• Soft date and oat bars

  • Illyria on October 23, 2017

    I chopped the dates a bit more finely & also used golden syrup instead of date syrup.

  • Rutabaga on October 29, 2017

    This is the first recipe I've made from this book, and it's a winner. Everyone who tried them liked them, and my one-year-old was an especially big fan. I myself find them difficult to stop eating. The only issue I had was that they fell apart easily, which probably means I didn't grind the oats finely enough. That didn't affect the taste, fortunately.

  • Lepa on May 21, 2018

    I was disappointed with this recipe. My bars were dark brown and hard and too sweet. I wanted something soft and chewy and healthier. Mine didn't fall apart but I suspect it's because they were overcooked? I will keep searching for a date bar that I feel good about sending in my kids' lunchbox.

  • aargle on June 20, 2018

    These are delicious and turned out perfectly. Mine didn’t fall apart but nor were they hard. I used golden syrup and will make them again

  • dogo on November 15, 2024

    De repen zijn zacht. Niet mijn ding.

  • angela_woef21 on March 01, 2026

    5 stars for taste. Quite crumbly, even after being in the fridge overnight. Would definitely make again though

• Saffron, orange and honey madeleines

  • Zosia on November 20, 2017

    These weren't as airy and spongy as others I've made, but they were moist and tender, and my mini chopper did the work of making the batter. They were also very flavourful, with the saffron quite prominent, on the verge of being overpowering. I'd like to try these again without the saffron, which is actually listed as an optional ingredient, to let the orange, honey and pistachio flavours shine.

  • Jojobuch on March 04, 2018

    I liked the simplicity of the recipe (using your food processor) and dipping them in the pistachios makes them very pretty; however, I agree with the last reviewer that the saffron is a bit more prominent than I'd expect - next time, I'd boost the orange zest and omit the saffron.

  • DePollepel on June 19, 2021

    very nice taste, especially when served just after baking. but not extremely special

• Tahini and halva brownies

  • Kitchengeek on November 24, 2017

    I did not have the proper pan, so multiplied by 1.25 and used a 9x13 inch pan. I do not know if this is why, or if I just didn't cook it long enough, but the brownies came out very mushy. Also the tahini did not spread easily, or as prettily as shown in the photo. I think it would have helped to have warmed the tahini first. The brownies are very rich and quite good, but somehow not as ... interesting as I expected. // On the other hand, Mike likes them a lot.

  • Jane on January 16, 2018

    I thought these were very good. I agree the middle pieces were quite soft but I like that in a brownie. I made them in an 8.5x11 inch (30x22 cm) pan and that was perfect. I used an espresso halva which gave a great flavor. But I would use less tahini next time and do lines and feather rather than large blobs that were difficult to swirl.

  • Rutikazooty on January 25, 2018

    Made these and though they were interesting they weren't good enough for me to ever repeat. I do love tahini and halvah so that wasn't the problem.

  • hirsheys on July 11, 2018

    I finally got to make these and they are fantastic. I followed the recipe pretty exactly, using some quality packaged halvah I bought at a Middle Eastern store and 73% dark chocolate from TJs. Cooked them 38 minutes. Everyone at work agreed that they were like more special peanut butter brownies with lovely chunks of melty halvah throughout. I don't repeat dessert recipes often, but this one's a keeper.

  • Astrid5555 on December 15, 2018

    Fantastic brownies! We especially loved the halva and brownie combination. My tahini was very liquid so no issue swirling it in. I took them out after 25 minutes when the middle was still wobbly as per the recipe expecting them to firm up a little more. While they were still quite gooey we all agreed the soft center with the firmer halva pieces was exceptionally good. A definite keeper!

  • anya_sf on November 21, 2021

    I used a 9"x9" pan and baked the brownies 29 minutes as the center seemed too wobbly after 25. We thought the texture was perfect, nice and fudgy. Although my tahini was runny, it was hard to swirl due to the chunks of halva getting in the way. The brownies were rich and delicious!

  • MsMonsoon on November 30, 2024

    Recipe calls for a 9” square pan. I used an 8” square, which I wouldn’t do again. Even though I baked a few extra minutes, and the edges are done, the middle area is quite mushy and undercooked — can’t even pick up one of those pieces.

  • Schooffiecooks on March 31, 2026

    Served with vanilla icecream!

  • DePollepel on June 19, 2021

    amazing! very special to serve guests. and easy to make

  • louisewint on January 25, 2021

    5 stars from me, get good halva! and don't give in to temptation to overbake :) I made them with 54% chocolate and used 20 grams less sugar because of that.

  • KarinaFrancis on July 18, 2020

    Omg so decadent, so rich, so good! I was a bit worried because they were more than a bit jiggly in the centre at the 25min mark, but I kept the faith and was rewarded with perfectly fudgy brownies.

  • Ms20 on April 18, 2022

    These are incredible. I used a 9x13 pan and baked for 20 minutes and they came out perfectly. A definite keeper.

• Flourless chocolate "teacakes"

  • bwhip on December 03, 2017

    My favorite recipe so far from this cookbook (most all of which have been really good). They absolutely melt in the mouth, with just the right amount of chocolate. Fantastic! I didn't bother with the almond praline, and I didn't have Amaretto so I used Kahlua instead.

• Pecan snowballs

  • sosayi on December 08, 2017

    Great iteration of this cookie. I used the Greek variation mentioned in the headnote (where you sub walnuts and ouzo) and loved it. I'd definitely do that again. My cookies were a mite on the small side (around 18 g, not the recommended 20g) and I think were slightly overcooked at 17 minutes. I'd try 15-16 instead (from the listed 16-18). Still melt-in-your mouth, but just with an initial bite. Two days later only 3 are left so I'd call it a win.

  • Lepa on December 21, 2018

    We liked these but I'd add a touch more salt next time. Maybe a 1/4 teaspoon? Mine were approximately 20 g each and perfectly cooked at 18 minutes.

  • lholtzman on December 30, 2025

    These are very nostalgic for me. We always had them in a cookie box that a neighbor gave us for Christmas. They are one of my favorite Christmas cookies.

  • PriyaPath on March 28, 2026

    These are amazing an absolute favourite. I make them every year for Christmas. They even freeze well after baking.

• Lemon and raspberry cupcakes

  • bwhip on December 14, 2017

    Another excellent recipe from this outstanding cookbook. The lemon curd prep technique is quick and easy, and the frosting, which is made with the lemon curd and mascarpone, is wonderful with just the right amount of tang. The cupcakes turned out great. We'll definitely be making these again.

  • Frogcake on March 21, 2018

    Fabulous cupcakes! These are OMG lusciously lemony. I used frozen wild blueberries in place of raspberries. Otherwise they come together very quickly as bwip notes. My guests couldn’t stop raving about them. Definitely a repeat.

  • TrishaCP on May 27, 2018

    The flavor of these cupcakes is great, both the cake and the icing. The icing came out a bit runny for me, maybe because it was quite a hot day to be baking, or maybe because I used jarred lemon curd instead of the book's recipe. Regardless, I will definitely be making these again!

  • DePollepel on June 19, 2021

    great taste for birthday work party and looks beautiful

  • SunkenSouffle on November 22, 2020

    Icing didn't work for me at all, too runny on both attempts. Flavor was excellent though

• Not-quite-Bonnie's rugelach

  • Zosia on December 20, 2017

    This is an excellent recipe for one of my favourite pastries that produces a flaky dough with more flavour than most of its type. I'll definitely repeat this one but I'll use a little less flour next time (130g instead of 160) as my dough was a little on the dry side. I used apricot jam.

  • DePollepel on June 19, 2021

    amazing, one of my favorites! can easily be frozen and then baked fresh

  • lholtzman on May 11, 2026

    These are delicious and a fun project to make with kids. My son loved slicing the dough with a pizza cutter then rolling up. The pastry is is really good.

  • stef on June 01, 2025

    My go to recipe. Loved at a potluck

• Hazelnut crumble cake with Nutella icing

  • lilham on January 06, 2018

    This is a variation of the Hazelnut crumble cake with Gianduja icing. I always have a jar of nutella at home, so I made this variation. I cooked this in a large bundt tin in a fan oven at 160C for 55 min. The cake was just cooked, but the outside was a slightly too crisp for my liking. Next time I'll use a lower oven temperature. The authors gave the instructions to thinly sliced hazelnuts using a mandoline for sprinkling on the ganache. Because I was feeling lazy, I used flaked almonds instead. I also reserved 1/3 of the ganache for serving and would recommend it. The cake looks great and was very delicious too. Will definitely make again.

  • Jojobuch on August 28, 2018

    This was a big hit - I made individual bundt cakes with Nutella ganache. Having the crumble as layers in the cake makes for a nice textural contrast, and the ganache came together and set beautifully. When filling the bundt pans, I was a bit worried that the individual layers of the fairly firm batter separated by crumble would not hold together after baking. As suggested in the recipe though, I pressed down on the final crumble layer, which seems to have compressed the individual layers, and most cakes held together nicely upon unmolding - the one that didn't was a nice snack for the baker :) Also, I initially wasn't sure if I'd get too much of a rise since I filled the bundts to the top; again, I didn't have to worry about that - maybe the trick of mixing the soured dairy with baking soda ahead of time ensures they don't rise too much later on. They still had a nice light texture without spilling out of the pans.

• Lemon, blueberry and almond "teacakes"

  • bwhip on January 26, 2018

    These are fantastic. Nice and lemony, and they just melt in your mouth. Delicious.

  • pumpkinspice on February 27, 2018

    Tender, tasty and just the right balance of flavors and sweetness.

  • koolMoD on March 09, 2018

    So easy and simple to make and so delicious. Tart and sweet cakes that are soft and moist. Will definitely make again.

  • stockholm28 on April 22, 2018

    Very nice and fairly quick to make. Love the lemon almond blueberry combination. Mine were a little overbaked around the edges, so next time will check a few minutes earlier.

  • lilham on May 06, 2018

    Simple but so delicious.

  • Smokeydoke on May 11, 2018

    I had problems getting them to unstick from the pan, so be generous with the butter and flour. The icing is forgiving and covers a lot of flaws. But, oh my, these are so delicious!

• Persian love cakes

  • eliza on March 25, 2018

    These were nice cakes with a very nutty flavour. I used the almond extract option and would reduce the amount next time. In the recipe, a silicon loaf pan is recommended. I don't have this so I used metal tins of the same size, and found lining with parchment was important to extract the cakes after baking. I'm not sure if I'd make these again...possibly.

  • DePollepel on June 19, 2021

    delicious!! let cool down for a while otherwise the bottom is sticky. very easy to make in silicon mold

  • Anea25 on November 27, 2023

    Really easy and tasty, the texture is very nice. I would reduce the nutmeg a bit as it overtook other flavours

• Victoria sponge with strawberries and white chocolate cream

  • lou_weez on April 26, 2018

    I made one 20cm cake and while the taste was deliciously familiar, I unfortunately, overcooked it slightly. Oh well, I'd better try making it again.

  • Jane on May 10, 2020

    This is a lovely celebratory cake. I'm staying with my elderly parents in the UK so we had it for a VE Day celebratory tea. But if I was in the USA I would have made it for Mother's Day. The sponge is very light and combines beautifully with the fresh strawberry jam, sliced strawberries and luscious white chocolate cream. I made it in two loose bottom 20cm tins for 20 mins. If you made the entire mixture in one tin the sides would have to be very high.

  • anya_sf on July 03, 2020

    I made 1/2 recipe with one 6" sponge, which baked in 18-20 minutes. The texture was light and lovely, with just the right sweetness. The components were delicious together. I wouldn't have minded more of the cooked strawberries.

