The Wicked Baker: Cakes and treats to die for

by Helena Garcia

#witchesofinstagram – here is the perfect book for your haunted kitchen!

Give your baking a wicked twist with eerily clever ideas for all manner of cakes, cookies, pastries, breads, desserts and even drinks to spook up your cooking repertoire and make Halloween an occasion to remember. Whether you're a curious witch, a Halloween fiend or you just want to add a creepy touch to your baking, Helena Garcia will give you all the inspiration you need.

Try her mummified eclairs, some cinnamon buns that look shockingly like brains, a batch of cookie bats, or a scarily impressive haunted tree cake and before you know it, every day will seem like Halloween. Helena wowed the Great British Bake Off judges and audience with her surprisingly ghoulish interpretations of the baking challenges and now, with her amazingly inventive recipes, you too can become the ghostess with the mostest.

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Cooking, Halloween, Witchcraft, Adult, Horror

128 pages, Hardcover

Published September 1, 2020

Reviews

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wicked Baker is A nifty sized little book, full to the (witches hat) brim of super creative, creepy, delicious and unusual bakes. There's something for everyone, and for every level of ability. This book will draw out your inner witch, and have you dancing around your kitchen with your broomstick, surrounded by swooping bats and sleek black cats! A must buy... consider buying two: one for baking with, and the other for your bookcase. Helena Garcia is right... you'll want every day to be Halloween!

[Kathryn]

My son loves the GBBO (as do I) so I've tried to check out all the cookbooks by GBBO contestants that are in our library collection. We can't make most of them as they are not gluten-free, dairy-free, etc. but we do draw inspiration from them. Helena's cookbook is one of my favorites! It's gorgeous! The presentation is so classy and her signature blend of gothic and whimsy comes through perfectly. . I love the photography and staging of the bakes – even the table settings are spot-on. I'm not rating it because it is, after all, a cookbook and I cannot vouch for the recipes themselves but as a presentation it really pleased us this Halloween season. I did gift it to friends and they tried a few recipes and said they were very good.

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

These spooky confections are well-presented and quite original. The ingredients and instructions are organized with both UK and US measurements which is extremely helpful. Overall, the recipes are approachable enough, however, there are LOTS of nuts here (my bias, admittedly) and some necessary homework on the baker’s part. For example, several of the recipes advise the baker to “look up on Google…” or “purchase a mold or bakeware at a thrift store…” Just a personal peeve but there is absolutely room at the back of the book for a swan’s head template, just saying. Suitable Halloween resource, could have been better.

[Qt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this cookbook! The photos and recipes are all delightfully spooky and classy. There is a nice mix of easy and difficult recipes; I haven't made all of them, but the ones I've tried have been very good. While most have a Halloween theme, it would be easy to adapt many of them to other times of year as well. Just looking at the pictures gives me kitchen inspiration :-)

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 for ideas, tone, and images. Will update once actually make some of the bakes.

[Juli Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is really more of a treat-decorating book than a baking book.

[Cee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wish I was more talented in the kitchen and willing to practice because these recipes are look amazing and I'd love to try them. I love how on brand they are with what I know of the author (She was a contestant on the GBBO) and am seriously considering buying the book for people I know do bake!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some cute ideas for decorating Halloween. Some are simple like a blackberry pie with a witch on top, others more tricky.

[Artemis Crescent · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is my 1050th review!

And what better way to celebrate yet another momentous, starry occasion than by reviewing something surprising, something of a type that I have never read and reviewed before after 1049 of these:

A cookbook.

In keeping with my style and tastes (heh), it is not just any cookbook, but a witchy cookbook - a Halloween cookbook - so it's right up my eccentric alley. It's a Halloween baker's dream.

A tasty treat, indeed.

For 2025, two of my new year's resolutions are: learn to cook and bake, and write shorter book reviews fat chance. And 'The Wicked Baker: Cakes and treats to die for' by Helena Garcia, the author of 'My Mummy is a Witch', is indeed wicked, Halloween-y, and macabre, as well as scrumptious, and so darn creative.

I love all the photographs (so gothic and Victorian, and there's tea!), and I can't wait to try to make: The Witch is in the Princess Cake!, Red Riding Wolf Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes, a Haunted Yule Log, Vanilla Coffin Cakes, Yummy Mummy Eclairs, a Moon Witch Blackberry Pie (looks like it'll be a favourite! and I'm sure it'll work well with strawberries, too), Devilish Donuts, Brain Cinnamon Rolls (WTF? but also I wanna try it!), Gingerbread Twins, Meese's Pieces, Vampire Macarons, Dragon Scream Eggs, a Midnight Flight Cocktail, and a simple Pumpkin Spice Latte.

How creepy and cool!

Garcia writes with a great sense of humour and fun. She includes bakes influenced by pop culture as well as Halloween/paganistic culture (and with a Victorian art aesthetic), such as 'Beetlejuice', 'The Addams Family', 'The Shining', and 'Alice in Wonderland'.

