First, Cream the Butter and Sugar: The essential baking companion

by Emelia Jackson

"There's no better hand to hold than Emelia's to lead you to baking bliss." - Alice Zaslavsky

Make baking your happy place. It's not so much a science; it's practice plus play, which becomes instinct and then art. And even the failures are delicious.

Welcome to First, Cream the Butter and Sugar - the ultimate guide for everyone who loves cake. Whether you're here for the only choc chip cookie recipe you'll ever need, or you're setting your sights on conquering an opera cake, a raspberry passionfruit tart or becoming a choux-master, Emelia Jackson has done the homework on behalf of us all.

For those who love a good homemade cake but don't love sifting flour and icing sugar (is it really necessary?) and enjoy a shortcut (do I need to wait hours for my eggs to reach room temp?), Emelia breaks down the steps that truly matter and dispenses with those that don't. Packed with advice for every level of home baker, this is the modern baking reassurance you need, whether it's the night before the birthday party or just a Sunday afternoon for baking something sweet to get you through the week.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food

408 pages, Hardcover

Published January 3, 2023

Reviews

[Lara (luellabella) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gift from Dad from the most beautiful bookshop in the world - South Seas, Port Elliot 💕 I think I want to start at the front and make every single recipe at least once!

[Pu Pantip · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this cookbook. I decided to get it even though I haven't bought cookbooks for a while.
- It is a very beautiful book with pastel colors. I love how the backgrounds are not always white but pastel pink, great and etc. Very dreamy indeed.
- Many menus are 'spiced' which I am a big fan of :)
- Most of the menus have the 'mix it up' section at the end so you can change and customize your baked goodies :)
- It also contains a lot of other nationality baked goods eg Greek given Emilia's background.
- Her journey of baking is impressive.
- PS her book sections are cakes (everyday ones and celebration ones), cookies, tarts, choux pastries and yeast bake :)

If you love baking, this is one of the books you need to keep handy.

[Chriselle Correia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really makes baking your happy place. So many helpful tips and beautiful recipes. It’s such a beautiful book too - one for the coffee table and kitchen.

Emelia calls the essential baking companion and as someone who previously struggled with baking, I couldn’t agree more!

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

A delicious (and huge) book of amazing looking treats. There are even gluten free ones in here too!

[Amy Heap · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never heard of Emelia Jackson before, but while I was working in a book shop, this gorgeous book came in and I found myself picking it up in every quiet moment. I had to have it, and it is one of those rare cookbooks where I want to make almost every single recipe, and there are so many. There is a good range of simple to complicated, and each recipe has a photo, and options for mixing it up. It is a beautiful book to look at, to read, and to cook from.
There was a tiny bitter note in this sweet book, which is when she wrote that brownies come with a serving of guilt. Even putting aside questions of the helpfulness of attaching shame to food, it just didn’t fit with the introductions to all the other recipes (she tells us to make sure we have a cup of tea so we can manage SIX chocolate chip cookies in one sitting), in a book that is 100% baking related, with no “healthier” section. I still think it’s a fabulous book, and I am working my way through the recipes.

[Alina-Sandra Cucu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good companion for beginner and intermediate bakers. I loved Emelia when I saw her in Masterchef Australia, and her book does not disappoint. It is logical, clean, no fuss, and reliable. The recipes I've tried are delicious.

I would have appreciated alternatives to using equipment in some circumstances. Almost all cookbooks today are written for people who don't move around, have money to buy all the equipment indicated in the recipes, and have big enough kitchens to accommodate this equipment. Most people I know live in very different realities.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent cookbook for wannabe pastry chefs. She very kindly explains much of the mystery and alchemy of baking cookies, cakes, pies, and choux(!), without it seeming intimidating. This book is a keeper for anyone who loves to bake delicious confections. You will no doubt learn a lot and enjoy the tasty rewards those lessons bring.

[Lucy Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning cookbook to add to my collection. This book looks beautiful on my shelf and have tried a few of the recipes and they have all worked out.
I never really warmed to Emelia on Masterchef but this book has given me a whole new appreciation for her, her warmth and her wit.

[Clayton Burk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Im sorry but i have made two recipe's and they do not work out. One in particular being the finger buns… 2tbs milk to 400g of icing sugar causes a massive clump and does not go runny.
Another is blended pistachios to make a spread… so where is the liquid after roasting them?
Ridiculous

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

The photography really adds another level of decadence to these recipes.
Loved how there are gluten-free adaptations and you can find these easily in the directory pages.

[Isobella Annett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this book - it’s by far my most used cookbook when it comes to baking. Every recipe turns out perfect!

[Isabella Alcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best cook book I have, not one bad recipe