Tarek Malouf opened the first Hummingbird Bakery in London's fashionable Notting Hill district in 2004. This cookbook allows you to step inside this unique bakery and bring its trademark butter cream swirls, sprinkles, and layer-cake slices into your own kitchen. The Hummingbird's Cupcakes fly off the shelves faster than any other cake. Who can resist an adorable Vanilla Cupcake topped with candy-colored butter cream frosting and scattered with sprinkles? Take Cakes to the next level with some mouthwatering recipes. Red Velvet and Carrot are both favorites at the Bakery, and the Hummingbird Cake is a sweet, sticky triumph of banana and pineapple. Open Pies, pies with tops on, delicate pies and no-holds-barred pies: There's no shortage of options. Try Lemon Meringue with its mountain of golden fluffy meringue atop a rich, tangy lemon cream. You'll find favorite Pecan Pie here too. When you need a sweet fix, Brownies & Bars hit the spot. Rocky Road and Muesli Bars are always popular and make welcome additions to a packed lunch. There can't be much that beats a homemade Blueberry Muffin with your first cup of coffee in the morning. Finally, there's something childishly satisfying about a big, chewy Cookie studded with chocolate chunks--there's something here for every king of cookie fiend. *Classic bakes are back in vogue and this book provides 50 simple recipes for everyone's favorites--from Vanilla Cupcakes to Key Lime Pie. *"If you haven't tasted a Hummingbird Bakery look-too-good-to-eat cupcake, you've definitely missed out." Marie Claire
| ||||||||||||||||||
Browse our Bookshelf Favorites store for big savings on popular fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and more. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
Cakes, pies, brownies, bars, cookies and muffins from London's bakery to the stars. Never has baking been so delightfully sweet and stylish. Peaches and cream cupcakes, rocky road bars and blueberry pie - how can you resist? --Sainsbury's Magazine
The book ... features recipes for a variety of cake and dessert recipes; most are wildly indulgent, like the Brooklyn blackout and coconut meringue cakes, and Mississippi mud and key lime pies. The cupcakes come in every creed and colour from vanilla to peaches and cream, lavender, ginger and the cult red velvet, a knockout rich red sponge cake with white cream cheese frosting. --The Independent
The Hummingbird Bakery is much beloved by the beautiful people and now the book means you don't have to brave the Circle Line to get your fix. --Buyer's Guide
The book ... features recipes for a variety of cake and dessert recipes; most are wildly indulgent, like the Brooklyn blackout and coconut meringue cakes, and Mississippi mud and key lime pies. The cupcakes come in every creed and colour from vanilla to peaches and cream, lavender, ginger and the cult red velvet, a knockout rich red sponge cake with white cream cheese frosting. --The Independent
The Hummingbird Bakery is much beloved by the beautiful people and now the book means you don't have to brave the Circle Line to get your fix. --Buyer's Guide
About the Author
Tarek Malouf used to work for ABC news in their London bureau before deciding to open the first Hummingbird Bakery in 2004 in London's Notting Hill. There is also a branch in South Kensington with a third to open in Soho soon.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
85 of 88 people found the following review helpful
By Pam
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
*EDITED*
There have been a number of mixed reviews about this book - in fact, there're quite a few negative ones that almost put me off trying to make anything from the recipes. I really wanted to know if this book was worth anything so I decided to prove it to myself. I am a decent baker; that is to say, I taught myself to cook and bake on a regular basis (often with good success!) but have no real culinary skills or knowledge. However, I do spend enough time in the kitchen to notice that the methods for doing various things in this book is quite different from most recipes that are commonly used. For example, the methods for mixing the cake mixture in Vanilla Cupcakes provide that you first combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and a bit of milk in one bowl; and some eggs, milk and vanilla extract in the other. Once thoroughly incorporated, the book tells you to mix the two together. Now, most recipes would ask you to first beat the egg and sugar in one bowl, add the milk and vanilla, follow by the dry ingredients. But I decided to stick closely to the recipes provided - using whatever amount of ingredients (which may seem "ridiculous" to many people) that the book suggests, and have my fingers crossed. The results? Well, the cupcake recipes (vanilla, chocolate and the velvet cupcakes) that I've attempted so far have turned out pretty good! They're all very tasty and do not appear to be "dry" or "inedible" in any way. My guess is that for those of you who are rather experienced would question the validity of the recipes and so instead of sticking to the book, would be tempted to do "what they think is best" - which is probably why there're more experienced bakers complaining about their various failures, etc. So my advice is for you to turn blind eyes and ears and just follow the recipes to the letter, even though your experience and "instinct" are telling you otherwise!
