Sometimes, thinking back over those early years of the pandemic, it’s easy to see why home baking became such a source of joy and connection. Here in Nova Scotia, bubbling was tight and, due to the lack of close family nearby to share that bubble space with, I started to invest in cardboard bakery boxes so that I could spread my baking (and love) around. So, reading through Tilly Pamment’s new book, The Plain Cake Appreciation Society, I feel both kinship as well as a deep nostalgia for that time spent at home. Pamment, an Australian-based recipe developer and photographer, built her online community through cake. She would post weekly recipes for her online community to try and then they would meet virtually – these meetings of what became known as “The Plain Cake Appreciation Society” marked the beginnings of conversations and lasting friendships. While Pamment tells us in her introduction that these meetings became a real salvation for her during the lockdown periods, I suspect, they were a salvation for her community of cake-minded home bakers too. Together, but apart – it’s how many of us persevered through those early pandemic years.
Pamment has a very distinctive voice in the cakeverse. Her photos feel cozy and lush, full of beautiful baked goods, flowers, and textiles. And the colour palette of pinks, yellows, earthy greens, grey and browns is unmistakable (when I see a photo on Instagram I immediately know when it’s one of hers). Pamment has translated her signature online style into her book, which is full of the same beautiful, inviting, and delicious photography. Along with the recipes, she offers flowers and teas to pair with her cakes in her “Tea & blooms match” recommendations (there is also a short guide to potted tea at the end of the book).
There are 52 cake recipes – one for each week of the year – which are organized into 6 chapters: 1) Blossom & Butter, 2) Coconut Shells & Strawberry Stalks, 3) Burnt Butter & Blackberry Brambles, 5) Falling Apples & Quince, and 6) Woodsmoke, Chai & Chocolate. Her recipes are uncomplicated and easy to make! The chapters follow both mood and seasonality, so there is a cake for whatever your need or desire might be. Like many Australian baking books, there is a tendency towards the use of self-raising flour and caster (superfine) sugar. It should also be noted that her ingredient measurements are given in weights – grams or ounces (I loved this as it is my preference when baking from cookbooks).
Within hours of receiving a copy of Pamment’s book I immediately started baking, and it was the first recipe of the book that caught my attention. The recipe for Weekday Lemon Cake is a lovely bright cake – full of lemons and yogurt, the crumb is moist and lush. Unlike other cakes, this one is what Pamment refers to as “melt-and-mix” because the butter is melted then mixed in (which is helpful if you’re like me and haven’t left it out to soften). I noticed that she used a gorgeous Nordic Ware patterned loaf pan to make her cake, so I followed suit and used my Nordic Ware Honeycomb Loaf pan (As a side note, all of these Nordic Ware patterned loaf and Bundt pans bake up such beautiful cakes – a true favourite of mine!) The final cake is topped with a sweet-tart lemon glaze, which is really delightful.
There’s something really toothsome about a good coconut cake. Is it the texture desiccated coconut offers or is it the subtle perfume the cake gives when the coconut and vanilla mingle and bake together? The recipe for Just a Coconut Cake seems like the Platonic ideal of what Pamment means by “plain cake” – it’s easy to mix up and bake, and it gives home bakers a blank canvas that can be served in any number of ways. I chose to dust the cake with icing sugar, but she also recommends giving it a good swipe of passionfruit buttercream or splitting the cake to sandwich it with whipped cream and jam. Here, I decided to use my IKEA cake pan with its floral design in homage to Pamment’s beautiful work with blossoms and flowers in her pictures.
I also baked the recipe for Apple & Cinnamon Cake when a friend gave us a bushel of apples from their picking trip to the Annapolis Valley (here in Nova Scotia). This cake offered a perfect use for these gorgeous apples. The cake batter has a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat flour and, instead of adding chunks of apple to the batter, the apples are peeled and thinly sliced then arranged over the top of the cake before baking. There’s something so cozy and comforting when apples and cinnamon bake in the oven!
I wholeheartedly agree with Pamment’s assertion offered at the end of her introduction: “Because, after all, a slice of cake, a cup of tea and someone to share it with are surely the cornerstones of contentment in life.” And it’s with her gorgeous cookbook full of easy, comforting cake recipes that we can enjoy a little calm and fellowship.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Murdoch Books for providing me with a free, review copy of this book. I did not receive monetary compensation for my post, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Any links provided are intended purely for informational purposes.
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