• Banana cakes with rum caramel

  • amandacooks on May 21, 2018

    This turned out beautifully in a single 6 cup bundt pan. Mine took about 40 minutes to bake in that size pan. Didn't make the glaze, but the cake is great without it. Moist, as you’d expect from a banana cake, with just a hint of rum. I’m sure it would be much “rummier” with the rum caramel on top.

  • anya_sf on July 05, 2018

    I got 6 mini bundt cakes plus one jumbo muffin. The cakes were very easy to make. I loved the almond with the banana. They were delicious with vanilla ice cream. I would even eat the plain cakes (without the caramel) for breakfast.

  • CourtneyT on May 22, 2024

    Excellent recipe! My husband is a banana cake/bread snob and he loved these. We thought they were just as nice without the sauce and they keep beautifully. Will certainly make again.

  • sdutton on November 03, 2018

    I don't have jumbo muffin tins or mini bundt cake pans. I used popover pans and made 6. I also made the rum caramel sauce. I don't know if the almost burnt flavor was intentional or a result of an inexperienced cook. It was however absolutely delicious combined with the almond/banana/rum combined flavor of the cakes. The cakes themselves were wonderful and delicious eaten alone without the sauce. I ate the last one 3 days later. It was just as moist and delicious as it was on bake day. A winner! I will make these again.

  • EskieF on March 26, 2021

    I made these (7) in mini pudding tins - large muffin tins. I made one change - 50 g creme fraiche and 50 g greek yogurt instead of 100g soured cream (I didn't have any!) They were quite dense (possibly because I pureed the banana/cream/yogurt mixture rather than just mashing the bananas) and sweet and delicious. While I successfully made the caramel-cream-rum sauce, I think I'll keep that for ice-cream (too sweet to have with sweet cakes) and have the banana cakes on their own or warmed up with some creme fraiche mixed with a little rum!

  • dinnermints on December 14, 2021

    While doing a freezer re-org, I excavated nine frozen bananas. Having already made several rounds of banana muffins, I opted to finally try this banana cake, which turned out to be absolutely fabulous. Both the cake and the caramel rum sauce are delicious and freeze beautifully.

• Lemon and semolina syrup cakes

  • jluvs2bake on June 15, 2018

    Delicious! Light, lemony. Very simple but attractive appearance. Recipe as written except used a little more zest (because I had it) and then added another Tablespoon or so of sugar to the syrup because mine tasted a little too bitter. (I think it was just my lemons, not the recipe.)

  • DePollepel on June 19, 2021

    taste is good but unfortunately they fell apart, not sure why

• Take-home chocolate cake

  • Jane on November 02, 2017

    I liked this cake a lot though it really needs the ganache and coffee/cinnamon cream to make it a special dessert. With those it was a lovely dessert for not a lot of effort or time. I found it took 65 minutes at 170C to be baked through. Be aware the recipe on the NYT website has the F conversion at 350 which is too high - it should be 338F. Not sure if the US edition of the book has the same error in conversion.

  • sosayi on April 29, 2019

    Made the cake and ganache, but not the whipped cream as I was serving it with ice cream. Excellent, dense and rich chocolate cake. Also, very easy to put together. I cooked the cake at 325 (temp listed in the corrected version) for 65 minutes.

  • FJT on April 05, 2019

    Simply delicious - I didn't make the ganache or the mascarpone cream that go with it. It stands well on its own, but if I were to serve it as a dessert I would go for something sharp to cut through the richness. Really easy to make and a very good chocolate cake recipe. I'm sure I'll make it again.

  • lou_weez on September 22, 2017

    AMAZING!!!! Instead of using coffee granules + 350ml water I made up 350ml of coffee , using my pod machine. The coffee flavour was probably a lot stronger, but we really enjoyed it :) Can't wait to make this again!

  • dinnermints on June 01, 2021

    I'd flipped by this cake recipe many times but assumed it would be complicated, and was a bit shocked to find it was one of the easiest chocolate cakes I've ever made. One bowl (well, and a small pot), no mixer required, fairly few ingredients, only one layer. Since it is fudgy, I found it a bit difficult to figure out when to pull it out (I was aiming for a few crumbs still clinging to the toothpick). For me, 65 minutes might have been a few minutes too long. Very good cake, but not sure if it will be my go-to.

  • elifinn on August 18, 2023

    This was very good and appreciated by all but I think half the ganache for frosting would have been plenty. The whipped mascarpone with coffee does add something! I had skipped it the first time I made the cake but I'm glad I prepared it this time. I was nervous about baking time but in the end the cake did need the full hour.

  • anya_sf on January 02, 2021

    I baked 1/2 recipe as 6 small cakes using a jumbo muffin pan. Baked at 325 F (per the correction others noted) for 25 minutes - seemed right, but in hindsight would have baked them 1-2 minutes less, as they were slightly dry. Chocolate flavor was great. With the ganache and some vanilla ice cream, they were very good. I made the cream as well, using instant espresso in lieu of ground, but the coffee flavor was too strong for our liking. Would use maybe 1/2 or 1/3 the amount next time.

  • Beth891 on December 23, 2024

    I didn't make the optional cream but otherwise made it as recipe although I used mainly 54% Cocoa dark chocolate rather than the 70%. Baked at 150 fan for 55 mins and it was about right- I maybe could have given it a minute or 2 longer but with a fudgey chocolate cake I'd rather it was fractionally under than over. Cake is really nice but the best bit is the ganache, I did the manual version rather than using a mixer and it was gorgeous and glossy and set just enough to top without being too hard or thick. I used lidls dark cooking chocolate (so not even expensive!) and it is so so good! Oh and my 4 year old helped me decorate:)

  • Ms20 on April 18, 2022

    I wasn’t really impressed by this one. It was fine but the bon appétit easiest chocolate birthday cake remains my favorite for classic chocolate cake.

• Coconut, almond and blueberry cake

  • Jane on November 19, 2017

    What a fantastic cake. So easy to put together and wonderful results. Moist, flavorful and pretty - what more can you ask for in a dessert?

  • Jane on March 18, 2018

    I used unsweetened coconut and I thought the cake was sweet enough.

  • TrishaCP on July 29, 2018

    This cake has a lovely combination of flavors. Next time I will reduce the sugar per suggestions below, and also cook it a bit longer. (It was a bit soft in the middle for me.)

  • Astrid5555 on September 16, 2017

    On a rainy fall day this is comfort baking at its best. Only 2 bowls needed, mixed by hand, done in an hour (because of my dark baking pans my cakes usually need considerably less time in the oven than specified in the recipes, in this case only 40 minutes). I reduced the sugar by 50g (still sweet enough for my taste) and used ground unblanched almonds, thus the dark color of the cake. I especially enjoyed the addition of the desiccated coconut which gives this cake a subtle coconut taste. Boys gave it a 10/10.

  • eliza on March 27, 2018

    I wanted to make a gluten free dessert so I chose this cake to try as it has relatively little flour in it. I made 1/2 the recipe in a smaller cake tin. The resulting cake worked well and tasted very good. I subbed the flour with the gluten free blend from bulk barn (Canada) and added 1/2 tsp of baking soda in my half recipe. This smaller cake took 30-35 minutes to bake at 350 convection. Thanks to the previous reviewers for the notes on coconut; I used unsweetened. Edit: I’ve since made this with regular flour as well; truly a lovely cake that’s very easy and delicious.

  • MADCH82 on December 01, 2024

    Brilliant, made it in the morning for teatime. Moist, good flavour combo and easy to make. Would make again and recommend

  • pattyatbryce on November 03, 2024

    Very easy to make and great flavor for the effort. I would definitely make again. Mine came out great as written.

  • Xyz123 on May 17, 2023

    I really enjoyed this. I only used 185g of sugar and I think I’ll reduce it even more the next time I make it. Milled my own soft white wheat and didn’t sift. Used 1 tsp of baking powder since it wasn’t self rising flour and used frozen blueberries straight from the freezer. Only baked for 42 min because my oven temp seems to run hot. Perfection!

  • sharifah on July 30, 2020

    Everyone’s favourite cake! I’ve made this a few times but this time I mixed redcurrants and blueberries, and I added some baking powder for extra rise. Delicious!

  • darcie_b on November 12, 2021

    As I'm in the midst of a remodel and have only a makeshift kitchen, I needed something that came together easily. I could not find my kitchen scale so guesstimated the measurements and this cake still turned out great.

  • jluvs2bake on March 14, 2021

    Such a lovely cake! Even the one I goofed on (accidentally left out an egg and did one step backwards) tasted good, just quite dense. But the second was perfect, pretty, and delicious! Sent half of it to neighbors, who also very much enjoyed it. I didn't have much unsweetened coconut, so I used sweetened and put it in a chopper to make it finer. I decreased sugar to 200g. (It could probably have been reduced at least another 20g and still been sweet enough.) I sprinkled a little bit of sparkling sugar on top before baking, probably about a teaspoon. This one is on the forever list.

  • lou_weez on November 12, 2017

    Everyone loved this delicious, moist cake and I loved how quick and easy it was to make!

  • Rutabaga on September 15, 2018

    As everyone else has noted, this is a wonderful cake, and very easy to make. I used whole wheat pastry flour and unsweetened coconut (which I imagine the recipe intended since it doesn't specify sweetened), and it was very tender and moist, and not overly sweet, although I wouldn't mind decreasing the sugar just a little. Baking it in a springform pan worked quite well.

  • MmeFleiss on August 15, 2019

    I subbed coconut flour for the desiccated coconut since I figured they were basically the same thing. I made 3 mini bundles cakes with my half recipe and they baked up beautifully although the edges did get a bit too brown before the middle fully set. I would definitely use less sugar next time since it was a tad too sweet for me.

  • coryelizabeth on March 18, 2018

    Does anyone know whether you're supposed to use sweetened or unsweetened coconut in this cake? The recipe just calls for "finely shredded coconut."

  • coryelizabeth on March 20, 2018

    Thanks, Jane! For future bakers, I made the cake with unsweetened coconut, and it turned out just fine. Additionally, I felt the cake needed more salt and lemon zest than the recipe called for; however, I recommend simply adding these elements to taste.

  • lilham on October 14, 2017

    A lovely mix of coconut and almond flavours. I used frozen blueberries straight from the freezer. I'm baking my second in a week while I'm typing this.

  • aargle on June 20, 2018

    I was so happy with this cake. It was very easy with no electric beaters or food processor needed - just two bowls and a whisk. It was cooked perfectly in the time specified and tastes delicious. I used frozen blueberries which made no difference to the look of the cake.

  • apattin on April 02, 2020

    Very moist, very tasty. Next time I'll use more lemon zest (used one lemon's worth on the rasp).

  • FJT on October 14, 2017

    Another vote for this cake: minimum effort for maximum taste.

  • stockholm28 on June 17, 2018

    This recipe is very quick to put together. You don’t need a mixer; it just takes two bowls and a whisk. The cake is primarily almond flour with a small amount of self rising flour (I subbed A.P. with 1 tsp baking powder). It is flavored with coconut, lemon zest, and blueberries. My cake was a little overbaked around the edges. I checked at 40 minutes and it was raw in the center. At 50 minutes, the edges were well done. I used a dark pan ... would that make a difference. I thought this was a very good cake, although it is a bit sweeter than I prefer. I might try it again with less sugar.

  • Scubadiva on December 29, 2017

    Everyone I’ve served it to has loved this.

  • anya_sf on July 05, 2018

    I wanted more of a snack cake than a dessert, so I used white whole wheat flour, 150 g butter, and 200 g sugar. The cake turned out great - still plenty rich and sweet. I will definitely make this again - love the flavor combination.

  • Livia on June 23, 2018

    Used some frozen berries which also worked well. Added lemon zest on top.

  • LadyCJKT on June 14, 2018

    This is a lovely cake - it's very moist and flavourful. I made half the recipe and it's a great size cake. I used 90g of sugar instead of 125g but kept the amount of unsweetened desiccated coconut the same as the recipe. I'd happily make this again but perhaps cook it for a bit longer next time as it is probably too moist.