***The book itself is simply beautiful. It is well laid-out, divided into several sections like cakes, pies, tarts, cookies, etc. The recipes include: the basic vanilla/chocolate cupcakes, lemon cupcakes, red velvet cupcakes, strawberry cheesecake cupcakes, lavender cupcakes, hazelnut and chocolate cupcakes, coconut and pineapple cupcakes, banana and chocolate cupcakes, pumpkin cupcakes, marshmallow cupcakes, ginger cupcakes, hummingbird cake, carrot cake, brooklyn blackout cake, coffee cake, blueberry cake, spiced pound cake, banana bread, nutty apple loaf lemon loaf, New York cheesecake, icebox banana cheesecake, lemon meringue pie, pecan pie, pumpkin pie, mississippi mud pie, apple pie, brownies, muesli bars, rocky road bars, ham and mushroom muffins, spinach and cheese muffins, blueberry muffins, banana and cinnamon muffins, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, white chocolate and pecan cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, and gingerbread men. The photographs are all stunning, you get to see exactly what your cakes should look like.***
However, I must say that since I own over 200 books on cakes, cookies, ice cream and desserts, this book doesn't give you a very wide range of recipes - hence why I've given it 4 stars. The book is quite thin and it does have "enough" to keep you entertained for a while, but I prefer to have more choices so I usually have several books on very specific subjects. For example, if you're looking for a good book on cookies, I'd recommend "Martha Steward's Cookies", "The Good Cookie" and "Great Cookies"; for cakes, I'd recommend "Mary Berry's Ultimate Cake Book" and "Southern Cakes"; for cupcakes, I'd recommend "Cupcake Heaven", "The Crabapple Bakery Cupcake" and "Cupcakes: Luscious Bakeshop Favorites"; for general baking/desserts "Desserts by the Yard", "Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts", "Jim Fobel's Old-fashioned Baking Book"; for ice cream "Ices", "The Ultimate Book of Ice Cream", "The Perfect Scoops"; and for chocolate, I'd recommend "The Essence of Chocolate" and "Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts".
Overall, if you're truly passionate about cakes and are NOT looking for "healthy" cakes (whatever that means!), you'll love this book. It'll be a great addition to your cook book collection, although I wouldn't say that this will be the ONLY book you'll need, because the book just simply doesn't offer enough varieties in the long-run. I've also been to the bakeries in London and I am happy to announce that my most recent batch did taste rather closely similar to the "real" things! I can assure you that this book will give you some great ideas and the pictures will be able to keep you coming back to the book time and time again!
Recommended.
P.S. I've also noticed that a few people have been comparing this book with Magnolia Bakery Book. I own all of them (2 by Magnolia, 2 by Buttercup Bakeshop and The Hummingbird Bakery) - and I'd NEVER pick the Buttercup Bakeshop over the other two. In fact, The Hummingbird bakery book actually contains MORE cupcakes recipes than those Magnolia books! It should also be noted that none of these books offer "healthy" goodies! Have fun baking!
There have been a number of mixed reviews about this book - in fact, there're quite a few negative ones that almost put me off trying to make anything from the recipes. I really wanted to know if this book was worth anything so I decided to prove it to myself. I am a decent baker; that is to say, I taught myself to cook and bake on a regular basis (often with good success!) but have no real culinary skills or knowledge. However, I do spend enough time in the kitchen to notice that the methods for doing various things in this book is quite different from most recipes that are commonly used. For example, the methods for mixing the cake mixture in Vanilla Cupcakes provide that you first combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and a bit of milk in one bowl; and some eggs, milk and vanilla extract in the other. Once thoroughly incorporated, the book tells you to mix the two together. Now, most recipes would ask you to first beat the egg and sugar in one bowl, add the milk and vanilla, follow by the dry ingredients. But I decided to stick closely to the recipes provided - using whatever amount of ingredients (which may seem "ridiculous" to many people) that the book suggests, and have my fingers crossed. The results? Well, the cupcake recipes (vanilla, chocolate and the velvet cupcakes) that I've attempted so far have turned out pretty good! They're all very tasty and do not appear to be "dry" or "inedible" in any way. My guess is that for those of you who are rather experienced would question the validity of the recipes and so instead of sticking to the book, would be tempted to do "what they think is best" - which is probably why there're more experienced bakers complaining about their various failures, etc. So my advice is for you to turn blind eyes and ears and just follow the recipes to the letter, even though your experience and "instinct" are telling you otherwise!
***The book itself is simply beautiful. It is well laid-out, divided into several sections like cakes, pies, tarts, cookies, etc. The recipes include: the basic vanilla/chocolate cupcakes, lemon cupcakes, red velvet cupcakes, strawberry cheesecake cupcakes, lavender cupcakes, hazelnut and chocolate cupcakes, coconut and pineapple cupcakes, banana and chocolate cupcakes, pumpkin cupcakes, marshmallow cupcakes, ginger cupcakes, hummingbird cake, carrot cake, brooklyn blackout cake, coffee cake, blueberry cake, spiced pound cake, banana bread, nutty apple loaf lemon loaf, New York cheesecake, icebox banana cheesecake, lemon meringue pie, pecan pie, pumpkin pie, mississippi mud pie, apple pie, brownies, muesli bars, rocky road bars, ham and mushroom muffins, spinach and cheese muffins, blueberry muffins, banana and cinnamon muffins, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, white chocolate and pecan cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, and gingerbread men. The photographs are all stunning, you get to see exactly what your cakes should look like.***
However, I must say that since I own over 200 books on cakes, cookies, ice cream and desserts, this book doesn't give you a very wide range of recipes - hence why I've given it 4 stars. The book is quite thin and it does have "enough" to keep you entertained for a while, but I prefer to have more choices so I usually have several books on very specific subjects. For example, if you're looking for a good book on cookies, I'd recommend "Martha Steward's Cookies", "The Good Cookie" and "Great Cookies"; for cakes, I'd recommend "Mary Berry's Ultimate Cake Book" and "Southern Cakes"; for cupcakes, I'd recommend "Cupcake Heaven", "The Crabapple Bakery Cupcake" and "Cupcakes: Luscious Bakeshop Favorites"; for general baking/desserts "Desserts by the Yard", "Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts", "Jim Fobel's Old-fashioned Baking Book"; for ice cream "Ices", "The Ultimate Book of Ice Cream", "The Perfect Scoops"; and for chocolate, I'd recommend "The Essence of Chocolate" and "Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts".
