eric the cake boy 3_Layout 1 03/10/2012 16:00 Page 2
HOMEBAKER
The further
adventures of
CAKE boy
cake
BOY
Master patissier, TV favourite, and all-round
charming fellow Eric Lanlard is thinking ahead…
I love Christmas; I really do. However, I have a small confession to make: this year,
I will once again be spending the festive season somewhere that’s about as
‘untraditional’ as it’s possible to get. Whilst my friends and family gather around a
roaring log fire as a giant bird slowly roasts in the oven, I’ll be in Australia, soaking
up the sunshine and perhaps considering some grilled shrimp. Don’t feel too sorry
for me, though. December at Cake Boy is always fully booked with Yuletide events
and classes, and I certainly won’t miss out on turkey, cranberries and mince pies in
the run-up to Christmas Eve, which is when we close for a fortnight… and I escape!
online recipe
holiday season
Although I have very fond memories of childhood Christmases (we did it the
French way, naturally, celebrating on Christmas Eve with oysters, partridge or goose,
and a rich, buttercream bûche de Noël, opening gifts at midnight, and relaxing for
the whole of the next day), that all stopped
when I was 18 and began to train as a patissier.
In Paris, December 25th and January 1st are
the two busiest days of the year, and there is no way that I
could have taken any time off to be with my family. I
couldn’t quite believe my luck when I moved to London and
discovered that the entire city more or less shuts down
for the best part of two weeks over the holiday period,
and so I always make the most of the chance to get away.
spice up your life
“There’s nothing
wrong with
the odd
‘cheat’ here
and there...”
This doesn’t mean I’m immune to the potential stress of Christmas preparations,
though. The secret – especially when it comes to festive baking – is to do as much
as you can, as early as you can. The cake, for example, can be made in September
(although if your recipe includes nuts, do roast them in the oven first, so they don’t
lose that satisfying crunch over time), and you can ice it well in advance, too, as
long as you store it in an airtight tin. There’s nothing wrong with the odd ‘cheat’
here and there, either; I would suggest, though, adding your own twist to
shop-bought staples, to keep things special – try jazzing up a jar of mincemeat with a
splash of booze or some fresh cranberries, for example.
Of course, I would always encourage you to have a go at making your own pastry –
but there’s a place for ready-made too, as long as you insist on the best possible
quality, using butter, not oil, or any other kind of fat. In fact, one of my favourite
‘quickie’ bakes at this time of year involves turning a sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry
into cinnamon sticks. Just mix three tablespoons of golden caster sugar with two
teaspoons of ground cinnamon. Brush the pastry with beaten egg and sprinkle over
the cinnamon mix. Cut into 1cm wide strips, twist them, place on a baking sheet
and bake at 180˚C for seven to eight minutes, or until crisp and golden. They’re
the perfect sweet treat for a dark December evening, and as a bonus, they’ll fill your
kitchen with a gorgeous, spicy scent that is so seasonal and nostalgic, it could almost
tempt a Boy not to board that plane after all…
WIN!
We have a copy of Tart It
Up!, along with a fantastic
Magimix Cuisine Système
5200XL Satin BlenderMix
(RRP: £329.99) – the
perfect piece of kitchen
equipment to help you
create Eric’s gorgeous
recipes, thanks to its
brilliant range of functions
and accessories – to give
away. To be in with a
chance go to
www.homemaker
magazine.co.uk
Eric’s most recent book, Tart It Up!
(Octopus, hardback, £18.99), is a
glorious celebration of pies and
tarts, sweet and savoury, for all
occasions, illustrated with stunning
photography. The stunning
chocolate and chestnut yule log
pictured above, appears in his
earlier title, Home Bake (Mitchell
Beazley, hardback, £20). Eric
shares the recipe with us at
www.homemakermagazine.co.uk
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