  • Ms20 on April 18, 2022

    Awful, absolutely awful. My oven runs hot so I took out after 52 minutes, toothpick clean. When I tried to cut 30 minutes later I could see the middle was still totally soggy. Put it back in the oven for another 30 minutes and it still didn’t come out right. Very frustrating.

  • SKidd on July 27, 2024

    Agree this is an easy one and I like the flavor combo. My oven is a bit slow but took a LOT longer as everyone said, probably an hour fifteen and still pretty wet in the center.

  • Beth891 on July 20, 2024

    Quick and easy to make and light and delicious! Quite sweet so I'd maybe try reducing the sugar a little but the flavour is really well balanced otherwise so I might just make it again as recipe. Cooked at 160fan and I checked at 45 mins and it was close but not quite ready then gave it another 4 mins and it's perfect, really moist but set. I'd definitely make this again!

• Rhubarb and strawberry crumble cake

  • Jane on April 24, 2018

    Not a great success due to oven conversion issues. I knew baking a cake at 390F for 70 minutes was too long but such is my faith in Ottolenghi I went along. I should have listened to my inner baker. The bottom and outside of the cake was black. The issue was the conversion of 200C in the UK edition I own to 390F for my US oven. I've now found out the US edition has the temp as 375 which would have been a lot better. I will make it again as I liked the combination of cake, fruit and crumble. But a lower temp and checking more often will result in a much better cake.

  • TrishaCP on May 14, 2018

    Thank you so much Jane for the note. I used the measurements from my UK edition but the 375 degree oven temp that you mentioned, and had great success with this cake. (Though judging from Jane's picture, my cake didn't rise quite as much as hers.) I needed the full 70 minutes of baking time, but checked at least every ten minutes after the first half hour. I covered my cake with foil (loosely) at 40 minutes.

  • Astrid5555 on June 03, 2018

    Delicious! Based on my previous experience with this book I reduced the sugar in the crumble and in the cake component by 20g each and the cake was still a little sweet for me. Also, I used only half the crumble mixture, which I found plenty enough and froze the rest. Thanks to Jane’s and TrishaCP’s notes I started checking the cake in 5 minute intervals after 40 minutes and covered it with foil. Because of my dark springform pan, it was done already after 60 minutes.

  • eliza on July 22, 2018

    I also reduced the sugar in this cake by about 20% in both the batter and the topping, and covered it with foil for the last 10 minutes or so of baking. I found it to be a nice cake, but not my favourite recipe from this book so far. I also have other rhubarb recipes that I prefer so I probably won't make this one again. Made half recipe and baked about 40-45 minutes at 375 F.

  • lueder516 on May 23, 2020

    My Sweet book says to bake at 400 F for 70 minutes, which I should have know was too hot for cake. Came out burnt and and left an aftertaste. Wish I would have read these comments before baking and at least reduced the temp to 375 F. I think there are better crumble recipes than this one, probably won't make it again. And apparently 21 recipes have errors in my version. I tried to get the publisher to send a new copy but the email was returned as undeliverable.

  • DePollepel on June 19, 2021

    delicious summer cake. serve with whipped cream or ice cream

  • Anea25 on May 31, 2023

    very nice cake reduce the sugar to 150 and didn't do the crumble to make a lighter version.

• Celebration cake

  • Jane on June 04, 2019

    Lovely cake and really not hard to do. I didn’t plan ahead so didn’t have time to freeze the cake layers for 24 hours. The only reason to do this is so you can move the layers on top of each other. But since they are getting covered in cream anyway it doesn’t matter too much if they break. Lovely combination of rich chocolate sponge, light white choc mousse and berries. This is going to be my favorite summer dessert for a crowd.

  • Zosia on July 04, 2019

    This was as good as others have said and was quite painless to make. I did find that I had to whip the ganache and cream for much longer than indicated before it thickened to the desired consistency and my cakes were baked in 13 minutes at 350. Canada Day 2019.

  • steinsm on June 21, 2019

    I agree with Jane. I also didn't manage to freeze it for 24 hours; just refrigerated it, and it was fine. It was gorgeous, delicious and devoured by all for my daughter's 39th birthday.

  • Beth891 on November 22, 2024

    Delicious!! I made half quantities and used 2x 20cm square tins to make the dark chocolate sponge. As it was slightly deeper it needed approx 4 mins longer until it was firm but it baked really nicely and evenly so I'd do that again. I didn't bother to freeze- I used sheets of baking paper to move them around and this worked perfectly except I broke one layer when I ran out of counter space. The white chocolate mousse is gorgeous too. I just used a hand held electric whisk and it worked fine, just needed a little longer to thicken. Fruit only in the middle later as I decorated the top differently but it worked great. Definitely one to make again- I think I might make this for Christmas time with cherry compote between the layers instead of fresh fruit

• Belinda's flourless coconut and chocolate cake

  • Jane on October 18, 2019

    I wanted a quick (but delicious) cake for a friend’s birthday - and one of the guests is GF. This cake was perfect. It was very moist - I did 45 mins at 350 but next time I’ll go to 50. The water glaze was a new one on me - a slightly caramelized sugar syrup melts the chocolate then some butter is whisked in to make a wonderfully glossy glaze. People said it was like a Mounds bar (or in the UK a Bounty) in cake form. I used unsweetened coconut and it was plenty sweet. This one will go into my repeat collection.

  • Astrid5555 on November 19, 2017

    Amazing! So quick to make and so delicious. Made for a gluten-free friend, but all guests raved about it. Baked in a 23cm round springform pan instead of a loaf pan. Made the chocolate glaze as written but it never got to the golden syrup like consistency. Mine was more pudding like, nevertheless easy to work with and just enough to cover the top. While the cake itself was deliciously moist, coconutty and buttery, the glaze brought it to the next level. A definite keeper!

  • LadyCJKT on January 03, 2018

    The cake is absolutely sublime. It's so moist and delicious and I envisage making this many more times in the future. I halved the recipe to great success. I haven't yet made the ganache for it as it's not cool enough but the cake is delicious without it.

  • sosayi on October 17, 2017

    Imagine a dense, buttery cake that tastes exactly like a dream version of a coconut macaroon and you've captured this cake. Incredibly easy to make and incredibly delicious. My only snag on this cake was with the chocolate glaze. Mine seized up horribly. Probably my fault, though, as I was running all over the kitchen that day. Easy to fix, though, with a splash of cream.

  • lou_weez on November 16, 2017

    A really delicious and easy cake to make. I didn't have time to make the chocolate so served it with a vino cotto and caramel sauce (Maggie Beer - jar). It would also be lovely with some coconut ice-cream.

  • mightyvanilla on February 25, 2018

    Made the cake and it was incredibly greasy, to the point where pressing on the cake oozed liquid fat. It feels like the 200g of butter to 180g of almond flour was a typo. I didn't even bother trying to make the chocolate glaze once I saw how the cake had turned out. This was a very disappointing recipe, even more so because it was from an Ottolenghi cookbook.

  • Jardimc on January 17, 2022

    First made this in the loaf pan and it had a strange gummy layer on the bottom. Since it is a remarkably easy cake to make, I quickly whipped up a second batter and this time baked it in the 9” round pan for a perfect cake. The glaze I wasn’t sure of, but it turns out that the glaze takes the cake to the next flavor level. I highly recommend this cake for its super moist coconutty charm and grown up glazed presentation. Will definitely put this cake into regular rotation

  • etcjm on October 24, 2021

    Beautiful. As per all of the other notes. Easy to make. Although I was a bit scared of the glaze I opted to try it - for me, it didn't take very long to get the caramel colour and it also didn't melt all of the chocolate. A quick blast in the microwave sorted it. Kept lovely for 4/5 days. As per the recipe - it is nicer the next day. Hope it isn't too different when cooked dairy free at Christmas for my son.

• White chocolate cheesecake with cranberry compote

  • Jane on November 24, 2019

    A lovely cheesecake. The sweetness of the cheesecake (with 600g/21oz of white chocolate!) is well balanced with the cranberry raspberry compote. I made it a day ahead and followed the recipe and it worked perfectly.

  • dinnermints on November 12, 2017

    Took this to a friend's crab feed, and once word got around, it disappeared very quickly. I don't think I had a post-cheesecake conversation that didn't involve how good it was (and it was gorgeous-looking). Not too sweet, and then the sweet-tart topping with it was the perfect foil. Next time I'd make it the morning before the evening I wanted to serve it, and possibly do some prep the day before that if need be. It took me around 90 minutes to get it in the oven, with a few distractions. It would be better to chop the nuts rather than put them in a food processor for consistency's sake. I didn't notice distinct chocolate chunks in it, so maybe I could have let the melted chocolate mixture cool longer.

  • aargle on June 20, 2018

    Another fabulous recipe. One of the best baked cheesecakes that I have made. The only problem was I couldn’t get fresh or frozen cranberries so next time will just use raspberries. I reconstituted dried cranberries but felt they were too sweet in the compote.

  • Rradishes on January 19, 2018

    Made this on NYE and it’s the first recipe I tried out of this book. Was so excited considering all the great book reviews and the combination of white chocolate seems foolproof. Unfortunately I won’t be making this again. The cheesecake was too dense for my liking and the flavor of white chocolate was too rich for me.

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on December 26, 2017

    Made this for Christmas dinner, after dinner this was enough for 16. I didn’t purée and sieve the raspberries for the compote, I just added them at the end of cooking time. Also added extra water since the compote was very thick. The cheesecake was a very big success, everybody loved it.

• Lemon and poppy seed cake (National Trust version)

  • jzanger on February 02, 2020

    I made this with a few changes. I used Meyer lemons and then before using the final thick lemony glaze I created a lemon soak and brushed it on while it was still warm, a la Ina Garten’s lemon loaf. There was extra zest from the juicing so I added that into the lemon glaze. Also I put a few drops (like less than 1/8tsp) of almond extract into the cake.

  • TrishaCP on May 06, 2018

    This is for sure the best lemon poppyseed cake that I've ever made, and it will be my standard from here on out.

  • Astrid5555 on December 09, 2017

    Simply divine! Since I used Meyer lemons I reduced the sugar in the batter by 10% and used only half the sugar for the glaze. Still a little bit too sweet for my taste, yet one of the best lemon and poppy seed cakes ever!

  • MsMonsoon on February 18, 2025

    Turned out perfectly. Used USA Pan’s 8-well mini loaf pan, 25 minutes, just as the recipe says. Didn’t line with parchment, just used homemade cake goop. No sticking but did bend the mini loaves a bit getting them out. Parchment would have helped lift them out easily. Used slightly more poppy seeds than the 1 Tbsp called for.

  • stef on May 01, 2026

    Loved this cake. Reduced sugar by 25grms and still sweet enough. Will repeat

  • FJT on August 26, 2020

    Finally remembered to buy poppyseeds and made this cake. Lovely light texture; really more-ish!

  • CourtneyT on January 19, 2026

    Lovely version of this classic cake. This was gobbled up at a recent family event and it was quite easy and straightforward. I agree with the earlier comment to increase the amount of poppy seeds as I adore that extra crunch but it’s still very good with the recommended amount.

  • Rachaelsb on March 25, 2018

    Lives up to reputation:-) Light but nice lemony overtones. Great texture to cake.

  • Frogcake on March 21, 2018

    Excellent, but this is the same recipe as the lemon raspberry cupcakes with a few tweaks.

  • anya_sf on May 10, 2018

    Delicious, with a lovely, soft texture. I might try to reduce the sugar next time though.

  • LadyCJKT on March 03, 2019

    This cake has a wonderful texture and a delicious lemon flavour. Next time I would double the poppy seeds though. I would highly recommend it if you want something simple but delicious.