Overall, if you're truly passionate about cakes and are NOT looking for "healthy" cakes (whatever that means!), you'll love this book. It'll be a great addition to your cook book collection, although I wouldn't say that this will be the ONLY book you'll need, because the book just simply doesn't offer enough varieties in the long-run. I've also been to the bakeries in London and I am happy to announce that my most recent batch did taste rather closely similar to the "real" things! I can assure you that this book will give you some great ideas and the pictures will be able to keep you coming back to the book time and time again!
Recommended.
P.S. I've also noticed that a few people have been comparing this book with Magnolia Bakery Book. I own all of them (2 by Magnolia, 2 by Buttercup Bakeshop and The Hummingbird Bakery) - and I'd NEVER pick the Buttercup Bakeshop over the other two. In fact, The Hummingbird bakery book actually contains MORE cupcakes recipes than those Magnolia books! It should also be noted that none of these books offer "healthy" goodies! Have fun baking!
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Just made the lavender cupcake recipe, and it was a hit. I do not know what everyone else is complaining about. I am an experienced baker, and although the recipes run differently than other cake batters I've made they do work and are quite tasty. I do agree with others that those that don't like the book tried reworking the recipes in to "traditional" mixing ways and that probably ended in disaster. Just follow the directions and you will have a delicious treat at the end. Someone mentioned frosting problems, with any homemade frosting recipe the type of climate you live in can change the consistency you come out with. More humid, more sugar needed. Drier or colder weather usually more butter or milk will be needed. That just goes with the territory of baking.
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By Bookdon
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is quite a good cookbook, but it gives the wrong oven temperature, throughout. It has used the wrong formula for converting centigrade temperatures to F. The correct conversion is: (C X 1.8) + 32, so 170 C = 338 F (not the 325 F given in the book and its conversion chart). If you use the book's temperatures, most everything will be under-cooked (except at 220C, which will overcook at 400F).
Use:
170C = 338F
180C = 356F
190C = 374F
200C = 392F
220C = 428F
Use:
170C = 338F
180C = 356F
190C = 374F
200C = 392F
220C = 428F
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Size of the book
The only thing is....I didn't relize it was an abbreviated of the book I previously purchased. But, that said my friend loved it.
Published 1 month ago by Joyce Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook
I really enjoyed this book and their hummingbird cake was soooo freakin good! I can't wait to try all of the recipes! I love pictures and they have plenty in here!
Published 2 months ago by Lydia Sestito
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Basis, but Knowledge of Baking Required
I really like this book and i refer to it frequently, but it's a shame to know I would have achieved some really lackluster results had I not had previous experience in baking and... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Boston
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great baking basics!
The cupcakes and brownies in this book are especially lovely. Even beginners can be successful with the frosting recipes in this book. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Christine
2.0 out of 5 stars
Shocking editing.
At last, some clarity.
After making some of the recipes in this cookbook only to fail miserably, I was starting to question my baking skill. Read more
After making some of the recipes in this cookbook only to fail miserably, I was starting to question my baking skill. Read more
Published 7 months ago by D.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Every recipe a winner
This is my go-to book, love it. The cupcakes are all moist and delicious and the blueberry cake is the perfect cake for someone without a sweet tooth to not be able to live... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Juju
5.0 out of 5 stars
BEST Chocolate Chip cookie recipe
I've been on the hunt for the best chocolate chip cookie recipe for as long as I can remember. I got this book as a gift for Christmas and immediately tried the recipe for... Read more
Published 13 months ago by AshleyW
1.0 out of 5 stars
seriously?
have so far tried four recipes. all were tossed after initial tasting. two positives - it looks good on the shelf, and i got it on clearance for 12. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Julie O'Brien
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best whimsical cookbook purchase!
I bought this book despite the fact that it does not contain many recipes because of the pictures (I firmly believe that you eat with your eyes! Read more
Published 18 months ago by Tam
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great cupcakes but not so good for others
I love the recipes for basic vanilla and chocolate cupcake in this book because of the small amount of oil used, and they are moist and yummy indeed. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Kin Kuan Che
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Listmania!
|
|
