[Ad-gifted] Looking for the next cookbook to add to your collection or get as a gift for your loved one? Well, before you decide on one, do check out our book review of Live Love Bake by Melissa Forti which features New and Classic Italian, English and French Recipes for Cakes, Cookies and Other Desserts.
Published by Prestel Publishing Live Love Bake is Melissa Forti’s third book after The Italian Baker and Christmas Baking Book. In this series, she returns with a mouth-watering blend of memoir, culture and delicious recipes for classic and modern baked treats. With her extraordinary spirit and talent, Melissa Forti lives her life baking one cake at a time. A pastime at first, baking became her passion and then, her profession. Today, she serves her unique and delicious cakes in her recently opened Café Duse in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Starting with her heritage, she focuses on typical recipes from her native Rome which includes ricotta cheesecake, biscotti and zeppole, accompanied by gorgeous images of the Eternal City. She chronicles her personal and professional evolution as a baker with images from her stylish new café and personalized recipes for tiramisu, red velvet cake, meringue and others.
Finally, she looks to the future, with classic bakes updated for contemporary diets, including vegan chocolate cake, gluten free pound cake and dairy free apricot galette. Beautifully illustrated and filled with recipes for cooks at every level of expertise. This new offering from a hugely popular author is as inspiring as it is satisfying.
What I thought of the book and the two recipes I chose to make
Live Love Bake is not just a cookbook but is a work of art!
Broken into three parts: the past, the present and the future, the book is like a deconstructed recipe where the author, Melissa Forti shares her past, how she is doing in the present and what she hopes for in the future, sharing vegan and gluten-free recipes. With these in mind, she has shared some fabulous recipes as well an a selection of stunning fashion-themed food photos to go along with it.
I have to admit, some recipes did look intimidating even for an avid baker like myself, but there are others which I know I can’t wait to try. Some of my favourite recipes in the book include Frappe al Forno (Oven-baked Frappe), Babka al cioccolato (Chocolate Babka), Biscotti ai pinoli (Pine Nut Cookies) and Boston Cream Pie.
I am sharing two easy recipes from the book which you can bake regardless of your baking skill. The first recipe Biscotti per il te was easy to make as I used the food processor and chilled it. I can assure you that it disappeared as soon as it was ready. My kids loved it. One preferred the biscuit on its own and the other preferred it dipped in chocolate. It is a quick and easy to make recipe and definely a crowd pleaser. My only issue with this recipe is that I could not find potato starch easily and finally found it in Chinatown. The second recipe La mia Marble Cake also was quick and easy to prepare and the perfect cake to serve with a cuppa in the afternoon. The flavour was lovely and I know I will be baked this again soon.
I cannot wait to try the other recipes in the book and feel free to leave your comments if you do bake these recipes.
Biscotti per il te/Afternoon Tea Cookies
360g 00 Pasta Flour
180g icing sugar
140g potato starch
256g cold butter, cut into smaller pieces
1 large organic egg
1 large organic egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Chocolate Glaze
350g dark chocolate, preferably 60% cacao, melted
1 tsp unsalted butter
Method
Add the flour, potato starch, butter and icing sugar and blitz in the food processor until sandy (you can also rub the butter into the flour and sugar by hand if you prefer). Do not over mix the mixture or the blade will melt the butter. Add the egg, yolk and vanilla and blitz just until a rough dough is formed. Wrap dough and chill for 1 hour or overnight.
Heat oven to 180C, roll the dough (on floured work surface) to 6mm thick, cut the cookie with your favourite cutter, place on parchment paper and bake for 8 to 15 min until pale and not too golden. Cool cookies.
For the glaze use bain-marie or microwave to melt chocolate, add butter until fully incorporated. Dipped cooled cookies and store in airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
La mia Marble Cake/My Marble Cake
210g plain flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
168g unsalted butter
300g sugar
240g ricotta (cow’s milk) at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla
3 large organic eggs
30g unsweetened cocoa powder
Heat oven to 170C and Grease 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
Sift the plain flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.
Beat butter and sugar in the mixer until pale and fluffy. Next, add ricotta in two batches followed by vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time. Turn the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture in three batches (do not overbeat). Divide the batter in half and add the cocoa powder to one and combine by hand.
Place spoonful of the vanila cake batter in the loaf pan, followed by the chocolate batter and repeat until you run out of batter. Swirl the top with a wooden stick to mix the batter and bake in oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until a cake stick is inserted in the centre of the cake and comes out clean. Cool completely and this can be stored in an air-tight container in room temperature up to 4 days.
How much is the book and where can you buy it?
The hardcover recipe book retails for £22.01 and you can purchase it directly from Amazon.
About the book
Publisher : Prestel
Format : Hardcover
Number of pages : 240 pages
ISBN-13 : 978-3791389868
Dimensions : 19.2 x 2.87 x 25.25 cm
About Melissa Forti
Since opening her boutique bakery, Melissa Forti has designed the Afternoon Tea menu for the Royal Academy of Arts in London and become a TV celebrity in her native Italy. She is the author of The Italian Baker and Melissa Forti’s Christmas Baking Book. Her new cafe, Cafe Duse, opened in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2022.
You may also want to read this:
Recipe Book Review: Si Mangia Published by Prestel
Recipe Book Review : The British Cook Book by Ben Mervis
Recipe Book Review: Si Mangia Published by Prestel
*We were sent the cook book in return for a feature. All opinions are our own.