  • hlange on May 26, 2024

    This is the best flavored lemon poppy seed cake by far, and the almost caramelized edges of the crust and the glaze are so tasty. For some reason though the crumb was very dense and moist. Will try to troubleshoot my next bake.

• Apricot and almond cake with cinnamon topping

  • caitmcg on September 08, 2018

    I made this with purple plums from my backyard tree in place of apricots, and the result was quite lovely. I made a few small tweaks to the recipe: I cut the sugar in the cake batter by a third and used soft brown sugar in place of caster; used orange zest rather than lemon as I prefer it with plums; doubled the almond extract to 1/2 tsp.; and used half brown sugar and half caster in the topping. Everyone loved this cake.

  • Lepa on May 07, 2020

    I did not like this cake. It was bland and greasy. There was too much cake for the amount of fruit. I will not make this again.

  • bwhip on July 20, 2018

    Absolutely delicious. Made this last night using fresh apricots, and it was fantastic. Took most of it to the office to share today, and everyone raved about it. The apricots became quite silky during the bake, and when combined with the great flavor and texture of the cake and topping, became a really perfect blend. The only ingredient I left out was the almond extract, as we didn't have any.

  • luluf on September 22, 2017

    The cake component was great but mine was a lot higher than the picture so the cake to apricot ratio was not quite right. I used tinned apricots because apricots aren't in season yet, but they weren't flavoursome enough so I will only make it with fresh apricots in future

  • Paola_Albanesi on September 13, 2019

    Buonissima. Fatta seguendo la ricetta, ho inavvertitamente mischiato la farina di mandorle all’impasto. Usato pesche noci. Squisita.

  • FritB on June 07, 2020

    Came out perfect. Made it with fresh apricots. Good taste.

  • ChelseaP on July 08, 2022

    Absolutely delicious. Definitely will make this one again.

  • FJT on June 11, 2021

    Delicious! I made this with crème fraîche rather than sour cream and used a gluten-free flour mix. I accidentally mixed the almond meal in with the flour but this wasn't a problem. Very light texture and tasted wonderful. Baked at 180 C fan for 1 hour 5 minutes.

• Rolled Pavlova with peaches and blackberries

  • mlbatt on February 27, 2020

    Made this with blackberries and used mango in place of peaches. So amazingly good! Guests were quite impressed.

  • debbates on February 22, 2026

    CAUTION: the pavlova cook temp is incorrect and burned in less than ten minutes. Instructions read 425 reduced to 400 degrees. Oven needs to be much slower. (Than you for the correction EYB) Salvaged a few bits and carried on with Eton Mess from Food52. Delicious

  • carolyn_bhwd0z on June 01, 2026

    Great dessert, serves 8. Roll with tea towels

  • treay on November 10, 2024

    Lovely recipe. I used a mixture of berries and strawberries instead.

• Vineyard cake (aka Cleopatra cake)

  • Astrid5555 on October 12, 2019

    Pound-cake like texture with a subtle dessert wine flavor. Had to substitute Sauternes wine and some milk because I could not find the muscat de Beaumes de Venise wine required. Like anya_sf I would have preferred even more grapes, especially since I had not halved mine because they were so small. Overall a very good yet a little grown-up tasting cake which I will happily make again next fall.

  • DKennedy on January 26, 2024

    I don't know what made me stop and decide on this recipe, it is a strange one, but I am glad I did. A couple of things to note about this recipe: you will need an angel food cake pan (which I recently inherited from my mother) not something I would have ordinarily been inclined to own/acquire. The sugar crust technique is a new one for me and I will def be riffing this technique and using it elsewhere. The dessert wine ingredient makes this a costly cake. You need 1 3/4 c. I opted to use 1/2 c of muscat (which is what I had open in the fridge) and the other 1 1/4 c I subbed an inexpensive Sauvignon blanc, (also open in the fridge). The cake was sufficiently sweet, nuanced, and fragrant even with this substitution. I used every day grapes but I think if you could get your hands on muscat grapes, this cake would be insane. Would be a lovely addition to or to accompany a cheese board or to serve at book club, etc. It is quite stunning. I am keeping it in my back pocket.

  • DePollepel on June 19, 2021

    yes, very special cake and good tasting. may add some more grapes

  • SunkenSouffle on November 22, 2020

    Sort of a strange cake, I will only make again to take to a wine and cheese night.

  • anya_sf on September 30, 2019

    I made 3/4 recipe but with the full amount of grapes, since there weren't that many and the pan size was the same. After the initial 20 minutes, remaining baking time (after adding the topping) was 25 minutes. The texture and flavor of the cake were similar to pound cake, except for the pieces with grapes and sugar topping, which were the best. There weren't many grapes though. The dessert wine flavor was noticeable, yet subtle, in that I'd be hard pressed to identify it. My family liked this just fine, but it didn't wow us.

• Apricot and Amaretto cheesecake

  • Astrid5555 on June 11, 2019

    This was an easy to make but quite impressive looking, delicious cake. The 350g of apricots for the base were not enough to cover the whole bottom of the cake, which would have made the cake even better in my opinion. Apart from that another winner from this book!

  • anya_sf on June 14, 2018

    Like most cheesecakes, this was easy to make. The only problem I had was that the roasted apricots got awfully dark on the bottoms. I was worried they'd taste burnt, but fortunately they tasted OK. The cheesecake was creamy and delicious, with a bright flavor. I thought there was a lot of amaretto, but it wasn't that strong in the baked cake. Note: I did not see the correction to reduce the oven temp to 325, so baked it at 350 and it turned out OK.

  • Lsblackburn1 on July 29, 2022

    This was delicious! The texture was perfect and no cracks in the top! I quartered the apricots for the topping and also might have used more for the bottom.

• Louise cake with plum and coconut

  • Astrid5555 on September 12, 2017

    A little sweet, but sooo good. Three different layers (a coconut cake bottom, plums in the middle and a meringue with flaked almonds on top) that complement each other perfectly. I was a little hesitant to follow the instructions which tell you to bake the cake layer by itself until fully cooked and then top it with the plums and the meringue and continue baking for another 35 minutes. I was afraid that the cakey part would be dry, but it was perfect! I used Italian prune plums instead of dark red plums because these are what we have in abundance here at the moment, worked perfectly.

  • DePollepel on June 19, 2021

    delicous cake. base is very sweet, maybe use a bit more acid fruit on top

  • DePollepel on June 19, 2021

    Errate: Dutch version, step 8: cook for 45 min

  • Lepa on August 24, 2018

    I think this turned out well but ultimately it wasn't my favorite cake. I like cake with a more complex flavor and this one is just sweet. I think it would be better with a more acidic fruit- maybe strawberries or apricots.

• Tessa's spice cake

  • Astrid5555 on December 28, 2017

    This cake is worth baking just for its Christmas-y smell while in the oven, heavenly! This is an outstanding cake, perfect with a cup of tea. Quick to throw together, but do check it before the 50 minute mark, mine was done and quite dark already after 45 minutes. Used apple cider vinegar with honey instead of malt vinegar. Will definitely be making this one again!

  • cultus.girl on June 23, 2019

    This is the cake I have made over and over from Sweet. Beautiful spicy flavour.

  • FJT on October 20, 2017

    Ignoring the facts that I should have checked and put some foil over the top of the tin to stop the cake over-browning (almost burning) on top and my loaf tin is obviously slightly smaller than the one specified in the book, this is a really, really nice cake and does indeed go very nicely with a cup of tea. I made it with home-made mixed spice (Nigella has a recipe on her website), a gluten-free flour mix and cider vinegar in place of malt vinegar. I have a suspicion that, just like gingerbread which is very similar, this cake will only get better after a day or two ... if it lasts that long!

  • anya_sf on February 25, 2022

    I was skeptical about the high oven temperature; after 40 minutes, I reduced the temp to 325 F since the cake was already getting quite dark, and the cake baked another 18 min. The cake was lovely, moist and dense like a pound cake, with delicious brown sugar-spice flavor.

  • MsMonsoon on January 05, 2025

    Really nice flavor with crisp, sweet edges. I used a mini Bundt pan with 6 wells instead of a loaf pan. They were a touch overfilled but still released well (using homemade cake goop.) I used mixed spice which gives the cake a similar flavor to a cinnamon crumb donut. I didn’t think one tsp of spice would bring much flavor and scent, but I was wrong!

  • angela_woef21 on February 21, 2026

    Amazing! Cooked for 50 minutes, used quatre epices

  • FieryFantail on February 02, 2026

    This cake is great - one to make again

• Strawberry and vanilla mini-cakes

  • Astrid5555 on May 02, 2021

    These are delicious but way too sweet for my taste. Like in most of the recipes in this book you can reduce the sugar by probably 20%. Since the unfrosted cakes were already so sweet I just only added enough sugar to the strawberries to make a glaze otherwise they would have been inedible for me. Nevertheless, the rest of the family devoured the cakes within the hour.

  • cookingbychapter on April 14, 2025

    These were delicious! I halved the recipe to make 6 and the cake itself is so good. The icing I thought was too sweet, so I ended up adding two additional strawberries which did help, but of course made my glaze thin and barely there. But I kind of liked that.

• Tin cake pan part 1 (butternut, honey and almond)

  • eliza on December 02, 2017

    My first recipe from the book, this is definitely a dessert. It's very sweet and I would reduce the sugar slightly next time. The flavours are excellent and I liked the toasted almonds with the orange and raisins. I used 3 small loaf tins instead of cans; for this, the baking time needs to be reduced to about 35 minutes. I'm disappointed that the book (Canadian edition) calls for self raising flour which we don't have in Canada so I used 2.25 tsp baking powder in the flour, and this seemed about right. I froze one loaf and it reheated beautifully. Great with a cup of tea as an afternoon snack; will definitely make again.

  • Astrid5555 on February 02, 2021

    While I really enjoyed this cake, (which I made in a loaf pan rather than a tin), the rest of the family unisono declared their unhappiniess about “obvious vegetables in sweet bakes”. Quite sweet from the raisin and sugar combination (less would be more), a little crumbly, still delicious!

• Tin can cake part 3 (banana, date and walnut)

  • eliza on March 11, 2018

    These cakes were very good. I liked the method of heating the dates with the sugar, butter and water since that softens the dates making them easier to cut in the finished loaf. I'm glad I made the date mixture ahead of time as it takes quite a while to cool. I cut back the sugar by about 10% and it was still plenty sweet. Again there is self raising flour in this recipe so I used all purpose plus 2.25 teaspoons of baking powder for the flour. Along with the extra baking powder as stated in the recipe, this seemed about right. Three mini loaves took 40 minutes at 350 convection in my oven. In the future I will make this again when I want a sweeter loaf and/or I have only 1 banana, and I will continue to make the Smitten Kitchen banana loaf for a less sweet/more bananas version.

  • lou_weez on September 15, 2017

    When I make banana cake, it's usually because I have a glut of overripe bananas. This cake however, only uses 1 banana , so I doubled the recipe (2 bananas...woohoo!!) and made two loaves. The cake itself is very nice, sweet and soft with a slightly chewy crust. I will definitely make this again, though I might try knocking back the sugar and adding a banana.

  • LouiseQuasiChef on January 23, 2023

    The date-brown sugar-butter mixture is swoon-worthy! And that's the flavor of the cake which has the texture of pudding cake, with the banana in it. Very sweet, moist (too moist?) and delicious!

  • Flutefish on February 09, 2026

    Solid banana bread recipe. I reduced the sugar by 10% as others suggested, and I $ont think it needs to be reduced further.

• Orange and star anise shortbread

  • DePollepel on June 19, 2021

    taste good, but not extremely special

  • SpatulaClark on October 15, 2021

    Had been wanting to make these for a while and expected something out of ordinary from Ottolenghi. A tender standard shortbread, but bland if made to recipe - needs more spices to make it interesting.

