.Claire Ptak’s ‘Love is a Pink Cake’

It was Claire Ptak’s Lemon and Elderflower Wedding Cake with buttercream frosting that quite literally changed her life forever.

The West Marin native and Chez Panisse pastry chef alum had moved to London and opened Violet Bakery in 2010. Eight years later, she was tapped to make Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding cake.

While she has been living in East London for over 15 years, Ptak’s newest cookbook offers deeply personal insight into her life growing up in West Marin and how it shaped her love for all things pastry. Seasonal ingredients are also highlighted and celebrated with familiar and not-so-familiar recipes from both California (Point Reyes Station/Inverness are showcased) and her adopted country. And yes, her new cookbook includes the recipe from the famous royals’ nuptials.

Unlike Ptak’s previous Violet Bakery Cookbook, her new cookbook, Love is a Pink Cake, is divided into two distinct regions: California and England. However, the naming convention for the book’s chapters remains much like the earlier one and offers recipes for Mornings, Afternoons, After a Meal, Party Party and Savouries and Holiday.

While the respective sections feature ingredients specific to the region, Ptak’s recipes surprise and delight with, at times, wholly unexpected combinations, including a Pink Apple, Lime and Bee Pollen Galette, Blackberry & Chili Pepper Pie, and Geranium Buns. In Ptak’s deft hands there is a careful balance and restraint throughout the book’s 268 pages that makes for intriguing and original creations that never feel heavy-handed or overwrought.

“Moving to England allowed me to love sugar again,” says Ptak, who was born in Point Reyes Station and talked her way into working at the Bovine Bakery when she was only 14 years old. She dedicates this book to her daughter, Frances, and writes lovingly about stopping at their Hackney-based Violet Bakery for banana muffins or chocolate chip cookies en route to and from school.

As the title suggests, this book does indeed include recipes (85) for cakes, cookies and savory treats, but it’s also about love. As Ptak writes, “We bake for love. Whether it’s for ourselves, to show love for a child, friend, or partner, or to celebrate a rite of passage, there is no denying the incredible effect cakes can have.”

Initially Ptak had planned to write a book about baking and seasonality, but as with many things during the pandemic, the plan changed course and was, in her words, “the hardest book ever—from start to stop.” Along with keeping her business going, trying to plan photoshoots in California and England and coordinating schedules—the process took much longer than she anticipated.

In the end, she created a book that encompasses much more than seasonality. “So much was revealed to me during COVID. I was able to see my community from the outside and that’s when I decided to separate the book into two places,” she continues.

Interestingly, the title was decided after the book was completed and comes from a favorite quote from Andy Warhol that Ptak had cherished for years and hoped to use one day. Fortuitously, the Andy Warhol Foundation members were Violet Bakery fans and readily agreed to Ptak’s use of the quote and illustration in her book.

Whether one is a cookbook collector, avid baker or someone who simply enjoys a well put together cookbook—this one fits the bill. There is an authenticity and generosity that feels heartfelt in both the copy and the understated food styling and photography. The quote included on the cover from Nigella Lawson sums it up best: “An Absolutely Enchanting Book.”

The selected recipe here gives a nod to Marin County ingredients and showcases Ptak’s singular and nuanced style.

Claire Ptak will be ‘in conversation’ regarding her book from 6:30 to 8pm, Tuesday, July 25, at the Mill Valley Public Library, 375 Throckmorton Ave. (to obtain a free ticket, visit bit.ly/pink-cake-1), and again from 3 to 5pm, Saturday, Aug. 12 at Blunk Space, 1101 CA-1, #105, Point Reyes Station.

Recipe

AFTER A MEAL

Oren is a great little restaurant around the corner from my flat in Hackney. It’s Mediterranean-inspired, simple, delicious fare. It’s the type of place you want to visit once a week. The Israeli-born chef-owner Oded is a good baker. His loaves of challah and perfect pillows of pitta bread accompany the food, while the desserts are seasonal classics.

One of my favourites is a peach tarte tatin. Since trying his, I prefer using peaches to the typical apples. I serve mine with a light custard steeped with fresh peach leaves, which taste of green almonds.

