We are delighted to team up with Penguin Books once again to explore the incredibly talented Jane Dunn.
Jane is a bestselling food writer, blogger and photographer from the South of England, where her culinary creativity never ceases to fail! From birthday cake cookies to gin & tonic cupcakes, Jane’s recipes have become worldwide favourites, promising keen bakers recipes that are full to the brim with deliciousness and a touch of nostalgia.
2014 is the year in which it all begun, where Jane started her blog after training at Ashburton Chefs Academy. With the great passion and skill, Jane has now achieved 60+ million views on her blog page every year, with all current social channels equating to 1.5 million followers! (That’s a lot!). Jane has baked on This Morning and James Martin’s Saturday Kitchen, where her tasty sweet treats and scrumptious savoury bakes also featuring in The Times and Cosmopolitan.
With growing success, Jane released her debut cookbook ‘Jane’s Patisserie: Deliciously Customisable Cakes, Bakes and Treats’, which landed the No. 1 Sunday Times Bestseller in 2021, with her second cookbook, ‘Jane’s Patisserie: Celebrate!’ also attaining an instant No.1 bestseller!
So…it’s with no surprise that with the launch of Jane’s THIRD cookbook, ‘Jane’s Patisserie Everyday,’ it has also become the NUMBER ONE bestseller for Sunday Times. The book covers from loved classics of chunky cookies and cloud-like cupcakes, to delicious savoury tray bakes and cheesy breads!
With over 70 new and exclusive recipes that have been requested by fans, Jane has created a cookbook that has everything you need to produce showstopping bakes for your friends and families. Additionally, there are 30 classic favourites to choose from, including tips on how to freeze your bakes and also a section on free-from cooking.
A few recipes include: Carrot Cake Blondies, Marmite & Cheese Buns and Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins….and many more!
In Conversation with Jane Dunn
With a (big) slice of cake and a cup of tea, we managed to sit down with Jane and discuss all things about the release of her newest cookbook; from looking into the inspirations behind writing the book to what a normal day in the life looks like for her.
Hello Jane! BIG congratulations on the release of your THIRD book! Tell us, what inspired you create your brand-new cookbook?
Ohhh thank you so much! I genuinely can’t believe I’m on my third book already, it feels completely surreal. I wanted to make sure with my third book that I created something that people could genuinely use every day of the week, whether that was for something sweet or savoury, and have delicious recipes to enjoy. I have always aimed my recipes at people who have absolutely no ability to cook or bake, people who have started their cooking journey, or people who are fully fledged cooks and just want something tasty… it’s a book for everyone.
The book includes 70 new fan-requested recipes! (Which are all utterly delicious!) What was the most requested recipe from your fans?
I adore putting the exclusive recipes into the book as people are so excited to make them, and I adore seeing the bakes on social media! The most highly requested book by far was the cornflake brownies, and the tiramisu… they were tied for first place and I can see that so many people have made them already!
You also feature plenty of classics within your book…come on, you must have a favourite!
Classic bakes and meals are by far the best ones out there – you cannot beat a classic such as the custard creams, party rings, school cake and so on…. I struggle to pick however as I adore them all. I reckon I would eat the jam roly poly over and over again though, with LOTS and LOTS of custard to boot. My mum and dad however are superfans of the spotted dick recipe as it’s their favourite classic.
What would be your top tips for someone wanting to get into baking?
It may sound silly, but you just want to take it slow… make sure you read through the recipe, make sure you have some weighing scales, and if you’re nervous, grab a super cheap oven thermometer and you will be fine. Baking may be like a science, but it’s really easy once you have those bits sorted… baking is like therapy for me and I adore it, it’s nice to follow a process and take your time with it rather than having to rush about and feel stressed. You can enjoy making it, decorating it, and of course eating it! Bake what you want to bake, become confident with the basics, and then have fun experimenting!
There’s a whole chapter dedicated to ‘Free-From’ – is this something that you are passionate about sharing to your readers?
Oh yes I definitely wanted to bring some baking inspiration to free-from in my third book. It’s a chapter that is designed to help inspire people who haven’t done free-from baking before, and a chapter to help you out if you suddenly have a guest with dietary requirements. There are some simple recipes in there as go-to’s as well as swaps that can be super useful in the baking and cooking world to suit gluten free and also vegan. I have many friends who have dietary requirements and I always want to be able to cater for them as well.
What does a normal day in the life look for you, Jane?
I would say my days are probably the cosiest of days, and I am super lucky. I generally wake up, grab a coffee and walk my mad dog Thor, and then we go via the shop to my studio and bake. My studio is right next to a farm, so I usually have to drive past Lottie the donkey who I can hear throughout the day. I spend most of my time testing recipes over and over, whilst writing down my notes and editing videos whilst everything is cooling. I always have a team of trusty taste testers about to give feedback, and they are always super complimentary… it’s funny to watch people nab as much cake as they can get away with. I usually spend some time going through social media, answering any dilemmas and also interacting with my followers as I adore it, and it’s so nice to see people make my recipes and get involved. I am very lucky with what I do as it brings so many people so much joy, and I just love it myself.
Name three things in the kitchen you can’t live without!
I would have to say it’s my weighing scales, a decent spatula and my parchment paper stash. Genuinely I can’t think of how many weighing scales I have been through now after pouring liquids onto them one too many times, or simply using them too many times… they’re an absolute must. My spatulas have to have a decent 90º angle on them so they can get to every single drop of ingredients in a pan, with an ever so slight bend to use them in a bowl… I hate wasting ingredients so I am a firm believer in scraping that bowl clean with your spatula. And finally my parchment paper stash… you can’t be a baker without parchment paper in my opinion, the amount of tins I have to line on a daily basis, and it makes it so much easier!
Bakewell Scones Recipe
These little parcels of heaven are so delightful and moreish. Jane loves to serve hers with plenty of clotted cream and a cherry conserve, but you can serve them however you like. These are a great ‘make-ahead’ option as you can prep the scone dough, shape and then freeze – you just need to add 2 minutes to the baking time.
Makes: 9
Prep: 30 minutes
Baking time: 10-13 minutes
Cool time: 30 minutes
Lasts: 3+ days, at room temperature
Ingredients:
- 100g chilled unsalted butter, cubed
- 325g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
- 150g ground almonds
- 50g caster sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp Maldon sea salt flakes
- 190ml whole milk
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 150g glacé cherries, chopped
- 1 egg, beaten
- 30g flaked almonds
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 220ºC/200ºC fan and line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
- Place the tray in the oven to preheat.
- Add the butter, flour, ground almonds, sugar, baking powder and Maldon Salt to a large bowl. Rub the ingredients together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Warm the milk in a pan on the hob or in the microwave, then pour into the mixture with the lemon juice and almond extract. Mix the dough together with a spatula, adding the glacé cherries.
- On a floured work surface, tip out the scone dough and flatten with your hands until 5cm thick. Cut out eight scones using a 6–7cm cutter. Carefully place onto the preheated tray, then glaze with the beaten egg.
- Sprinkle over the flaked almonds, then bake in the oven for 10–13 minutes, or until golden.
- Leave to cool slightly and then enjoy.
Want to create a recipe from this book?!
You can find where to purchase Jane’s NEW cookbook here and start baking delicious sweet treats and savoury snacks for your friends and family.
Make sure you have your Maldon Salt ready for these recipes! If you are running out, please feel free to browse on our Where to Buy Page to find your nearest store in which stocks our beloved Maldon Salt.
Lastly, we LOVE seeing your creations – please tag us on Instagram using the #maldonsalt so we can share your own take on Jane’s recipes!