  • MsMonsoon on March 02, 2025

    I was using the first US edition and didn’t see the errata for this book until they were done. (The book lists only half the amount of butter — it should be 250 grams.) As a result, the dough was crumbly and hard to roll out and the cookies were like dry crackers, very crisp and not like a crumbly shortbread. I did roll most of them too thin, I think. I liked the flavor, though. I used almost double the orange zest and used perhaps a little extra star anise. Grinding the whole star anise makes for some fragrant and flavorful cookies. I also liked the touch of salt which really came out in my cracker-cookies. (It sounds as if this unintentional "low-fat" version is really growing on me! But I will try again with the correct amount of butter.) These are nice for gift giving because the book says they keep 10 days.

• Chocolate and peanut butter s'mores

  • SunkenSouffle on November 22, 2020

    These make fantastic gift cookies. They look amazing stacked on top of each other in a little celo bag with ribbon, and they are super tasty. Don't overbake the cookies, they are done before you think.

• "Anzac" biscuits (aka honey, oat and raisin cookies)

  • FJT on March 31, 2020

    I made a few changes: quinoa flakes instead of bran flakes (which made them gluten free along with GF oats and GF flour) and dried cranberries instead of raisins as that's what was in the cupboard. I should have read the comments here first as mine were on their way to being scorched in less than the stated cooking time too! I reckon 15 minutes rather than 18 might have been ideal. Nice flavour.

  • Rutabaga on September 10, 2018

    This is a quick, versatile, and very snackable cookie recipe. And as far as cookies go, they're reasonably healthful. I was happily surprised that they don't include eggs, because that meant a friend with an egg allergy could eat them. They could probably easily be made vegan by substituting an alternative for the butter. Since our family isn't into raisins in our cookies, I substituted a smaller amount of dried cranberries. They would also be good (and a little more decadent) with chocolate chips or simply plain.

  • e_ballad on May 14, 2019

    These are in no way an ANZAC biscuit, with the only common ingredient being the rolled oats. As an oatmeal cookie, these are ok, though I had to reduce the cooking time quite a bit as the first batch was scorched.

• Raspberry and rose powder puffs

  • Kinhawaii on March 10, 2020

    Loved these - but didn’t used rose water since my family is not a fan of it, used different jams- strawberry, cherry, mixed berries with vanilla cream. Like a wonderful stuffed ladyfinger. I made mine too big so ended up with 20. I opened the door to flip the sheets halfway & some deflated so didn’t open the oven for the other sheets. Will definitely make again.

• Chocolate and chestnut powder puffs

  • Kinhawaii on December 31, 2021

    Delicious- delicate cookies, like eating a cloud. Half of the cream filling was enough for a generous scoop of cream. I think they are better made the evening before for the next day.

• Hazelnut crumble cake with gianduja icing

  • apattin on December 28, 2018

    It's very good. Sadly I over baked, but even as a dry cake it was good. Do not miss the Nutella ganache. For me, it needed a bit more liquid, cream I suppose.

• Baby black cakes

  • Anea25 on August 28, 2024

    loved these! light and fluffy with a great chocolate flavour

• Blackberry and star anise friands

  • anya_sf on July 21, 2018

    I baked the friands in a regular muffin pan. I had trouble with the baking time - the centers did not quite seem done after the stated time, so I left them in a couple of minutes longer, but then they burned on the edges. I cut away the burnt parts, but the friands were probably a bit dry as a result. Next time I might lower the temperature a bit. Still, they were quite tasty. The combination of blackberry and star anise flavors was unusual but good.

• Roma's doughnuts with saffron custard cream

  • Katie on January 03, 2025

    Saffron cream is delicious. I also did half of them with a mixture of pistachio butter and sweetened whipped cream, which made a nice complement.

• Chocolate Guinness cake with Baileys Irish cream

  • hillsboroks on March 17, 2020

    These were some of the best chocolate cakes I have ever made. I did not have the little cake pans called for in the recipe but I found the batter filled my Bundtlette pan of six little Bundt cakes perfectly. Using the Bundt shape also make it quite easy to pipe the Irish Cream filling into the center of each little cake. But before filling them I moved the cooled cakes onto individual 4" round paper baking cups I had on hand to prevent any mess from the filling leaking out. These little hard paper cups also were perfect to contain the ganache as I poured it over the cakes. I had a small bit of the filling leftover and piped a small mound on top of the ganache before grating the chocolate over it all. They were beautiful, delicious and got rave reviews at the St. Patrick's dinner I took them to. The appearance would have been perfect except that my baking cups were red with white polka dots. Oh well!

  • DFarnham on February 28, 2020

    Yummy

  • bwhip on March 27, 2020

    Absolutely delicious, what a wonderful cake. Pretty easy to make. Cake is moist and tender, with a really lovely and rich chocolate flavor. Filling amount is just right. I had to beat mine in the mixer quite a bit to thicken it up enough, but it turned out creamy and delicious. I used 8” springform pan, which worked out quite well.

  • anya_sf on December 07, 2020

    My husband requested this for his birthday and was very happy with his choice. I baked it in an 8" pan (not springform) for 35 min, which worked, although I needed a knife to loosen the edges, which were crumbly. The top sank slightly, but was covered by the ganache. In my cool kitchen, the ganache cooled to spreading temperature in less than 30 min. I wouldn't have minded more filling for visual appeal, although the flavor was definitely there.

  • Kinhawaii on March 07, 2021

    Agree with everyone- delicious! Used a pan for 8 small rectangular loaves slightly bigger than the specified ones & filled 6 of them. Took about 23 minutes. I think it was the brand of mascarpone I could find, but my filling seemed lumpy, next time may try the cream cheese based one from David Lebovitz’s Irish coffee cupcakes- or use cream cheese for this one.

  • pattyatbryce on February 15, 2021

    Fantastic! I used two 6-in pans and baked 30 min. It made it easy to fill. This took some time, but not as hard or time-consuming as I thought it would be. It's definitely a show-stopper.

• Rum and raisin cake with rum caramel icing

  • MsMonsoon on February 06, 2025

    I didn't do a great job with this cake and need to try it again! It was dry and I made my icing way too thick. I used an 8-cup dark Wilton bundt -- probably should have reduced the temp and time due to the dark pan. Also, I used the volume measurement of raisins (1 cup), but if I had followed the weight, 200g, I would have had more raisins and perhaps a moister cake. My icing was too thick, maybe because I used 1 less tbsp of butter. Should have added more milk to get a more pourable consistency.

  • crowlands on January 10, 2026

    The raisins closest to the surface burned, so next time I’ll bake at 350 instead of 375 to mitigate that.

  • Littlebirdchoc on July 20, 2020

    Wife and I loved it. Kids didn’t like the raisins because of the rum.

  • DePollepel on June 19, 2021

    nice cake but note extremely special

  • anya_sf on May 15, 2020

    We are fans of rum raisin ice cream and loved this cake. Half the recipe just barely fit in a 6.5" fluted pan. Baking time for the smaller cake was about 35 minutes. The weight of the raisins is more than the volume measurement; I used the volume as it seemed right.

  • Lsblackburn1 on December 25, 2018

    This cake was the perfect level of sweetness and the rum came through but was not too strong. Excellent holiday dessert!

• Parsnip and pecan cake with aniseed and orange

  • SunkenSouffle on November 22, 2020

    Mine turned out very dense and compact. Flavor was great though and the icing is fantastic!

  • corylavell on November 12, 2023

    This turned out excellent except the top went very dark - needed covering prob half way through the bake. (My oven runs to temp, and the cake was done at the 60m stated in the recipe)

• Beetroot, ginger and soured cream cake

  • SunkenSouffle on November 22, 2020

    This one got VERY mixed reviews. Once I got "used" to the flavor, I loved it, but it wasn't love at first bite.

  • MelanieG on November 02, 2017

    Use stem ginger- the alternative candied ginger process is not great as not very gingery result. I grated ginger into the frosting instead of adding ginger juice and thought it was better probably as more gingery taste. Addition of vit C tablet really does make the beetroot stay brighter than in other cakes.

  • LadyCJKT on February 24, 2019

    What a delicious cake! We had a lot of grated beetroot left over and this was the recipe that stood out when deciding what to do with it. Stem ginger is difficult to get where I live so I used about 70g of fresh ginger instead. I was a little concerned that it wouldn't work but having just tasted the cake I'm really pleased with the substitute. Walnuts are difficult to get too so those had to be left out but I can see how they'd add texturally to the cake. We also left off the frosting as my OH doesn't like frosting on cakes and this had no detrimental effect on the cake.

  • dinnermints on November 18, 2017

    Very good cake, and it does have a lovely color. I especially like that instead of butter the frosting uses heavy cream, which makes for a luscious mouthfeel. The frosting is quite soft and I thought it would sploop down the sides of the cake, but it stayed put. I'm curious about stem ginger after MelanieG's comment and would like to try that, as I agree that the ginger flavor could be stronger.

  • luke_i8msqc on May 02, 2026

    An unusual cake but quite delicious. We have had varying degrees of success with recipes from this book but this one worked better than others. Icing was a little loose once the ginger juice added. Will make again.

• Apple and olive oil cake with maple frosting

  • sosayi on October 09, 2018

    This seems to essentially be a scaled-up, larger version of the same cake from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook. Delicious fall celebration cake. Echoing comments from that earlier recipe, the bake time still seems long (and, yes, I have the adjusted, newer version of Sweet). I needed only 75 minutes to bake, not 90.

  • SpatulaClark on March 14, 2020

    Keeps beautifully moist, so the large quantity isn't a problem, and the un-iced cake freezes very well. Divided batter between a 23cm round and mini cake tin. Used Granny Smith apples, and the chunks added interest to the cake. Replaced water with orange juice, which took it up another level! Sweet enough by itself, but the icing is worth it for those with a sweet tooth - though I think the maple overrides some of the more subtle apple flavour. Followed recipe for baking time and had no problems. This might be the most sophisticated apple cake I've encountered.

  • DePollepel on June 19, 2021

    my go-to cake for something easy to make, bring along and then top with the glazing. lots of raving critics

  • FJT on September 23, 2024

    I didn’t have any Bramley apples on hand, so made this with some Red Windsors. Possibly didn’t add enough apples as the cake was a little dry, however the flavour was great and I may give it another go when I have the right apples. Made with a gluten free flour blend which may also have affected to moisture levels.. My husband says I’ve made better apple cake recipes, so I may have to look back and see what he’s remembering!

  • nomeshk on January 20, 2026

    Icing perfectly balanced to contrast with tart Bramleys. I chose to split the batter across two 8 inch / 20 cm cake tins, as I don't own a springform that size - this worked fine.

  • dawn_35wd2u on May 06, 2026

    I have made this many times. It always gets big compliments. Divine, especially the icing which could also be used on a carrot cake or anything else you fancy.

• Tin can cake part 2 (pineapple, pecan and currant)

  • anya_sf on December 09, 2017

    I baked this in a 9x5 loaf pan. It started browning too quickly, so I turned it down to 350 partway through, and it was done after 50 minutes. I adjusted the ingredients as follows: 1 20-oz can crushed pineapple; 1 stick butter; light brown sugar instead of demerara; a mixture of white whole wheat flour, baking powder, and salt instead of self-rising flour. The cake turned out well, and we enjoyed it for breakfast, as it wasn't too sweet.

  • lou_weez on May 31, 2020

    I really wish I read the reviews before making this cake. All went well apart from the fact I overcooked it :(. Apart from that it does still taste really good. Will make it again and reduce the cooking time and oven temp by 10.

  • e_ballad on July 29, 2018

    Really tasty & very simple if you use crushed pineapple, rather than canned pineapple rings. At 40mins, it was perfect when cooked in a standard loaf tin.

