Sickly Sweet: Falling in Love with Baking - Madeleines, Pistachio Cake & More

Words and photography: Chloe Sheppard

chloe sheppard sickly sweet baking polyester 2024 — Make it stand out

Dear dolls…
I’m here to present you with a new, monthly column; *Sickly Sweet*.
Over the last nine months, I have fallen in love with baking. It shouldn’t shock anyone to read I have always loved food, however until last year, the closest I had come to making my own sweet treats was sandwiching chocolate spread between two rich tea biscuits. That’s not to say I hadn’t ever baked before… of course the occasional packet mix has been purchased and put to use. And as a child, it’s something I loved to either witness or partake in with my grandmothers. I’m not sure what sparked the idea, but I decided to attempt a cake for my mum’s birthday last year, which ended up being a blueberry and lemon loaf. I’m not used to instant gratification in my usual creative practices, so quite quickly being able to see that this cake had worked, led to one of the most positive feelings I’d had in a long time.

I followed that feeling, and discovered one of my favourite ways to show people love is through food, especially some I’ve made myself. The more I made, and the more positive feedback I got from those who let me feed them at any given opportunity, my confidence grew and – ever the impulsive purchaser – so did my cookbook collection. After feeling fairly stuck and stagnant for some time, I think the method in recipes has helped bring me a bit closer to myself again.

Anyway - the aim of this column is to share some of what I’ve been making and loving with you all, in the hopes that you may decide to try them out for yourself, or discover some chefs and bakers you hadn’t known of before, whilst combining it with my persistent urge to photograph and document. I sorely miss living in London and having a place of my own to throw dinner parties or gatherings, so I write this letter and share my favourite recipe links with the hope that you may be inspired to use one of the recipes when you next host those you love. Here’s to many, many, delicious delights.

x Chloe
___STEADY_PAYWALL___

Maritozzi

I’m sure you’ve seen a version of this sweet treat over your social feeds at some point. Maritozzi are one of Rome’s most iconic pastries, they are soft and light, a little brioche bun filled with freshly whipped cream. I’d had serious food envy whenever someone posted one, nowhere near me sells them and I am yet to get one when down in London. Last summer, I searched for a recipe to make them so I could try myself, yet was disheartened when the majority of recipes I found required a mixing machine with a dough hook, which I didn’t yet own. I then came across this one by the legendary Nigella, which doesn’t ask for much equipment at all, just a lot of patience.

They remind me of the fresh cream and jam finger doughnuts from childhood, and are very much worth the effort to make.

Pistachio Cake with Chocolate Ganache

Benjamina Ebuehi is one of my favourite cooks. Everything she makes looks sensational, and I got so obsessed with this cake, I was making it weekly at one point. It’s fairly simple and a must for anyone who loves pistachio and chocolate. This cake tastes divine.

This recipe does require a blender for blitzing the pistachios. I use a mini KitchenAid food chopper, purely because my auntie already had one at home, however it grinds the pistachios in a matter of seconds so I highly recommend it as an investment.

Recipe here.

Blueberry and Custard Brioche Buns

A popular bakery chain in London sells a version of these that taste so good. I work in a bookshop, and whilst flicking through Hermine Dossou’s The Thrifty Baker saw a recipe that resembled them almost exactly, and knew I needed to attempt them.

These do require a mixer with a dough hook to make. You may be able to find a way around it by searching for simple no equipment brioche dough recipes, possibly like the Maritozzi one above, however I haven’t tested that myself yet.

Note for next time: I was pleased with how they turned out, although I should’ve made a larger well in the dough and used a lot more filling.

Recipe from The Thrifty Baker by Hermine Dossou, published September 2023.

Madeleines

The best madeleine recipe I’ve made yet is from a cookbook I’ll share in another column, however these ones were by the ever popular Edd Kimber. I left these in the oven a little too long hence the colour of them, they still tasted good though. I love a little madeleine, so simple yet so moreish, and a very aesthetically pleasing shape.

Recipe here.