Last week, I popped down to Benefit in Covent Garden to celebrate the launch of Eat Me! The Stupendous, Self-Raising World of Cupcakes & Bakes According to Cookie Girl. Xanthe Milton (a.k.a Cookie Girl) was on hand to give baking tips and chat about the new book while we stuffed ourselves with her pastel coloured vanilla cupcakes and then clean up the crumbs with Benefit make-overs.
Xanthe bears more than a few resemblances to that other Domestic Goddess, Nigella, and had Russell Brand down on one knee way before Katy Perry, when she visited his radio show armed with a basket of treats.
Cookie Girl began her baking career in west London, selling Belgian chocolate cookies around Notting Hill’s offices to sugar-starved workers, while dressed as Little Red Riding Hood. She gained a stellar reputation among local cupcake lovers and celebs, running a stall at Portobello market on a Saturday.
Eat Me! is an exquisite book full of classic and more jazzy cupcake, cookies and biscuit recipes. Some of the more unusual flavours include French Toast cupcakes, Pistachio rose blossom cakes, Pumpkin marshmallow cookies and Christmas Pudding cupcakes.
The recipes are categorised by season, with flavours inspired by the colours, scents and ingredients of that particular time of year. Lemon, elderflower, pistachio, cherry and raspberry are the flavours we should be getting into for Spring – a bit like fashion, really.
But, the big question is, ‘why on earth should I buy another cupcake cookbook?’ Well, my guess is that the addition of ‘adult flavours’ like Margarita, White Russian and even Jack Daniels cupcakes will be the first thing to persuade seasoned cupcake enthusiasts.
Secondly, Cookie Girl imparts some wisdom about the art of baking (which she describes as ‘a form of alchemy’) and reveals that success depends on ‘cooking with love’. If you approach baking feeling angry, sad or frustrated, your negative vibes will be present in the food, so be optimistic and just go for it.
The book has a fairytale element, echoing fantasy world of Alice In Wonderland and it is exceedingly well-written. Xanthe reminisces over childhood memories shaped by what cakes were served and by the sound of it, the baking talent runs in her family. She currently runs cupcake decorating classes, particularly popular for Hen Parties and childrens’ parties, and is planning to go nationwide with a troupe of Cookie Girls.
Eat Me! The Stupendous, Self-Raising World of Cupcakes & Bakes According to Cookie Girl is out now and is available from Amazon.