• Grappa fruit cake

  • Kinhawaii on April 20, 2023

    I thought this was just ok. Got 9 small cakes in a muffin pan & it took over 20 minutes to bake for me. Used Grand Marnier & orange zest & juice instead of lemon zest & juice. I thought it was better on the second day.

  • dinnermints on December 17, 2017

    I made this in a brioche pan, and while it wasn't exactly burned, it did brown more than I would've liked. I couldn't have taken it out sooner, because the center wasn't done. I know my oven was at the correct temperature, and this hasn't been an issue for his other cakes so far. Am guessing I should try baking it longer at a lower temp next time? Also, for feeding 10 people, it was a lot smaller than I expected. I was a bit sheepish about bringing it out to our table full of people for dessert, being that it was small and on the darker side of brown, but then it turned out to be delicious (used Grand Marnier instead of grappa). I believe there is a mistake in the recipe for the icing, though. 1.5 tsp of liqueur made a very stiff clump that could in no way be drizzled, but 1.5 T of liqueur was perfect. And would taste fabulous on gingerbread.

  • mondraussie on January 01, 2020

    Totally agree with dinnermints! I also made it in a brioche pan, and it did turn out very, very brown (almost burnt around the edges). Next time, I will try reducing the temp a little, and covering with foil after about 30mins. And yes the icing needs more liquid than the recipe states.. not a big deal, just keep adding liquid little by little until you have the consistency you want.

• Lemon and blackcurrant stripe cake

  • Frenchfoodie on June 03, 2019

    Made with raspberries and it was great, icing tasted like raspberry ripple ice cream. Made sponge a day ahead and it kept fine.

  • Nikapai on February 09, 2018

    Beautiful both to look at, and eat. Can make the buttercream up to three days ahead and refrigerate, which I did and am glad I did, as it reduced the cook time on the day. Really interesting textured cake too. So many rave reviews from people who ate it!

  • steinsm on February 28, 2018

    This is absolutely delicious. But, I found that the first time I made it, it was only 4" high (which is logical when the strips are 4" wide.) So, this time I doubled the recipe and made the strips 6" wide. Much better! Also, I use my own Swiss meringue buttercream recipe as the one in Sweet made a huge mess and just didn't work for me.

• Chocolate ganache

  • Poppyseedbagel on October 27, 2018

    Excellent flavour with clear instructions. Makes enough to cover the top of a 20cm cake generously

• Tropical fruit cake

  • Trentinla on December 26, 2021

    oh man.. this one of of the best tasking cakes I have EVER made.. BUT its not really the prettiest/most sophisticated looking cake out there.. BUT oh man... it does taste good

  • DePollepel on June 19, 2021

    great moist flavour, though very sweet

  • anya_sf on October 22, 2019

    After 40 minutes at 400 degrees, my cake was nearly done in the center and slightly burnt at the edges. I'd lower the temperature next time and definitely check early. There wasn't enough frosting for a "thick" layer on the whole cake (per the recipe), but there was enough for our taste. Despite overbaking, the cake was still moist. The texture was quite coarse, similar to carrot cake. The spices were very nice. The mango-cream cheese frosting was absolutely delicious. This cake was just for family, so I didn't decorate it fancy, but did top it with diced pineapple and coconut flakes. The fresh fruit on top really added to the overall cake. My family really liked this.

  • anniecc on January 19, 2025

    We really liked this cake, which tasted a bit like a cross between a banana cake and a carrot cake. I scaled I up the recipe by a third to fit a 23cm tin, which worked perfectly and took about 1 hr 15 minutes to bake. I had a problem with the icing setting but since no one else seems to have had this problem it’s possible I messed up my ingredient ratios when scaling up. I think I’d just make a standard carrot cake cream cheese icing in future.

• Pistachio and rose water semolina cake

  • romy.backus on November 27, 2017

    Like baklava in cake form - dense and moist, but not too sweet. Would be the perfect end to a Middle Eastern themed meal.

  • Zosia on June 04, 2018

    Rose and lemon flavours came together beautifully in this rich cake. I served it the day after it was made and it was perfectly moist with the syrup evenly distributed throughout. The rose water cream was a delicious finishing touch.

  • treay on November 10, 2024

    This is one of our favourite cakes. Have made it several times and it is always a winner, especially when we have guests.

• Festive fruitcake

  • AlexH on September 15, 2017

    There's a wonderful article (with video interviews!) all about their Christmas Cake on Ottolenghi's site! They start macerating their fruits in giant buckets in September/October. http://www.ottolenghi.co.uk/blog/yotam-discusses-ottolenghi-christmas-cake/

  • Apollonia on December 25, 2021

    We have made this incredible cake every year since this book came out, and clearly we love it. I tweak a little bit, in part based on the interview AlexH noted below. First, I usually macerate the fruit itself for closer to a week rather than the 24-28 hours the recipe calls for. Second, I aim to bake the cake in time to age it for at least 6 weeks, ideally longer, before Christmas, feeding it once or twice a week with a couple of tablespoons of cognac and rum. Definitely not one to be served to the kids, but it's otherwise perfect!

  • eliza on December 04, 2022

    Made this today to compare it to my family’s traditional recipe. I soaked my fruit for about a week and cut back a bit on the raisins and currants so I could add some pecans and crystallized ginger. Baked at just under 300 fan and covered for first 1 hr 40 min to control browning. I used a 7” springform pan and did the double parchment they recommend. Recipe says to cover near the end but I find covering at the start works better. Cooked the full 2.5 hours; check frequently towards the end of baking time. Extremely easy to make, will update when we eat it. Updated to add: this was a really delicious cake, and my friends who ate it all loved it (with 2 layers of icing). My family members all preferred the traditional family recipe, but also liked this cake a lot as well.

  • popy on January 02, 2022

    This makes a marvellous Christmas pudding! Rather than baking the mixture in the oven, I put it in a pudding basin and steam as usual. It also works beautifully with gluten-free flour.

• Almond butter cake with cardamom and baked plums

  • Wojtanowski on August 15, 2018

    A nice easy cake for a quick dessert with poached fruit...also works well to put plums in the batter though they will sink

• Pineapple and star anise chiffon cake

  • anya_sf on April 02, 2018

    The dried pineapple flowers were a bit difficult and confusing - at first I couldn't tell whether the pineapple was supposed to be unpeeled or peeled for those. I went with peeled. I had trouble slicing it thinly enough, then didn't leave the pieces in the oven long enough - they seemed dry and leathery, but apparently not dry enough, as they didn't retain their shape after unmolding. But I had enough OK pieces to decorate the cake. The cake itself was straightforward, although the flour weight didn't seem to match the measurement; I went with the weight. The cake took 50 minutes to bake, and I covered it with foil after 35 minutes. The pineapple taste wasn't that pronounced, and amazingly neither was the star anise (which smelled overwhelmingly strong in the jar), but blended with the orange zest to give the cake a lovely, bright flavor. We loved it.

  • Zosia on November 12, 2017

    Chiffon is my favourite type of cake and this one turned out very well: the crumb was light and fluffy and the pineapple, orange, and star anise flavours went together beautifully. In place of self-raising flour, I used 215g cake & pastry flour and 10g baking powder, and needed 10 egg whites and 6.5 yolks to meet the required weights for those ingredients using Canadian large eggs. My oven doesn't bake cakes well at high temperatures so I baked this at 175C; there was no need for foil and the cake was done in the allotted time.

  • dinnermints on October 08, 2017

    First time I've made a chiffon cake, and was desperately afraid it would turn into a frisbee. Thanks to some online tutorials about how not to eff it up, it turned out really well (can't say if it's perfect....don't think I've ever even eaten chiffon cake before). I used an oven thermometer and determined I needed to turn it down to 390 for the desired temperature, and tried to not over-stiffen the egg whites. And I lightly greased the foil before putting over the cake after 25 min in the oven. I couldn't get the pineapple slices to form flowers - wish there was a video on this - but the pieces still looked nice on the cake (though difficult to slice into). Verdict: it was delicious even though the pineapple I bought was not the most flavorful, and an impressive-looking dessert to bring to the table. And everyone appreciated the lightness of the cake.

• Coffee and cardamom pound cake

  • Zosia on January 06, 2018

    Delicious cake with a moist, fine crumb and excellent coffee flavour. The cardamom was too subtle to taste, though its fragrance wafted through the house as the cake baked, but I used pre-ground cardamom that perhaps wasn't as new as I thought it was. I baked the batter in two 21x11cm loaf pans but would have used smaller if I'd had them as there really wasn't enough batter for them. I replaced the self-raising flour with cake & pastry flour and 1-1/2tsp baking powder and used only half the glaze.

  • rchesser on February 27, 2018

    The cake was easy and non fussy to put together, and it came out moist and with a wonderful crumb. I put only a teaspoon of ground cardamom as opposed to the 1 1/2 tsps called for in the recipe because cardamom can be a bit overwhelming and floral to me. I'm glad I did not use as much cardamom as specified as just the 1 teaspoon caused the cake to get a few thumbs down, one of the testers said it tasted like a florist shop smells. The coffee flavor was subtle in the cake but absolutely delicious in the icing, overall not my cup of tea but I am looking forward to cooking through the rest of Sweet.

  • anya_sf on November 20, 2019

    I used espresso powder instead of instant coffee. In the cake, I used the same amount, but in the glaze I only used 1 Tbsp espresso powder. I miscalculated and divided the batter unevenly, so the coffee part had much more batter, but with the espresso powder, the flavor was still there. Next time I won't make that mistake so that the cardamom batter is more prominent. The glaze needed extra milk to become pourable. The texture of the cake was lovely - tender and soft. My bundt tin is very dark, so I reduced the temperature to 350 and the cake was done in 45 minutes. We enjoyed the cake several hours after baking, but I thought it tasted even better the next day. Next time I'd probably skip the glaze, as I didn't think the cake needed it.

  • sharifah on April 16, 2026

    Really liked this cake. I was worried that the cardamom might be overpowering but the amount in the recipe was just right. Could smell the fragrance beautifully. Everyone loved it and had seconds! I cut the baking time to 35 mins, and it was moist and not dry. Icing worked perfectly. I feel like making this one again tomorrow!

  • Ms20 on April 25, 2022

    This is a really nice, unusual take on classic pound cake. Would absolutely make again to bring to events or share with coworkers. Did not bother with the glaze.

  • TinkerTaylor on April 20, 2026

    Delicious! One of my fav bakes from this book

• Neapolitan pound cake (for the family)

  • Nossovitzky on August 05, 2024

    I'd made this before as per the recipe and decided to make again for my daughter's 3rd birthday. Skipped the chocolate/cocoa step and just coloured two of the three parts pink and purple, and divided the icing and did the same. It worked really well! I could have thinned out the icing a bit more for a better looking drip down the sides but the birthday girl was very happy with her unicorn coloured cake and it was enjoyed by the adults as well.

  • lou_weez on November 16, 2017

    When I went to check on my cake, it was considerably higher on one side. So then I needed to cook it a little longer, which meant it was overcooked and dry...oh the injustice of it all!! The kids still ate it, and I will make it again, without ruining it!

• Passionfruit cheesecake with spiced pineapple

  • lou_weez on November 05, 2017

    As far as cheesecakes go, this is relatively easy to make. It got a big thumbs up from everyone, not too sweet and oh so delicious. The topping is amazing! As passionfruit is expensive at the moment ($2 each), I opted for tinned passionfruit pulp, it worked but we probably didn't quite get the full passionfruit hit. Can't wait to make this again.

