The Clandestine Cake Club: A Year of Cake

Book excerpt: Following the success of their first recipe collection, the Clandestine Cake Club is back with a second delicious helping. Inspired by the most cake-worthy moments throughout the year, founder Lynn Hill and her army of Cake Club members have compiled 100 gorgeous recipes to whet your appetite and get you celebrating. Arranged month by month, you'll find cakes to suit all the best-known dates in the calendar - such as Christmas, Mother's Day, Easter and Halloween - plus countless other occasions that deserve to be celebrated, from international holidays (Chinese New Year, Thanksgiving) and religious festivals (Diwali, Mardi Gras) to major sporting events (Wimbledon, the London Marathon) and the birthdays of iconic figures, including Shakespeare, Elvis Presley and the Queen - not forgetting the queen of baking, Mary Berry! Whether you fancy rocking out at Glastonbury, shaking your stuff at the Notting Hill Carnival, tapping your feet to the Last Night of the Proms, or smelling the roses at the Chelsea Flower Show, there's a recipe here to get the party started. The cakes themselves hail from far and wide: some feel homegrown - such as Toffee Apple Gingerbread, Rhubarb Crumble & Custard Cake, and Strawberry Pimm's Cake - while others promise a taste of the exotic - Chocolate Key Lime Cake, Persimmon, Yogurt & Pecan Cake, and Matcha Chiffon Cake. Club members love to innovate, offering up such temptations as Sea Salted Caramel Cake, Passionfruit Caipirinha Cake, and Canadian Maple Syrup & Bacon Cake. Each recipe is served up with a little slice of history, revealing the curious traditions behind the cakes and intriguing stories about the occasions that inspired them. Accompanied by gorgeously styled photographs, this book gives every cake-lover a reason to celebrate.