How sweet it is

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This article was published 01/10/2024 (701 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s a sweet new edition on the way.

Sisters Jenna Hutchinson and Ashley Kosowan are expanding their successful local bakery business with a new cookbook venture. Jenna Rae Cakes at Home: Our Favourite Recipes to Enjoy with Family and Friends hits bookstores Oct. 8 and features more than 100 colourful, family-friendly recipes.

The cookbook is a followup to their first release, Jenna Rae Cakes and Sweet Treats, and is a labour of love that brings together the twins’ individual interests.

“Ash was meant to make cookbooks,” says Hutchinson, whose passion for cake design prompted the entrepreneurial siblings to open their first Jenna Rae Cakes shop in 2014.

“I love the creative side of it — the photography, the styling, the design of the actual book itself,” says Kosowan, who took most of the photos in the vibrant book and has been a fan of graphic design, branding and typography since middle school.

Jenna Rae Cakes at Home took three years to complete and is part of a two-book deal from Penguin Random House Canada — work is already underway on the next collection of recipes.

“We’ll make as many cookbooks as we get book offers for,” Kosowan says with a laugh. “It’s a huge amount of work, and they’re definitely not the most lucrative thing we do by any stretch, but they’re really rewarding in the way they become a household staple. We see families baking from the first book all the time and it really means a lot.”

While Sweet Treats focused on popular items sold in the bakery, Jenna Rae at Home shares family recipes and home baking classics with a whimsical twist. Chapters include breakfast mains (pancakes, waffles and French toast); muffins, biscuits and scones; party snacks; breads; cakes and squares; cookies; pastries, pies and tarts; and directions for signature icings, jams and batters.

“Our approach to baking is we don’t take ourselves too seriously, and we have a very childlike palate when it comes to candy — Lucky Charms, Fuzzy Peach, cotton candy — so our spin is always thinking about ‘How can we make a loaf of bread more (Jenna Rae Cakes)?’” Kosowan says.

Their recipe for Cotton Candy Twist Loaf, for example, looks like a carnival treat, topped with sprinkles and filled with pink, blue and purple swirls.

“It’s one of my favourites in the book. It’s so good if you want to use it in French toast,” Hutchinson says.

Now that their kids are older, the sisters have been getting them more involved in baking at home. Kosowan has two kids, aged four and eight, while Hutchinson has a three- and a five-year-old and recently announced she’s pregnant with her third.

Their kids, husbands and extended family members are featured in the forthcoming cookbook. The twins are the eldest of four children and grew up attending family gatherings overflowing with baked goods.

“Our baba and our granny and our mom were always in the kitchen; they were always baking and they all have a big sweet tooth,” Kosowan says. “Because it’s Jenna Rae Cakes at Home, we knew we had to include some of the recipes we grew up with and love so much.”

Family recipes include their mom’s chocolate zucchini bundt cake, their dad’s pavlova, their aunt’s Lazy Daisy cake and their late granny’s walnut buns — deep-fried crescent-shaped doughnuts filled with a sweet walnut paste.

“Everyone fights over them at Christmastime,” Hutchinson says of the latter.

Getting the family on board with a glossy photo shoot didn’t take much convincing.

“We made it a fun day — we had hair and makeup and all got together at Jen’s place,” Kosowan says.

“It’s going to be a core memory for sure,” Hutchinson adds.

Unlike with their first cookbook, which was released in the middle of the pandemic, Kosowan and Hutchinson are looking forward to promoting their new publication in person.

A signing for Jenna Rae Cakes at Home takes place Saturday, Oct. 12, at Chapters Polo Park Festival (695 Empress St.) at 1 p.m..; tickets are free but must be secured in advance. Visit wfp.to/jennarae for more information.

eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com

X: @evawasney

 

Imperial Cookie Dough Cups

Makes a dozen 5-oz cups

Flat Icing Glaze
375 ml (1 1/2 cups) icing sugar
22.5 ml (1 1/2 tbsp) water
1 to 2.5 ml (1/4 to 1/2 tsp) almond flavouring

Cookie Dough Cups
250 ml (1 cup) margarine or vegan margarine
375 ml (1 1/2 cups) icing sugar
250 ml (1 cup) granulated sugar
125 ml (1/2 cup) whole (3.25%) milk or soy milk
10 ml (2 tsp) pure vanilla extract
875 ml (3 1/2 cups) heat-treated flour (see note)
125 ml (1/2 cup) cornstarch
1 ml (1/4 tsp) salt
180 ml (3/4 cup) apple raspberry or your choice of jam
12 5-oz paper cups with lids
12 maraschino cherries, patted dry

Note: Flour must be heated-treated before using in edible cookie dough. Preheat oven to 175 C (350 F) and spread 4 cups of all-purpose flour on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes or until flour turns ivory in colour.

In a small bowl, combine the icing sugar, water and almond flavouring. Whisk until creamy and smooth, about 1 minute.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the margarine, icing sugar and granulated sugar on high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape the bottom of the bowl. Mix for 1 more minute, until the mixture looks light and fluffy. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour in the milk and vanilla. Increase the speed to medium. Mix for 1 minute, until combined. Scrape the bowl.

Sift the heat-treated flour, cornstarch and salt into the bowl of the stand mixer. Mix on medium speed until combined. Scrape the bowl.

Use a rubber spatula to fold the jam into the cookie dough until you’ve created ribbons of jam.

Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough into paper cups. Use a flat-bottomed measuring cup or glass to press the dough into the cup and make a flat top. Divide the Flat Icing Glaze evenly among the cups. Top each serving with a maraschino cherry. Serve immediately.

Store leftover cookie dough in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Thaw frozen cookie dough in the fridge overnight before serving.