• Baked ricotta and hazelnut cheesecake

  • dinnermints on November 11, 2018

    Delicious, moist cake. I don't believe the errata correction from Eat Your Books is correct - I left everything at 350°F, and it was perfect. The ganache, however, was a complete fiasco. The sugar didn't want to melt in the corn syrup, and then once poured over the chocolate (and after sitting for 5min), the chocolate seized up, and I couldn't figure out how to fix it. Luckily I had some good-quality unsweetened chocolate. I combined 100g of that (finely chopped) with 100g water and 3T sugar in a double-boiler and then whisked in 40g room temp butter, and it was perfect.

  • DKennedy on September 14, 2022

    These are good but not great - presentation was beautiful. Served tiny versions at Temple Tea.

• Fig, orange and mascarpone cheesecake

  • lou_weez on August 10, 2020

    I used some jarred spiced baby figs instead of dried and skipped the step of boiling them in orange juice. This is a very grown up cheesecake, beautiful, rich flavours. One to be enjoyed with a glass of port.

  • mklasan on February 22, 2026

    I made this to use up leftover mascarpone and biscuits. Used a 18 cm cake tin and made half of the base and half of the filling - it fit just right.

• Chocolate banana ripple cheesecake

  • lilham on November 12, 2023

    Very rich but so delicious. This isn’t much harder than other cheesecakes I have made before. What sets it apart is the base. It is deliciously chocolatey. So much better than using chocolate digestives.

  • DePollepel on June 19, 2021

    amazing! serve small pieces because it is very heavy. maybe add some fresh fruit

  • darcie_b on October 03, 2017

    The crust is divine and the remainder of the cheesecake is excellent. The white chocolate flavor is nearly indiscernable so don't worry about using it even if you aren't a fan of white chocolate.

  • anya_sf on December 07, 2017

    I made the crust 2 days ahead. All the steps are easy, but the whole thing still takes quite a while, as cheesecakes usually do. I melted the chocolates in the microwave, but otherwise followed the instructions exactly, and the cake turned out great. It tasted just like it sounds - chocolate, banana, and cheesecake. The banana flavor really comes through. The white chocolate isn't noticeable. It looks really impressive, but isn't at all difficult. Highly recommended if you love chocolate, banana, and cheesecake.

  • Pandan on September 07, 2024

    Really good and not that difficult to make! It does require a ton of chocolate though. Tasted really good, I would have preferred it without the sliced bananas though as I prefer ripe bananas to be mashed up. Next time I would use firmer bananas for the slices and a ripe one only for the ganache.

• Rhubarb and blueberry galette

  • hibeez on May 28, 2024

    This was delicious (and smelled fabulous when baking!) - husband said it was even better the next day. I used cornstarch in lieu of tapioca. I did not have cookies, so I used almond flour, sugar and cinnamon - but only 35g of almond flour. The dough was soft, but baked on convection for first 10 minutes (oven wasn't *quite* at 400). Used heavy cream instead of egg wash and Sister Pie's Sugar-Sugar to dust (white sugar and Demerara) and it was the perfect crunch. Agree with others - the blueberry rhubarb combo was wonderful. Baked for closer to 45 minutes, but I would blame my oven, not the recipe.

  • anya_sf on June 04, 2024

    Wonderful. Flaky crust, just the right sweetness, great flavor. The galette was surprisingly still crisp the next day. The only thing I wanted was a little more fruit. Mine took 45 min to bake.

  • Astrid5555 on May 31, 2021

    Excellent, flaky, easy to make dough! Used ground almonds instead of amaretti cookies since this is what I had on hand. Will definitely make again also with other fruit.

  • Ann.Koekepan on May 25, 2021

    One of the best tasting dough and galette I had in years. Such a nice combination, such a flaky, crisp dough. You can tell Helen and Yotam tested this thoroughly. I used cornflour instead of tapioca and this worked superb.

  • stef on June 06, 2025

    Lovely recipe. Nice dough to work with. Baked flakey. I too used frozen blueberries. Absolutely deliciuos. Going on my list to bake when my rhubarb comes in.

  • dinnermints on June 27, 2018

    Excellent dessert. I haven't made this kind of crust before, and it came together far easier than the pie crust recipes I'm used to. I used Trader Joe's mini almond biscotti instead of the Amaretti cookies, and frozen blueberries instead of fresh. The pastry did seem to get a bit soft, but I didn't want to take the time to chill it for an hour in the fridge. I baked it straight away (35min turned out to be perfect), and it turned out nicely anyhow. I agree with Zosia re: flavor combination and crust - delicious. I served it with Alice Medrich's sour cream ice cream = fantastic combo.

  • Zosia on June 04, 2018

    Fabulous! I didn't expect this combination to be so good but the blueberries' natural sweetness was a great foil for the tart rhubarb. Making this recipe was a last minute decision to use up 300g rhubarb (I used the full amount) so I did make a few changes but nothing that would have affected the results dramatically: cake crumbs from a failed vanilla genoise to absorb the juices (omitted the amaretti, sugar and flour); frozen wild blueberries that I layered under the rhubarb; reduced the sugar by 25g. The crust was excellent too, crisp and flaky.

• Mont Blanc tarts

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2019

    I made half the recipe made as one 6" tart, which served 4. I used leftover flaky pastry crust from a Tartine recipe and not the recipe in Sweet. Once the crust is made, this tart comes together quickly. The combination of flavors and textures was quite nice. I did not need all the pecans, but they were tasty.

  • Kinhawaii on January 04, 2020

    I loved these. Had trouble finding the chestnut spread where I live but it was worth it. The crust was nice & flaky but may try more of a pate sucree next time. I had trouble getting the nuts to be crunchy with this recipe- may be too humid for where I live- so will make candied nuts another way next time. ...so may not make the exact recipe again but will make a version of it- tastes wonderful!

• Chocolate tart with hazelnut, rosemary and orange

  • Scubadiva on December 29, 2017

    The pastry recipe in the US version has way too little liquid. There must have been an error in conversion or a failure in testing.

  • Kattancock on December 03, 2023

    This was good, but for all the effort of making a tart crust I think it would have been more enjoyable as a mousse.

• Fig and pistachio frangipane tartlets

  • cultus.girl on March 03, 2026

    Delicious tarts. The filling, fig and crisp pastry make a wow mouthful.

• Schiacciata with grapes and fennel seeds

  • KarinaFrancis on January 26, 2022

    Roasted grapes are my current obsession and this will be on repeat. Not difficult to make and totally delicious. It’s thinner than a focaccia which means there was plenty of topping in each bite. We took it on a picnic and it got rave reviews. Update: I loved this so much I tried it with tomatoes/oregano in place of the grapes/fennel, it was also very good.

  • DePollepel on June 19, 2021

    delicious! for a picnic or to go with a salad

  • anya_sf on August 26, 2018

    Not difficult to make, just requires a few hours. The dough is similar to pizza dough. I used red grapes, but any would be good. The sweet-salty-fennel-grape flavor combination was addictive!

  • Zosia on November 24, 2017

    Such an interesting sweet and savoury flatbread that was a big hit served before the meal at a recent dinner party. The crust had a crisp bottom as promised and the egg yolk added a little richness to it. I used red grapes so it was less dramatic looking than if I'd used black but it was delicious nevertheless.

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on October 01, 2017

    Delicious! Easy, not fast, but very much worth the effort.

  • stef on January 01, 2018

    This went so well with chardonnay. Next time I will crush all the grapes

• Apricot and thyme galettes with polenta pastry

  • dinnermints on June 05, 2019

    Wonderful flavor combination. Even though the apricots I picked up could've been a tinge riper, they still worked well in this recipe. I cut them into eighths, and used five pieces per galette. I ground up my regular polenta a bit finer for the crust, and next time would search out instant polenta, as it was still a little gritty. And next time would cook the pastry cream a little less (maybe 2min), and would not trim the dough (ended up with seven galettes, one smaller round one using the trimmed dough). Served with Jeni's baked rhubarb frozen yogurt. A huge hit with my visiting family!

  • Astrid5555 on June 25, 2021

    Delicious flavor combination. Loved the crunch the polenta added to the dough. Didn’t bother with individual tarts, made one big galette.

• Pineapple tartlets with pandan and star anise

  • Anea25 on March 10, 2024

    We enjoyed these, though I thought they were a bit too sweet and we couldn't taste the pandan in it. The pastry was a wonder to work with.

• Gingerbread with brandy apples and crème fraîche

  • MsMonsoon on January 01, 2025

    This turned out great. How beautiful the user photos are here! I used the Nordic Ware fleur de lys pan (9 inch?) with cake goop (homemade pan release). Cake rose all the way up, so I’ll be sure to grease even the very tip top of the center next time. It baked for the full 50 min and released well. The cake is moist and has an orange flavor from the zest. I used Lyle’s black treacle (does blackstrap really work here? I’d be afraid to try since I’ve had it come out too strong in other baking recipes.) Used jarred stem ginger and about 20-30% additional just to use it all up. The brandy apples are delicious with the vanilla bean and lemon juice and peel. The recipe does not say to remove these after cooking, funnily enough. I ate a piece of lemon peel and it was actually quite good! Served with creme fraiche but whipped cream would be great too.

  • Kattancock on October 25, 2025

    Delicious cake! Made it in a 9-inch (dark) springform and it basically filled the pan but didn't overflow. Set the timer for 45 mins as my oven is a high achiever and it was still extremely dark on top and sides, and crunchy. Doesn't taste burnt but it's definitely on the edge. Still fairly moist inside but next time I'll reduce the time and perhaps the temperature too.

  • dinnermints on December 10, 2017

    Very, very good. Didn't try it with the brandy apples, but was lobbying for it (we were taking it somewhere for a Thanksgiving dessert, my fam thought dealing with the apples would be too fussy...next time!). I really don't see the point of steeping the crystallized ginger in water; it just leeches flavor out. The crystallized ginger doesn't need to be softened. I added it as is, and it was great - would even add a bit more (wish I'd done that with his beet cake too).

  • coryelizabeth on February 15, 2018

    I made this cake twice (in the same day). The first time was a disaster; the second time, it worked out pretty well. Here is what made the difference. You must use a spring form pan to bake this cake. The recipe says it will work in a Bundt pan, but it's not possible to line a Bundt pan with parchment and, without parchment, the cake will stick hopelessly and eventually fall into pieces. In addition to using a spring form pan, take the time to butter the pan well, before lining the bottom AND the sides with parchment. Additionally, 50 minutes at 400F led to a burned cake. The second time around, I covered the cake with tin foil at 30 minutes and pulled it out at 40. It was still a bit scorched on the top and bottom, though it still tasted good. Next time, I might try a slightly lower oven temperature to avoid burning.

  • coryelizabeth on February 17, 2018

    **UPDATE: I just ate a leftover slice of this gingerbread and can report that, a week later, it is still moist, tender, and even more delicious than it was originally. The brandied apples and creme fraiche make this into a "showstopper" dessert, but the cake on its own is lovely and complex. Worth the effort, with a few adjustments (see below).

  • anya_sf on March 19, 2020

    I made 1/3 recipe in a 6" round pan. After 24 minutes, it was done or perhaps overdone, as the cake wasn't as moist as I'd like, although the flavor was good. I didn't line the sides with parchment and had no trouble removing the cake, but parchment might have protected against overbaking. We loved the brandy apples (I used Braeburn) and had lightly sweetened whipped cream on the side instead of creme fraiche.

  • dbuhler on July 30, 2024

    I made this in a Bundt pan and had no problems getting it out of the pan. I used my traditional Bundt because I was worried about it sticking, but next time I make it I would feel comfortable using a more intricate pan because it just slid right out. Aside from reducing the baking soda (I'm at high altitude) the only change I made was substituting the brandy for apple cider. Like anya_sf I also served it with sweetened whipped cream. I'm in the US and I sourced black treacle and I would def do that again...I would bet that black strap molasses would be way too strong here. Everyone loved this!! Even on day two the cake was still moist and delicious! I will definitely make this again.

