Sweet: the secret to the best desserts

Ever wondered how to make a dessert extra delicious? Look no further.

In this book, Alexina Anatole, MasterChef finalist and author of Bitter, guides you through unlocking the secrets of sweetness.

Journeying through 10 shades of sweetness – including brown sugar, strawberries, peaches, honey, vanilla and bananas – Alexina reveals the tempting results that can be achieved by balancing flavour, texture and temperature.

With twists on the classics and exciting new creations, these 80 recipes offer comfort while also delivering bold, exciting flavours. Whether you love desserts or believe that you’re ‘not a dessert person’, this inspiring cookbook is guaranteed to delight all.

Discover recipes for all occasions and palates, such as:
Banoffee Coffee Sundae • Milky Bar Basque Cheesecake • Mango, Coconut + Lime Celebration Cake • Matcha Tiramisu • Sticky Figgy Pudding • Pear Sorbet with Frozen Roquefort • The Neo Neapolitan • Peach Melba Galette • Terrazzo Cookies

Review

What I love about Alexina’s approach to recipes and cooking is her thoroughness. She researches and researches and makes every effort to understand the inception of an ingredient, technique or dish. So when she comes to use it or cook it she is armed with knowledge, engagement and connection, enabling her to cook thoughtfully and masterfully. -- Rosie Mackean ― The Dinner Party Substack

A really really gorgeous book. ― Sunday Brunch

An impressive baking resource for every occasion. ― Belfast Telegraph

Alexina brings the life, soul and joy of baking and matches it with incredible technical knowledge. Sweet truly is a love letter to the ‘leave room for dessert’ people of the world. -- Liberty Mendez, author of 'I'll Bake'

Sweet is packed with everything I love! Alexina has put together such a clever and beautiful book full of recipes that are so well layered and considered. Sweet gives readers both the tools and confidence to balance flavours and make their own delicious bakes. The sweetest addition to any kitchen! -- Benjamina Ebuehi, author of 'I'll Bring Dessert'

Absolutely beautiful… the imagery really grabs you and sells the idea that everything is incredibly good and that you should immediately head to the kitchen and bake… The second thing you’ll notice is that the recipes involve a wonderful palette of ingredients and flavours… You’ll feel like a more confident baker after reading and baking from this book, and you’ll have exciting and interesting recipes to boot. ― Edd Kimber, author of One Tin Bakes and 2010 winner of the Great British Bake Off

This is not your typical cookbook. Alexina masterfully captures the art of baking, delving deep into the significance of each ingredient. Her inventive recipes and bold flavour combinations leap off the page, inviting you to try something a little different than usual. A personal favourite is her white chocolate, miso, and sesame cookie― a blend of sweet and savory that perfectly sums up her approach to baking. -- Remi Idowu, recipe developer @foodbyremi

Sweet is such a joy. Alexina strikes the perfect balance between pleasure, understanding, a little science and really special, inventive, hungry-making recipes. -- Mark Diacono, author of 'Vegetables: Easy and Inventive Vegetarian Suppers'

A broad, sweet landscape of 80 inventive and appealing recipes. Even the classics are elevated with typical Anatole flair… Equally rewardingly, there’s just the right amount of science to promote understanding ― Delicious

About the Author

Alexina Anatole started her career on a trading floor in the City of London, but an obsession with food was always present. In the last year of her twenties she decided - after years of watching the show - that she was finally ready to enter MasterChef. Weeks of competing resulted in her reaching the final round of the 2021 season, coming runner up to champion Thomas Rhodes. The competition led her to realise that she might actually have a talent for cooking but, more importantly, it helped her to better understand her philosophy around food and flavour. Having read English at Cambridge, she now finds herself becoming a food writer - and thus coming full circle.