Title: National Trust Book of Cakes
Author: Linda Collister
Genres: Cooking, Food & Wine
Pub Date: 14 Mar 2024
Pages: 170
Format Read: EPUB
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐⭐

What an utterly delightful little book!

This 'edible history' of British treats starts off with a very well-curated (not too basic, not too complex) introduction that includes a lovely, helpful roundup of baking basics & techniques as well as standard measurements, pan sizes, and simple tips to set even the most nervous baker up for success.

These are, like many British bakes, very approachable recipes that invite you to get inspired & roll up your sleeves. The recipes range from very easy loaf cakes & brownies to simple rolled sponge & madeleines - recipes that require a tiny bit of focus, but don't require you to learn complex patisserie or buy specialist ingredients.

Many of the recipes are historical, and either served at National Trust cafes or inspired by the history of various National Trust properties. This end doesn't get heavy-handed at any point, and certainly never feels like a forced advertisement or anything of the sort.

Each recipe is prefaced by an introduction that often includes interesting historical or cultural titbits.

There aren't any photos, but there are cosy illustrations - very cottagecore, in a sweet way - and these are very well-done and, as someone who loves photos in cookbooks, I find these perfectly appropriate for the size & scope of this little book.

Recipes include include Elderflower Yogurt Cake (GF), Bara Brith, Peach Melba Cake, Fresh Apricot, Saffron and Honey Cake, Kentish Ale Fruit Cake, Tiffin (GF) & Little Chelsea Buns.

There's something for just about everyone, with a few nods to substitutions for vegan, gluten-free or nut-free versions, and with recipes this straightforward, if you are used to basic recipe adaptations for dietary needs, you won't struggle here.

Overall, a completely delightful little gem of a cookbook.

Thank you to Collins Reference, NetGalley, and the Author for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

#BookofCakes #NetGalley

I love these National Trust books they are not to big and have plenty of lovely recipes

Great book of recipes and great instructions that are easy to follow

Would highly recommend

Some really lovely recipes in here, and as you would expect from the National Trust, there's also a wealth of information about the history behind various recipes, as well as links to more modern uses (for example - Rock Cakes, promoted during the Second World War and a favourite of Hagrid from Harry Potter!)

The instructions are straightforward and almost all the ingredients are commonly found, so this offers a great starting point for home bakers, as well as a few more unusual recipes, perhaps especially for those who enjoy traditional baking. The book is divided into sensible sections like 'loaf cakes', 'small cakes' 'fruit cakes' etc and begins with an introduction which covers basic how-tos on equipment and techniques. A very handy and interesting book which I'm sure will be used for years to come.

Warning: This book will make you feel VERY hungry!

Lovely book, full of tried and tested recipes that make you want to get baking (and eating!) as soon as possible!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

A staple book for the kitchen with all the classic cake recipes. The layout is fun and the illustrations really bring it to life. I love how easy the recipes were to follow - the thyme and orange cake is my favourite!

This is a good cook book if you don't have any cake baking books at all. The receipes are quite old fashioned, there are no pictures of the cakes just sketches of how it may look. For me it was not inspiring but I am a collector of baking books. There are better books out there with more interesting bakes.

A lovely, sweet little book with so many varieties of cakes to bake and read about. Some old favourites and some new, many with links to the NT houses. Particularly loved some of the histories related to the cakes.

I'm diabetic and loved any cake in this book are lovely. They are easy to follow and well explained.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Quite a nice little cook book all cakes and some history about them, some favourites and some different and clear instructions. It was supported by the National Trust and there is only 55 cake recipes but it does lack photographs which I do like to see so I know what it should look like, but on the whole not bad.
I would like to thank NetGalley and the National Trust for a copy to browse and have done a couple of recipes.

Appears interesting to have recipes for W.I or National Trust cakes. Some nice recipes in here although it lacked any photos of the finished items which spoilt the book in my opinion. I find the index at the back of the book quite confusing. Probably best for the experienced cook who had a rough idea how things should look when finished

Thank you to Netgalley the authors and publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review

Who doesn't love cake recipe books and the bakes. This is a lovely book with lots of ideas and information for baking lovely creations.

The National Trust Book of Cakes is a superb collection of 55 classic cake recipes and tutorials curated by Linda Collister under the auspices of the National Trust. Due out 18th June 2024 from HarperCollins on their Collins Reference imprint, it's 144 pages and will be available in hardcover format.

The book's introduction covers tools, supplies, general info, background on ingredients and more useful tips and tricks to get the best results. The recipes are grouped thematically into chapters: loaf, fruit, sponge, and small (individual serving) cakes such as tiffin, rock cakes, Welsh cakes, muffins, etc.

Recipes contain a description in a short introduction, ingredients in a bullet list, and step-by-step cooking instructions. Ingredient measurements are supplied in metric measurements. The nutritional information is not included. The recipes themselves are fairly straightforward and are made for the most part with easily sourced ingredients. The classic recipes are all to be found here, making it a valuable reference book. There's a spiced gingerbread loaf I remember very well from my own childhood, and there are so many others. The recipes are traditional in the UK, and will be most familiar to readers from the UK, some of them less so to readers from the USA.

