Jumpstarting a craze in the UK for American cupcakes, most notably the famous Red Velvet, it was a natural step for The Hummingbird Bakery to share the recipes that had been such a hit with their customers. First published in 2009, The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook took the baking world by storm, introducing the authentic and unapologetically indulgent flavours of American baking to the world.

How I wish , our little kids get to be a part of the traditional Diwali celebration like we used in our childood. They would barely crave nor get high stungon hearing a #Boom # Bang !! Quite why free-range eggs are recommended, other to salve the conscience of a commercial bakery which doubtless uses an awful lot of commercial processed egg product in its daily production of product for sale, is not explained. Why, also, should there be a disclaimer that no recipe has been tested in a fan oven (as opposed to something they call a ‘regular’ oven, whatever that is)? I can’t remember when I last bought a ‘modern’ cookbook which didn’t print two cooking temperatures side by side for each recipe. And so this classic collection of recipes was compiled based upon the recipes made and served in the Notting Hill bakery on Portobello Road. Needless to say, it was a runaway success and went on to sell a million copies across the world.Usually 'celebrity' endorsed products turn me off. Sorry Paris I don't want to smell/dress/ be like you. However, when I saw Gwyneth Paltrow's gushing recommendation of the hummingbird bakery, I was intrigued. Gwyneth Paltrow, who ( if the tabloids are to be believed) lives off a teaspoon of flaxseeds a day, eats cake? And not just any cake, cakes with lots of BUTTER and SUGAR and CREAM. There is even a pecan pie where you have to have dark corn syrup flown in from America ( where the fat people live). Everything that 'they' say you shouldn't eat (they, being skinny, unhappy health experts) is in these recipes. And there are no healthy versions of brownies. Hurrah!!!!! (Madonna's personal chef says ' all you need is 100g of quinoa, 100g of spelt flour and 150ml of beetroot juice! You honestly can't taste the difference'. This is why Madonna looks so miserable).

As parents, sometimes we feel , we are depriving our lil ones of their culture and heritage sitting afar.. Something definitely needs to be done to bridge this gap… we want them to experience, a typical celebration like we all did since childhood. A stride that needs some hard work and a lot of thinking before the next celebration , next year ! Eight new recipes are included in this up-to-date edition, including mint chocolate Grasshopper Cake, Hot Cross Bun Cupcakes and a deliciously retro Chocolate Cola Cake. Such is the popularity of exceptional cake baked that very same day, we opened a further five stores across our dear capital: in South Kensington, Spitalfields, Victoria and St Johns Wood and Soho. We can’t wait to welcome you! Put the flour, baking powder, salt and butter in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat on slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined. Gradually pour in half the milk and beat until the milk is just incorporated.Whisk the egg, vanilla extract and remaining milk together in a separate bowl for a few seconds, then pour into the flour mixture and continue beating until just incorporated (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula). Continue mixing for a couple more minutes until the mixture is smooth. Do not overmix. But this is here, because of my new essential kitchen gadget, my hand mixer. I have been using my muscle power and a simple whisk in the last 6 months of my baking . The Recipe suggested using was crunchy peanut butter but I have used Smooth Peanut Butter instead. . Kids at home do not relish any abnormal texture on their tongue, so things got be smooth 🙂 Do you guys count cookbooks as a book read? I mean, I read the entire thing, so it counts, right? Anyway. I’m not going to go into an enormous amount of detail, but it’s an excellent dessert book. I love all the recipes, they seem simple enough to make and I’ve had the cupcakes and brownies at the Hummingbird Bakery before, so I know the results are delicious. I’ll include the first recipe in the book for anyone who wants to give it a go:

Bakery” is the clue here. Sugar addicts will love this book. Tempted by size, layout and photography I bought this book without a second thought, very inexpensively, second hand; despite my having more cake recipes within my library than I could possibly ever have time to produce product from. We are Hummingbird Bakery and we love baking cakes, bakes and desserts. With this pure, sweet sentiment, we founded our company and opened our first American-style bakery in Notting Hill, 2004. And so arrived the authentic taste of fresh, American home baking in London. We are delighted to help our guests celebrate and spoil themselves everyday! We offer an incredible range of American-style baked treats. Cupcakes, celebration cakes, brownies, pies, cheesecakes… or perhaps the Monthly Special? Honestly, we don’t think you can go wrong. Ever after that whenever she heard a Boom , Bang , Bong her eyes keenly look for the loud chromatic display in the dark sky. Just as the guy fawkes day celebration went past , here in UK , we had an exemplary fireworks display in a local park. Sitting up, cosily in our bedroom, sungged in our fleece jumpers and heater s on , we witnessed a 30 minutes picturesque prismatic exhibit . An extra hug , An extra kiss and more cuddles is what we got for this grandeur celebration . The kids in the neighbour hood were already woeing as this beauty they were all witnessing was drawing to closure..