About the author
Claire Ptak is an American baker, food writer, and food stylist who owns and runs Violet Cakes, a bakery café in London's East End. Alongside her writing and baking, she has contributed a food column to The Guardian and The Observer and published a variety of cookbooks. She is widely recognized for baking the royal wedding cake for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, which was a layered sponge featuring a lemon and elderflower buttercream icing. Her cookbooks focus on approachable baking, traditional confectionery, and homemade treats, making them well suited for home cooks interested in exploring classic sweets, chocolates, and everyday bakes. Readers looking to begin with her stocked titles can start with Love Is a Pink Cake for a collection of bakes suited for any time of day, or The Whoopie Pie Book for recipes centered on cake sandwiches created by the founder of the Violet Bakery. Additional options include Home-Made Chocolates and Truffles, The Old-Fashioned Hand-Made Sweet Shop Recipe Book, The Home-Made Sweet Shop, and Boiled Sweets and Hard Candy.
📖 Where to start with Claire Ptak
💬 What our editors say about Claire Ptak's books
“It positions itself as a straightforward instructional guide rather than a deep dive into confectionery history. It may not suit serious pastry chefs seeking complex flavor profiles or scientific explanations of sugar…”
Eatbook Family editorial team, Cookbook desk · on Boiled Sweets & Hard Candy: 20 Traditional Recipes for Home-Made Chews, Taffies, Fondants & Lollipops
📋 Editions by Claire Ptak in the catalog
| Edition | Year | Publisher | Pages | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Old-Fashioned Hand-Made Sweet Shop Recipe Book | 2015 | Hermes House (UK) | — | 9780857230027 |
| The Home-Made Sweet Shop: Make Your Own Confectionery with Over | 2017 | Southwater Publishing | — | 9781780195193 |
| The Whoopie Pie Book: 60 Irresistible Recipes for Cake Sandwiche | 2011 | Experiment | — | 9781615190393 |
| Love Is a Pink Cake: Irresistible Bakes for Morning, Noon, and N | 2023 | W. W. Norton & Company | — | 9780393541113 |
| Home-Made Chocolates & Truffles: 20 Traditional Recipes for Shap | 2014 | Lorenz Books | — | 9780754829690 |
| Boiled Sweets & Hard Candy: 20 Traditional Recipes for Home-Made | 2014 | Lorenz Books | — | 9780754828860 |
