Peek Inside ‘The Violet Bakery Cookbook,’ a Collection of Quietly Elegant Recipes

Here's a first look inside baker and food writer Claire Ptak's fourth book, The Violet Bakery Cookbook, a printed presentation of Ptak's Violet Bakery in East London. The charming cake shop has many fans, including chef Jamie Oliver, who calls Ptak his favorite London cake maker. Ptak also spent time at Berkeley's Chez Panisse, and as a nod to those formative years, food activist and recent National Humanities Medal honoree Alice Waters wrote the book's foreword.

The Violet Bakery Cookbook is divided into sweet and savory sections, and fans of the bakery will find their favorites between the two covers: recipes for biscuits, cinnamon rolls, deep dark chocolate butterscotch brownies, and several showstoppers, including a chocolate soufflé cake.

The Violet Bakery Cookbook (Ten Speed Press) hits bookstores and mailboxes on September 29. It is available for pre-order on Amazon now, but find an exclusive preview of the book below:

Reprinted with permission from The Violet Bakery Cookbook, by Claire Ptak (Ten Speed Press, 2015); Photography copyright © 2015 by Kristin Perers