But I awoke with a start one night not too long ago, and I just knew this book had made it to your hands. I sensed you were coming; your eager mind and limitless baking potential was like a pulse of brilliant light from that haze of darkness.
And how did you come across this tome, adventurer? Perhaps you discovered it in the forbidden section of a Mage tower library, or journeyed up a mountain to be handed a copy by a withered shaman, eager to pass on his mystic baking arts. Or maybe you bought it off Amazon. However it ended up in your hands, its power is now yours to wield.
Before you venture far from the comfort of your starter area, we should discuss the items below for an overall understanding of how this book works and the journey that now lies before you.
Levelling Up
This book is divided into 3 parts, each increasing in difficulty. Always read the recipe all the way through before starting! Get familiar with the steps before you take them, and it will improve your baking experience.
If you are new to baking, I recommend starting at Level 1 and working your way up. If your baking skills are already maxed out, then feel free to jump in and start slaying dragons all willy-nilly.
Level 1 - Squire: Starter quests to begin your baking adventure.
Level 2 - Knight: Grinding your skills in the kitchen for maximum XP.
Level 3 - Dragon Slayer: Epic recipes and skill checks for the most heroic of bakers.
The final section of the book is titled Festival Reveler, and it will be your chance to do a victory lap. Celebrate the seasons with a glass of mead and these legendary seasonal recipes.
Side Quests
Every adventurer needs a little break now and then. Between each level, there are recipes to help you plan a sweet shindig for your adventuring party (and some new NPCs you may meet along the way). A printable party invite, recipe, and cocktail are included for each theme party to get the festivities started.
Essential Baking Spells
Pages 42 to 75 contain the essential baking spells required to make most of the recipes in this book. Learn them well, adventurer, and they will serve you in kind.
Templates
Included in many of the recipes are names of templates available for download from my website, books.geeksweets.net – they are used for cutting out specific shapes, usually for fondant or cookies, as well as for royal icing transfers. See page 206 for how to use templates with fondant, page 35 for how to use templates with cookies, and page 128 for how to use templates to make a royal icing transfer. If you don’t have a printer, use this quick tip: trace template shapes by holding a square of waxed paper up to your computer screen, tracing the shapes, then cutting them out as required.
Critical Misses
Keep in mind this eternal truth: there is no winning or losing when it comes to baking. Each creation is a step on your journey toward true baking wizardry. If something doesn’t come out the way you imagined or looking just like the photo, it’s all the same to your taste buds, bud. Pick yourself up, dust the cake crumbs off, and try again.
Rolling Natural 20’s
Just pulled off a feat of baking prowess the likes of which this realm has never seen? I’d love to see it! Share it with everyone on social media with the hashtag #geeksweets and I’ll share it too:
Twitter: @geeksweettweets, Instagram: @geeksweets, Snapchat: @geeksweetsnaps
Facebook: @geeksweets
We’ve been talking all night, and the sun is starting to crest on a new day. Time to go, adventurer, our quest begins. These old bones can still conjure a mystical sweet or two. Let’s settle up with the barmaid and leave this small town behind for the buttercream-frosted glory that awaits.
Leveling up your baking game with an arsenal of goodies.
Clear up some slots in your Bag of Holding – baking magics require the right tools for every spell. You will find details in alphabetical order below on many of the items you’ll need to recreate the recipes in this book, as well as swap-in suggestions for some harder to find items.
Not sure where to find something? Check the resources section of this book, on page 259, for places to purchase the inventory items not yet in your armory.
Chocolate Handling Gloves
Yep – these are a thing. They’re thin, cotton gloves that keep fingerprints off your chocolate creations when picking them up. They can be purchased online or from bakery supply stores, and they are great for handling chocolate coming out of silicone molds or for adding chocolate toppers to cupcakes without leaving any trace of yer grubby paws.
Cookie Lifter
These small, flat spatulas are great for – you guessed it – lifting cookies on and off a cookie sheet. Always wait until your cookies have cooled two or three minutes before sliding this puppy underneath them and moving them to a cooling rack, otherwise they will be too soft and prone to breaking. If you don’t have a lifter, wait until cookies are completely cooled before lifting them off the cookie sheet with a gentle twist.
Couplers
These are used to hold small piping tips in place in a piping bag. (More on tips later!) The two brands I use most frequently are Wilton and Ateco. But be careful – the Ateco couplers and tips do not “play nice” with the Wilton couplers and tips, so be sure to use tips with the matching brand of coupler. See page 27 for details on how to put together a piping bag with a tip and coupler.
Cupcake Baking Pans
These are usually called “Muffin Tins”, but let’s not fool ourselves - we know what we’re using them for. Use a standard size, and make sure they’re not marked “Jumbo”. Mini sized tins can be used for making miniature versions of all the recipes in this book, but baking times will be shorter – keep an eye out for golden tops and check the centers for doneness with a toothpick. Also keep in mind, dark colored pans cook their contents faster, and lighter pans cook them slower.
Cupcake Corer
This fun little gizmo will make light work of popping the middle out of a cupcake in order to add filling. While it sure is nifty, a thin paring knife will also do the job. Cut a hole two-thirds of the way down into the cupcake and tilt knife upwards to remove the ‘cake plug.’