LATE SUMMER PEACH TARTE TATIN WITH PEACH LEAF CUSTARD

Serves 8–10

For the custard:

3 egg yolks

480g (2 cups) single cream

2 tbsp caster sugar

30–40 peach leaves, washed and dried (If you can’t get the leaves, add a drop or two of almond extract to the custard instead)

Pinch of salt

For the tarte:

8–10 large ripe but firm peaches

3 tbsp unsalted butter

135g (1⁄2 cup + 3 tbsp) caster sugar

500g (1lb 2oz) puff pastry, rolled into a 30cm (12in) circle and chilled. Baker’s tip: The final step is quite fun to do at the table, so I love to get the custard made and the tart all prepped up to the last stage of tucking in the pastry, then chilling in the fridge until you sit down to dinner. Then you can pop it into the oven while you eat. This way you can flip it out onto a serving plate right in front of your guests.

1. Make the custard. Separate your egg yolks into a small bowl, reserving the egg whites for another use (they freeze well!). Add the single cream and sugar to a heavy-based saucepan and place over a medium heat until foaming and hot but not boiling. Take a handful of peach leaves and steep them in the steaming cream for about 30 seconds.

Dunk them and stir them around as they steep, then remove and discard the used leaves before adding another fresh handful. Repeat until all leaves have been used and the cream is a pale shade of green. To achieve the bright, fresh, peach-leaf flavour, you must work swiftly. Leaving the leaves for too long in the custard changes the flavour and is undesirable. Next, temper the egg yolks with a few tablespoons of the warm cream, whisking until smooth.

Add the tempered yolks back into the remaining cream, moving a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon along the bottom of the pan continuously. As soon as the custard thickens on the bottom of the pan, turn off the heat, stir in the salt and pour the custard through a strainer and into a jug. Chill completely in the fridge.

2. Next, blanch the peaches. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Have ready a large bowl of iced water and have a slotted spoon or small sieve to fish out the blanched peaches. Gently lower the peaches into the boiling water (don’t overcrowd the pan). The peaches will only need about 30 seconds in the water to loosen the skins.

Lift one up out of the water and pinch the skin to see if it is ready to slide off. If the skin is still clinging to the flesh of the peach, slip it back into the water for a few more seconds. If it’s peelable, gently add it to the bowl of iced water. Continue until all the peaches have been blanched, then lift them out of the water bath and slip off the skins.

Cut the peaches in half, remove the stones and cut into quarters. Set aside on a plate. Don’t worry about any oxidisation that occurs as this will disappear when baked.

3. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Prepare a bowl of iced water large enough for a 25cm (10in) cast-iron frying pan or copper tatin mould (or you could set this up in your kitchen sink).

4. Caramelise 2 tablespoons of the butter and 6 tablespoons of the sugar over a high heat, swirling the pan now and then. Once the sugar has dissolved, use a wooden spoon or balloon whisk to bring it all together. Do not worry if it splits or crystallises, as it will dissolve again during the baking process. You want a deep, dark caramel. Remove from the heat and immediately put the pan in the iced water to stop the caramel from colouring any further.

5. Arrange the peaches in the pan of caramel, bearing in mind they will be upside down when done, so make them look pretty. I place the curved side down into the caramel, core side up. Place a second layer of peaches on top, core side down, and press gently with your hands, coaxing them to fit together like a puzzle.

6. Cover with the chilled pastry circle, tucking the edges in between the peaches and the pan, then melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and brush the pastry with it. Sprinkle with the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, then pierce several times with a knife to allow steam to escape during baking.

7. Bake the tarte tatin for 45–55 minutes, or until the pastry is crisp and golden, the sugar has started to caramelise on top, and the peaches and caramel beneath are starting to bubble up at the edges.

8. Remove the tarte from the oven and allow to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes. Have ready a large plate that will completely cover the top of the tarte tatin.

Using extreme caution, place the plate over the pan and, using an oven glove or tea towel wrapped around the outside, quickly flip the pan over and turn the tart out onto the plate in one smooth motion, being cautious of any hot liquid or steam that might escape. Serve with cold peach leaf custard.

Courtesy of Love is a Pink Cake (Published by W.W. Norton & Company)