The book is not just for kitchen witches, and these recipes are not just for Samhain. They are for everyone.

They can be for a Happy Halloween, and a Happy Witchmas!

'The Wicked Baker: Cakes and treats to die for' is for anyone who is a baker or is interested in baking. It doesn't matter if they are a witch, a "weird person" or a "nutter" (nuttier than the recipes), or are squeamish.

Delicious, delightful, and enchanting. My mouth is watering as I write this! I am enjoying writing my 1050th review, and now I want a cookie and a cupcake. (I did eat a custard cream and a Cherry Bakewell tart earlier today, actually. Screw dieting.)

Quotes from Helena Garcia in her introduction:



'I have spent hours in the kitchen developing delicious recipes as well as fun and bizarre projects. This means that if you feel like making a delightful chocolate-peanut butter cake, buttery cookies or a vegan dessert, you can refer to this book. You see Mr Hollywood, style and substance are in one place!'


'Since I was a teenager, I have been fascinated with all things strange and obscure. Learning that most of our festivals and celebrations come from pagan traditions opened a whole new world for me when I was younger. A world I felt connected to.'


'Halloween is a holiday which brings me immense joy throughout the year. It is present in everything I do, how I dress, the way I decorate my house and, of course, my baking style.'


'I tend to see beauty where others see darkness, but I find that if you apply a little touch of humour to macabre concepts, the result is an array of opportunity.'


'I just hope these bakes bring you as much joy as creating them have brought me.'



I hope to feel more connected to Garcia and other people like her as I put out my witchy aesthetic and self out there, like when I cook and bake as creatively as she does.

Thus ends my 1050th book review, and my first cookbook review. I hope it read and tasted adequately, and not terribly and decadently.

Did I succeed in writing shorter reviews? Time will tell.

Final Score: 4/5

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the most creative cookbooks in terms of Halloween, "grossology" style food, baking and class, melded together.
Divided into sections
-Cakes and Cupcakes (features 9 Recipes; My favorite stand-outs are the Haunted Yule Log (which is a standing cake looking like a spooky-faced tree and the Sand-worm Lemon and Thyme cupcakes (something Beetlejuice would love to get his hands on)
-Pies and Pastries ( features 10 recipes; My favorites here were the Yummy Mummy Eclairs (featuring a mummy on top, simple, but effective; Pumpkin and Orange Empanadas just looked delightful and the Cousin ITT Baklava (cute, but surprisingly simple);
-Breads and Enriched Doughs ( 7 recipes here; My favorites are tied between the Double Chocolate Spiderweb Buns (a spin-off on hot-cross buns) and the Brains Cinnamon roll (resembles a plate of monkeybread, but the frosting is red, giving it a very different look)
-Cookies and Candies (features 13 recipes and this is my favorite section; This is where Helena Garcia's work and love of Halloween shines from Peanut Butter mice to Nightmare Before Christmas honoring cookies to the Creepy Twins from the Shining as Gingerbread Cookies. My personal favorites are the Eyeball Oreo Truffles (oh yeah, they look good) and though I wouldn't make them myself from scratch, the idea of monstrously jawed fortune cookies look really cool.)
-Lastly, Drinks and Desserts (features 5 Drinks and 4 Desserts; Solely based off appearance, the mocktail Vampire Blood Punch (made of Cranberry and Orange Juices with Sprite) is a fun one, while on the dessert side, the Slime Pudding (arguably the simplest recipe in here, still stands on its own, pleasing both Ghostbuster fans and kids alike for both its presentation and citrus taste).

Now, while the book does a great job of giving you all of these recipes in great detail, many of them do require items (such as molds) and regardless of your time-frame or dedication with each, making candy or baked goods from scratch is definitely a labor of love. If you're creative in the kitchen and love Halloween, this is a fun and to-die-for baker's fan book.

[Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was lovely and fun...I’m a witch at heart and the bakes spoke to me. The photographs are beautiful. There are many recipes and you’ll probably find a couple you’re super excited to make. I plan on making the upside down witch mini cakes for Halloween this year. I’ll be practicing this week!

However, I wish there was writing and history throughout or between the recipes since she mentions a little bit of that in the intro but it’s still a cute, small, and succinct recipe book. I also wish some details were more available so I wouldn’t have to google things like “what size is a jelly roll pan” or other details that I feel like should’ve been more specific, especially since the recipes are mostly all very decoration-driven.

Overall this is a good recipe book for Halloween and when you feel like being scaaary or creeeepy. Do I wish there was more in it for the price? Yeah. But it’s short and sweet and I’ll definitely be trying some of the bakes.

