avid readers of my blog will know that i have a friend who bakes cake.

in fact, she bakes exceedingly good cake, to borrow that overused phrase from another (lesser) baker. so much so that a rather fabulous publishing company – ryland peters & small – sat up and took notice, approaching her to ask if she’d like to write a baking book. and since she’s been dreaming of being a published author since long before even i knew her (that’s a long ol’ time, folks!) she naturally said “yes!” and thus, burlesque baking was born…

charlotte was born to make show-stopping, decadent cakes and bakes. long ago, when we lived together at uni, she would whip us up batches of delectable cake and creamy vanilla fudge (which came to be known as “oral pleasure” – ooh err!) for us to enjoy during marathon runs of location location location, grand designs and sex and the city – a standard wednesday night in our house!

it’s truly been a pleasure watching her business grow and flourish, and her cake decorating skills soar to exceptional new heights  since then (borg cube cake, anyone?). so, i was naturally giddy with excitement to finally get my hands on a copy of her debut book and devour it’s divine contents.

as charlotte puts it: burlesque and baking – was ever there a more sublime pairing of artforms? her impeccably styled debut unashamedly pushes indulgence and epitomises beauty with 25 lavish cakes to tease your tastebuds, all inspired by the sensational stars of the burlesque scene, including miss fleur du mal, miss kitten von mew, and everyone’s favourite powder puff pin-up, dita von teese. we eat with our eyes before we devour with our mouths, but let me tell you, these cakes are most definitely not simply style over substance. they’re style + substance + a whole lot of pizazz, which draw gasps of excitement from across a crowded room, just like the burlesque performers they’ve been inspired by.

in her clear easy-to-follow guides charlotte expertly explains the “art of covering up,” so that you too can create such show-stopping masterpieces. from 3 classic recipe bases – victoria sponge, chocolate mud and salted caramel – you will be guided in the art of creating coquettish, shimmering and decadent treats to seduce your nearest and dearest. tempted yet? you should be! in fact, why are you still here? you should have headed over to  amazon.co.uk to order your copy already – hurry, they’re selling like hot cakes!

if the spectacular images above haven’t provided enough of a draw, let me share with you my favourite ever restoration cake creation, which charlotte made for my blog’s first birthday party (cute, huh?), shaped like the pretty little teacup filled with buttons that used to be in my blog’s header image.

we’ve both come a long way, my darling…