• Ricotta crêpes with figs, honey and pistachio

  • Shaxon on March 28, 2021

    Note the 1 hour wait time on the crepe batter, time to cook each crepe, and the 30 minute bake time. Great to make ahead and then bake when company arrives.

• Rice pudding with roasted rhubarb and tarragon

  • anya_sf on April 09, 2020

    I baked the pudding and rhubarb a day ahead. I used lowfat milk and dried bay leaves in the pudding, baked in an 8"x8" dish. I imagine fresh bay leaves would have been more flavorful. The pudding formed quite a skin, which I removed. I wasn't sure I'd like tarragon in a sweet dish, but it was nice here. This was an enjoyable breakfast, serving 4. (If I had it for dessert, I might be slightly disappointed, as it's not super sweet.)

• Cape gooseberry Pavlova

  • Shaxon on April 03, 2022

    2 hours of cooking time plus leaving the pavlovas in warm oven to cool is WAY TOO MUCH. The pavlovas were golden brown on the outside, but also golden brown throughout. They tasted burnt. Very disappointing.

• Hot chocolate and lime puddings

  • bwhip on September 22, 2017

    These were fantastic. We made them with orange, rather than lime, as the recipe had indicated might be a good option. Loved them and will definitely make them again.

  • anya_sf on February 07, 2020

    I used orange zest instead of lime. Made a few hours ahead (stored at room temp), they were dense and intensely chocolatey, more like flourless chocolate cake than pudding or souffle. The dollop of creme fraiche was nice, but next time I'll top them with unsweetened whipped cream for more lightness.

• Ginger crème caramel

  • raybun on May 18, 2018

    Let me start by saying that the flavour is fantastic. I made the mistake of using my le creuset braiser for the water bath and it dried out, so don’t be lazy like me and get down the turkey pan! The flan curdled and was dimpled and motley looking, nothing like the glorious glossy smooth crème caramel in the book! I will definitely be attempting this recipe again asap.

• Yoghurt panna cotta with basil and crushed strawberries

  • anya_sf on April 11, 2020

    My review isn't completely fair since I did not have basil, which I'm sure would add another level of flavor. Even without the basil, we loved the light, refreshing flavor of the panna cotta. For 1/2 recipe, 2 leaves of silver gelatin made the texture firm enough to unmold, although I didn't bother. A combination of lowfat and whole milk worked (with whole milk yogurt). We topped the panna cotta with extra strawberries, which I recommend.

• Kaffir lime leaf posset with fresh papaya

  • Joyceeong on March 02, 2018

    This is so yummy! Rich but good! The cream is heated and infused with kaffir lime leaves fresh from my garden pot. Instead of bruising the lime leaves, I merely snipped the leaves into pieces with a scissors. The only changes I've made is, to reduce the sugar to only 4 tablespoons. I tasted after the sugar has melted into the cream, and the sweetness was just right for us with 4 tablespoons (about 50gm, instead of the original 140gm). I made it in the morning, refrigerate until serving time as a cold dessert after dinner, and it was perfectly set. The papaya needs to be sliced to thin slices, so that they can bend easily, otherwise they will break, but then that is not really a problem, only look prettier when they are in one piece. The lime zest and juice which is sprinkled over the posset, helps to reduce some of the richness of the cream. Smells deliciously fragrant from the kaffir lime leaves and the lime. We really enjoyed this. I would definitely be making this again! Yum!

  • treay on November 08, 2024

    Last night, for dessert, I made a posset - I didn't have a clue what it was until a few days ago. Never heard or tasted it, but apparently it is a century old recipe "that was served as a warm drink to the wealthy - and said to help people if they were feeling ill...". Now it is served cold and it is similar to custard. I must say it was delish! Its citrus refreshment makes the perfect palate cleanser to finish off a meal, much similar to what a lemon sorbet does.

• Sticky fig pudding with salted caramel and coconut topping

  • anya_sf on December 24, 2019

    I baked the puddings in a muffin tin using jumbo liners. The batter barely fit in 8 cups (about 150 g in each). Before adding the topping, I moved the puddings into a baking dish because the topping would clearly drip, although more of it stayed on top of the puddings than I expected. As kinhawaii mentions, 1 cup coconut weighs less than 95 g; 1 cup was plenty. Baking the puddings ahead and reheating them individually in the microwave worked fine. Since this topping isn't that saucy (and some of the sauce falls off), the puddings benefited from being served with vanilla ice cream. The cake part tasted a lot like traditional sticky toffee pudding, but the topping was more like German chocolate cake topping without the nuts; the salt wasn't noticeable. If I make these again, I'll make 10 puddings to be sure the topping can be contained.

  • lindayorke on November 20, 2017

    I substituted dates that I already had on hand for figs and it worked perfectly. Also, I made it in a 9" springform pan and cooked it 30-35 minutes before adding the coconut topping. Killer dessert!! Serve with a little ice cream and caramel sauce to take it up another notch...but not necessary.

  • Kinhawaii on November 30, 2018

    I love this book but this was not my favorite recipe. I did have only 6 oz of figs instead of the 7 oz, which I thought would be ok, but mine came out like a nice soft apple cake dotted with figs. I tried to weigh finely grated coconut, which was listed as an alternative, & my gram measurement was way more than the 1 cup called for, so my topping was more like toasted coconut- should have used a cup. I think using bigger flakes, as in the photo, would have been better. I am not sure if I enjoy fig & coconut together. I used those taller parchment paper liners in a muffin pan & got 12 instead of 8. I think if I tried to force it into 8, it would have overflowed.

  • treay on November 10, 2024

    Excellent dessert!

• Frozen espresso parfait for a crowd

  • lou_weez on April 06, 2018

    This is a recipe that requires serious commitment. Whilst not difficult, it is very time consuming. Having said that it was definitely worth it. It tastes amazing, with a serious hit of coffee and has both smooth, crunchy, bitter (coffee) and sweet elements.

• Campari and grapefruit sorbet

  • mirage on December 09, 2023

    Very good, but a little goes a long way

• Lemon, yoghurt and juniper berry ice cream

  • Corrieallison on February 01, 2020

    This is one of my favorite ice creams I've ever made. It's different, and addicting. I have made several times - try and double the recipe next time, it never lasts long enough.

  • Ganga108 on February 15, 2022

    What a lovely flavour this ice cream has - lemon, bay leaf and juniper. It is lemony at the front, but not acidic, with a lovely, almost unnoticeable, softening flavour provided by the bay and juniper. I was nervous about making this recipe because the ratio of liquid to dairy is very high - normally I make egg-free ice creams that are primarily high-fat cream, milk and condensed milk. They are smooth-as. And I was right to be nervous - this one from Ottolenghi is more on the "ice" side than the "cream" side. Still, on a hot day, what is better than something lemony and cold. I won't be complaining.

  • Anea25 on July 08, 2024

    such a nice treat for the summer. the brightness of the lemon, the smoothness of the cream and the nice undertone of bay and juniper. Not your average lemon ice cream!

• Chocolate, rose and walnut ice cream

  • Poppyseedbagel on April 02, 2018

    This is truly delicious.

• Raspberry lollipops

  • Rutikazooty on January 25, 2018

    I made this with a friend who went to culinary school. We followed the directions and the lollipops looked beautiful and the taste was delicious. But the sugar must have cooked to the wrong stage; we used a good digital thermometer. They ended up being more like something that totally sticks to your teeth and which would be a real problem for anyone with dental appliances in their mouth (oh, there's my denture). If I did this again, I would research the temperature etc of making a lollipop.

• Dark chocolate woodland meringues

  • Astrid5555 on December 27, 2021

    Adding a very small amount of baking powder results into very crispy meringues every time, this is genius. Dipping the meringues into the chocolate and coating them with hazelnuts is very fiddly but so worth it!

  • eliza on December 18, 2019

    These are so so good. I made my meringues way ahead of time as I was sure they would last well in an airtight tin. I did the chocolate hazelnut coating the night before and they held up well. That being said, these are quite fragile and are really finicky to dip and coat so be sure to have plenty of time set aside to finish them. They are very sweet, but are as light as air and the flavours blend beautifully. Everyone loved these! These are worth the time and are definitely on my repeat list for special occasions.

  • elysedc on December 28, 2022

    These were so scrumptious. Followed the meringue recipe exactly, meringues came out perfect and crispy! My husband preferred the white chocolate version of these, while I thought these were the best ever. Used very dark chocolate for the coating, swapped hazelnuts for toasted almonds, they were divine. Only potential issue was they did take some time to dip and coat (I got closer to 100 out of this recipe), and needed to rewarm the chocolate a few times -- all fine, except beware of dipping the delicate meringue into the warm chocolate for too long, as it will start to melt!

• Spiced praline meringues

  • cespitler on November 25, 2018

    I am loving these meringues! I have used a different recipe for years so was happy to have a new technique and flavor profile. I shortened the baking time (started checking at 1 hour and finished at 1 h 15 min) and the texture came out beautifully.

• Chocolate-coated ruby red grapefruit peel

  • KarinaFrancis on February 28, 2021

    After making the chicken and grapefruit salad I decided to candy the peel. Very straight forward recipe and I kept nibbling on pieces as they were drying. The chocolate coated version is delicious but very unphotogenic. Note that it took closer to 2 hours for the syrup to boil down, I haven’t discarded it, I’m thinking it will have cocktail applications

• Middle Eastern millionaire's shortbread

  • babasach on July 29, 2018

    A brilliant recipe that has (so far) been a great success anytime I've made it. The first time around, I accidentally burnt the caramel, so I decided to start again, and it was the right decision. In this recipe, it's the tahini/halva that makes the difference, and takes this shortbread from "classic" to "unusual and exciting".

• White chocolate woodland meringues

  • Astrid5555 on December 27, 2021

    Adding a very small amount of baking powder results into very crispy meringues every time, this is genius. Dipping the meringues into the chocolate and coating them with the crushed freeze-dried strawberries is very fiddly but so worth it! Preferred the chocolate-hazelnut version though.

  • elysedc on December 28, 2022

    Followed the meringue recipe exactly, meringues came out perfect and crispy! I think I preferred the dark chocolate version of these, although these were still very very good. Swapped freeze dried strawberries for different colors of sprinkles to make "elf hats." Only potential issue was they did take some time to dip and coat (I got closer to 100 out of this recipe), and needed to rewarm the chocolate a few times -- all fine, except beware of dipping the delicate meringue into the warm chocolate for too long, as it will start to melt!

• Pistachio roulade with raspberries and white chocolate

  • treay on November 10, 2024

    I made some changes and used a variety of berries. It was delicious!

• Cinnamon Pavlova, praline cream and fresh figs

  • Emwestley on January 20, 2026

    Delicious. Great showstopper for a dinner party, made for a Christmas gathering

• Baby orange cakes

  • Anea25 on August 28, 2024

    nice and light

• Food52

  I love baking and this has knocked all my previous baking favorites off the shelf. It’s beautifully presented, with Ottolenghi’s characteristic style, and I would cook each recipe I’ve tried again.

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• Food52

  Publisher announces updated version of the book. See how to get it.

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• Eat the Love

  None of the recipe are overly complicated or require difficult to find ingredients, but they are all a step up above the usual layer cake or pie you find in an average baking cookbook.

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• Food52

  Picked for Food52's December 2017 Cookbook Club. Follow link to join.

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• Simply Recipes

  ...feature fresh produce, as well as unusual and compelling combinations of sweet spices. The directions are very specific and easy to follow, too, which is important in a baking book.

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• Joy the Baker

  ...here to blow our minds with sophistication and simplicity and flavor with his new book Sweet. I mean… I’m still wrapping my head around Plenty, but the hits keep comin’.

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• Real Baking with Rose Levy Beranbaum

  Having cooked from Yotam's savory books, it is really exciting to be in possession of his first book devoted to sweets--after all, he started off as a pastry chef!

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