Book review: A Good Day to Bake by Benjamina Ebuehi

The Bake Off star's second cookbook, A Good Day to Bake, is a delicious treat

The majority of people will know Benjamina Ebuehi from her time on The Great British Bake Off. She made it to the quarter-final but she has since set out to prove herself as anything but a runner-up. She’s hosted a series of supper clubs with her sister Bonita, has written for national food publications including The Guardian’s Feast and has penned two cookbooks, the second of which, A Good Day To Bake, was published in March.

Perhaps unsurprisingly for someone who has made their name from being an amateur baker, Ebuehi has home cooks in mind for this book, which was written to share her love of baking as something “that deserves to be enjoyed all year round no matter the day, season or occasion”.

That’s not to say the recipes are unambitious – a recipe for mango and hazelnut choux puffs guides the reader through some relatively advanced techniques (“I make these on days when I want to feel a little fancy, but if you’ve never made choux pastry before, it’s a lot more straightforward than you think,” she advises), while a banana, tahini and rum cake tempts an unadventurous baker into new flavours. These dishes sit comfortably alongside a grown-up version of a cornflake cake.

A recipe for ‘just the crumble’ does what it says on the tin, ditching the superfluous addition of fruit. It’s followed by a recipe for brown sugar custard, with Ebuehi admitting, “I like most of my puddings absolutely drowning in the stuff”).

Among the savoury options, a recipe for a roasted veg dutch baby with scotch bonnet jam would make a perfect brunch, while spiced lamb sausage rolls will hit the spot any time of day.

Rather than dividing into sweet and savoury or by occasion, chapters include ‘herbs & tea’, ‘stone fruit & berries’, ‘vegetables’, ‘best of beige’, ‘spice cupboard’ and ‘chocolate’. While an unusual approach, it appeals to a reader’s potential flavour cravings – surely a strong factor when it comes to selecting something to bake.

A Good Day to Bake: Simple Baking Recipes for Every Mood by Benjamina Ebuehi (Quadrille, £22)