[Tory · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I loved the concept of this cookbook. Helena Garcia is a wonderfully imaginative baker who appeared on the Great British Bake Off and managed successfully to turn traditional bakes into wonderful goth creations. Her cookbook provides recipes for beautiful Halloween-inspired bakes for readers to try at home. Each recipe has an introduction as to what inspired the creation and a photograph of the finished product. I appreciate that the recipes provide weights in grams in addition to the standard US measurements. And, although the bakes are Halloween-inspired, most can be adapted easily to another holiday or to be less goth-like. I tried the "Pan de Muerto" (bread for the Day of the Dead), which turned out great. My only concern is that the instructions are somewhat minimal, and I was glad that I have experience baking bread so that I knew when to add ingredients (wet into dry? dry into wet?) and how to determine whether the dough was proved. (Garcia gives times for proving, but there are more accurate tests). I then turned to "Pumpkin Brioche Buns." In reading the recipe, I realized that there is no pumpkin in the buns. Though the buns look like pumpkins in the photograph, I was worried that an ingredient was omitted, so decided to try something else, which was "Double Chocolate Spiderweb Buns." Here there is the double chocolate -- cocoa powder and chocolate chips --- and a unique twist on traditional hot cross buns. Again, a little baking experience is helpful in making the buns. So.....this book is a fun, creative way to approach traditional bakes in a unique way, but a little baking experience is helpful in executing the recipes.

[Meagan McAllister · Rating 5 out of 5]

To Die for!!!

Helena has woven a perfect spell for delicious delights with these recipes! I am so thrilled with the book. I live in the U.S. and I hate having to translate heating directions from Celsius to Fahrenheit and sometime the terminology will have me scratching me head and running to Google lol but Helena thought of everything and has done this for you, for me, everyone!!
😁😁😁
The best part, honestly, is you can hear Helenas' voice and feel het sense of humor with every word. If you don't know what I mean check out Great British Bake Off circa 2019. She's hard to miss. Overall if I could've hit more stars I would've given a galaxy😂

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn't quite what I expected.

While there's a variety of recipes, the focus of this book is really on the decorating and no so much the baking. A lot of the recipes are also more gruesome looking than I expected. I think it's cool that there's vegan recipes throughout and both sweet and savory ideas included. There's also a big use of fondant throughout which I'm not big on.

The pictures are well done and there are a lot of them. While this book wasn't for me I can see how people who are more skilled with modeling chocolate and other tools could get really into it.

[Ligaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

What fun! But why is this baking book in such a small format? There are lots of great decorating ideas from one of the most memorable contestants of the Great British Baking Show. Helena was know to make spooky bakes and the treats in this book follow that trend. Most every recipe has a photo to it, but I am disappointed that the photos—well, the entire book!—are so little! The book is well organized and nicely designed. I haven’t baked anything yet but I definitely want to.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very fun book. She gives measurements for both British and American cooks, and the recipes are sound - the poison apple cake has incredible flavor. I found them to be challenging and somewhat time consuming, but these aren’t everyday bakes. The chapter on drinks was more approachable, and includes some entertaining tips.

A very fun book, but not for beginners.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover looks like a huge temptation! The recipes are not basic at all except for maybe two: pumpkin pie and pumpkin orange empanadas. The rest look like they would take a professional pastry chef to make. But, all of the pictures in the book are beautiful! I love what others can do with food! I necessarily won’t be making anything from this cookbook, but I loved the photos inside!

[Cait]

I loved Helena as a contestant on GBBO, because she could (IN THE MOMENT) articulate that she baked something to her taste and preference, even if the judges didn't like it. Also: her Spanish-goth-with-history-as-a-professional-poker-player story was hilarious.

I didn't like this book. It was cutesy, and the recipes were boring and the flavors were forgettable.

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent resource for treats for Halloween or a fun gore party. Candy and cookies are found here, as well a baked goods and drinks. Some cute, some scary, all guaranteed to inspire creativity.

Best book I've seen in this genre. Bravo!

Highly recommended

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

although this was a fun book of ideas and most of the projects seemed fairly manageable perhaps I follow IG accounts that are too advanced. There were a few projects that interested me but nothing that got me overly excited.

[Cheryl Gibbs]

A nifty little cookbook for the Halloween Cook. Lots of spookily decorated cakes and pastries plus a couple of drinks and enriched dough recipes to please everyone's taste. Some of the decorating may need a bit of practice but in all, they look delicious.

[Mariah · Rating 4 out of 5]

relies on moulding chocolate and a lot of craft in order to get the food to be spooky. I was kind of hoping for just more traditional ideas. but really cool looking dishes for sure and straight-forward instructions

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish there was MORE to it -- like, a Christine McConell sized book -- but for the size it is, it packs a wonderful punch.

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unrighteously good recipes

[Pinky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want to try the Jack Frost Vegan Coconut Cake, the Haunted Yule Log, and the Vegan Cream Horn Shell recipes.

[Meagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute!! Mostly focuses on decorating over baking, but for fans of spooky treats or GBBO's goth queen Helena, it's befittingly charming.

[Catie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm an average baker, so some of these looked beyond my skill level. Very festive for my Halloween-obsessed friends.

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

so many tabs, so much baking to do

[Elizabeth Judd Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, whimsical, spooky books of bakes and drinks.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very unique and fun!