It’s cake time at the Lambs’ Ears Cookbook Club at last – attention baking lovers, it’s time to get your wooden spoons out!
As I mentioned in my post last month, I was amazed to realise that we had yet to have a baking binge in the Lambs’ Ears Cookbook Club in 2026 – so attention baking lovers, you’re up!
This month we will be baking and sharing (in our Facebook group, are you a member yet? No – why not?) from Emelia Jackson’s You Had Me at Cake. Emelia has history when it comes to excellence in baked goods, and we have cooked from both of her earlier publications – “First, Cream the Butter and Sugar”, and “Some of My Best Friends are Cookies”.
She is noted and respected for offering satisfying, simple and successful baking recipes that are flexible and adaptable enough to appeal to all levels of baker – from novices, right through to totally addicted baking lovers. Her latest cookbook, which was published in March this year, has 80 perfect and quite simple cake recipes, featuring large cakes, small ones and a section on international flavours – all of them absolutely achievable by anyone who can read and follow simple instructions.
If you think you might like a few extra baking tips, I have a couple of posts to help make your baking life easier – check them out here and here.
Of course, we still have “throw-back Thursday”, so if you want to share any of Emelia’s creations from her two other books, go for it!
And my big baking tip for any of you baking lovers – get yourselves a Madeleine pan. These classic little darlings are the pinnacle of perfect cake love. They are not difficult to make, can be as simple or as sophisticated as you like, and (best of all) are best eaten shortly after baking, which is all the excuse I need to indulge myself greedily.
The food focus for August
My food focus for this month probably won’t come as a huge surprise to anyone who has followed me for a while; it’s a personal favourite – chocolate. Honestly, it’s a total no-brainer for a month that will focus on baking, and I’m sure all of the cookbook club members will be embracing this particular ingredient warmly.
So, what did we cook in July?
Image from delicious.
July was a month dedicated to an Australian food icon, the late Valli Little. I was thrilled to see how much you all enjoyed sharing some old favourites from her work, and discovering new ones. Here are some of your pictures – the rest can be found on our Facebook page.
Spiced carrot & lentil soup from Valli Little’s book Faking It, from Karyn Hearn’s kitchen
Piedmont Peppers from Love to Eat, from Margot Jervies kitchen
Cheat’s Porchetta from Delicious: Feel Good Food, from the kitchen of Carolyn Miles
Valli’s 8 hour pork belly, from Allison Reynolds kitchen
So what will the cookbook club cook from in September?
It’s not only baking that we have neglected in the Lambs’ Ears Cookbook Club so far this year – we haven’t had a month where we focus on vegetarian cooking and eating yet, so September it is!
Once again, this is a chance to have a good rummage around any of the cookbooks you already own (Eat Your Books is definitely your friend here), any of the books that we have featured in the past five years, or anything you can source from the library. And if you want to take it to the next step and go vegan, please knock yourselves out!
I’m thinking some warming bean-heavy casseroles, hearty grain-based salads, fresh spring vegetable salads, and everything in -between. Vegetarian dishes are limitless, so start getting some recipes together now.
But back to August – baking lovers, get your mixers and wooden spoons out and let us all eat cake!
IF YOU HAVEN’T JOINED THE LAMBS EARS COOKBOOK CLUB YET, YOU WILL FIND ALL THE DETAILS HERE.
HERE’S HOW 2026 IS SHAPING UP SO FAR
Our whole-year cookbook selection is any of The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater
August – You Had Me at Cake by Emelia Jackson
July – any recipes by Valli Little
June – Tender by Lucy Tweed
May – Home Food by Elizabeth Hewson
April – Any ONE cookbook from your own collection
March – The Actually Delicious One Pot Cookbook by Poppy Cooks
February – Sunshine, Lemons and Sea Salt by Donna Hay
January – Salata by Michael Mantissas and Kristy Frawley
Please note, this post contains links to online Australian bookseller Booktopia. If you purchase via one of my links you will get a great price, and I will get a very small commission.
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