There are no photographs included, and the whole has a very cosy retro feel, with line drawn illustrations throughout.

Five stars. This is a wonderful resource and will be a classic go-to for casual to light formal occasions. Highly recommended for library acquisition, as well as for the home library.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Having bought previous national trust books I was so excited to read this book. I loved the recipes , especially the bars brith and Welsh cakes. I felt there was a few too many fruit cake recipes would of liked a few more loaf cakes.

A book full of recipes for all sorts of delicious cakes. There is a comprehensive selection of loaf cakes, sponges, fruit and more besides. It’s just going to be hard to choose what to bake first ! Linda Collister is an experienced recipe writer, who has had many of her recipes published, most notably book tie-ins with The Great British Bake Off series. She has included fascinating information about the history of cake making and many recipes have details of when they first appeared in print, their country of origin and about the original ingredients. I read this book from cover to cover. I found it really interesting.

The one drawback, and I feel it is a real shame, is that the book is lacking in photographs. The advance copy does not have a single photograph of any cakes. Pretty though they are, the drawings do not show a finished item. People are surely drawn to recipe books with photographs; it’s natural to want to see the baked item? They make the book more appealing, but more importantly can be informative as to how the finished item should look. I realise that photographs make a recipe book more expensive to produce, and that without them you probably have a greater number of recipes, but I would still prefer a photograph for each recipe.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

I loved this book. Not just a recipe book filled with good and some unusual recipes but also a very interesting history of cakes. I’ve made some of the recipes and all worked well.

What makes a cake a cake? If you are tired of reading books, why not try some cakes this afternoon. Let's take a mouth watering recess. To make a real cake, a book on cake will help. A well-written book in simple and comprehending language that will teach us step-by-step how to do it. Here is the book. It says the word 'cake' comes from 'Kaka'.

The favourite cake of early Roman times seems to have been a dense barley-meal dough favoured with pine nuts, raisins, and sweet wine.


In the 14th century, yeasted fruit cakes were being sweetened with honey; by the mid-17th century, treacle and sugar had replaced honey. The invention of baking powder in the 1840s' helped the cake makers a lot.
The book is not about the history of the cakes or their ingredients. The 'book of cakes' is a cookbook. It consists of a recipe for 55 different cakes, which are categorised as loaf cakes, fruit cakes, and sponge cakes. Those sponge cakes are lighter ones, made by the whisking and beating of eggs. Rubbed-in cake mixtures are made with the help of just your hands and a mixing bowl. Rock cake and Welsch cake are such cakes. Have you consumed the classic Swiss roll? It is a type of whisked sponge that is raised entirely by air bubbles.

You wish to make irresistible cakes, for any occasion. The book is a great asset. For people who have a sweet tooth, its a tempting book. I highly recommend this book for cake lovers, people in the food and sweet making industry, and anyone who is interested in making cakes. The author has made this book very presentable. I thank NetGalley and publishers for providing me with an advanced copy.

Let's enjoy the book and these cakes with a poem by MOTHER GOOSE
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man,
Bake me a cake, as fast as you can;
Pat it, prick it, and mark it with B,
Put it in the oven for baby and me.

Being am avid member of the National Trust, I am very familiar (and fond) of the wonderful bakes and sweet treats held in the coffee shops and cafes across the estate. I was therefore very pleased to recieve this Book of Cakes published by them.

The cake recipes themselves are split into chapters:
Loaf cakes
Fruit cakes
Sponge cakes
Small cakes
And each of these chapters has between 10-20 recipes for cakes within, as well as a lovely introduction to the history of that type of bake. The history behind each cake is also at the beginning of each recipe and it's such a wonderfully interesting read, full of interesting facts I never knew and really engaging.

The recipes contain easy everyday ingredients, and really simple to follow plain English instructions which won't have you scratching your head trying to find the required ingredients in strange shelves of the shops!

In addition to the cake recipes, there are also chapters on :
Good things to know
Ways to make a cake
as well as introductions to cakes, and recipe notes. These chapters were great for top tips on the various methods of making cakes, mixing the ingredients, things you can switch out, and also hints on things like making plain flour rise if you don't have self raising! This is very much a modern day bible of cake making tips and I learned a lot from reading it! Accompanied by wonderful illustrations, my mouth is absolutely watering at the idea of so many of these cakes, and I know I'm going to need to find excuses to make some before the week is out! Sticky gingerbread loaf anyone?

What a great baking book. It has easy to follow recipes which feel a bit more everyday than some other baking books. A staple book that you would reach for if you wanted a nice cake for your family.

I loved looking through this book and should be a stable in every kitchen. The recipes are easy to follow and well explained. The notes about each cakes are a nice addition too. I have made two from this already and I'm sure I will be making many more in the future and would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves baking. Thanks to netgalley for this arc.

The recipes in this book were were easy to follow and good to bake.
The information at the beginning about the origin of cakes was interesting.
Every kitchen needs this book!
Thank you netgalley