If you’re in the greater Winnipeg area, maybe you've been lucky enough to gobble a treat from Jenna Rae Cakes. Founded by twin sisters Jenna and Ashley in 2014, the bakery is beloved and known for its sparkle-sprinkle magic. With their pretty shops and what some have dubbed the “best macarons in town,” the sisters have recreated some of their signature flavours into an accessible second cookbook: Jenna Rae Cakes at Home: Our Favourite Recipes to Enjoy with Family and Friends. 

The book is beautiful, with bright colours and tempting recipes, including some that have been passed down in their family for generations. What I particularly enjoyed was that each recipe was rated on a difficulty scale from one to three. One, of course, is simple, and three is more complex and elaborate. It gave a good indication of the bandwidth required.

I seriously just scratched the surface of the recipes contained in this incredibly creative and inspiring cookbook. So, if you’re a baker or have a baker in your life, believe me when I say that this book is a must-have! 

Like every good cookbook, it’s divided up into sections. I’ve detailed some below, along with a few of the recipes from each that I tested out. If anything is hyperlinked, the publisher was kind enough to let us share. Take a look and get baking! 

Pancakes, Waffles and French Toast

You think you know pancakes until this chapter! Loaded with six pancake recipes, five waffle recipes and two French toast recipes, the twins’ creativity seems to know no bounds with creations such as Cookie Dough Pancakes (page 19), Birthday Oreo Pancakes (page 24), Maple Bacon Waffles (page 32) and the phantasmagorical Earl Grey Brulee Bubble Waffles (page 39).  

Deep Dish Upside Down Salted Caramel Apple Pancake, page 27
I tested this one and jeez, I’m exhausted just reading the title! Let me put it this way: this recipe is like if a tarte tatin and a Dutch baby had, well, a baby. It seems complicated, but honestly, it came together quickly and was a showstopper dessert. And I did serve it as a dessert. I’m not sure I could eat something this sweet first thing in the morning, but if a sweet breakfast is your thing, I’d like to introduce you to your new obsession. Get the recipe: Deep Dish Upside Down Salted Caramel Apple Pancake

Muffins, Biscuits, and Scones

Of course, I had to try the Two-in-One Chocolate Chip Cookie Muffins (page 53), which are cookie crumble streusel-topped, chocolate cookie-based muffins. Perhaps it's unnecessarily complicated, but it’s such a surprise to bite into a muffin and enjoy a cookie crunch at the bottom. The Blueberry Biscuit Cobbler (page 65) is, IMO, the perfect cold-night dessert. Using frozen berries makes it easy to pull together mid-week.

Coffee Cake Swirl Muffins, page 49
I loved the cinnamon and butter filling that is gently folded into the batter before baking. It’s totally a luxurious surprise, as is the streusel topping and the vanilla bean glaze. To be clear, this is a muffin with four components. Certainly not your regular one-bowl muffins, but the bit of effort is worth it. These muffins are a delicious treat to enjoy with a strong cup of coffee. Get the recipe: Coffee Cake Swirl Muffins

Poutine Muffins, page 55
Didn’t think I would ever make a muffin recipe that requires making a rich beef gravy. But here we are. This savoury, cheesy and filling muffin is wild. And I LOVED it!

Party Snacks

It’s fair to say that this is the most over-the-top section of the book, with recipes like Vanilla Sprinkle Cakesicles (page 77), S’Mores Cakesicles (page 83), Imperial Cookie Dough Cups (page 94), and Bananas Foster Honey Comb Ice Cream (page 107). It’s a super innovative chapter perfect for birthday parties and other special celebrations. 

Breads

Listen, if I were 10, the Cotton Candy Twist Loaf (page 115) would have been my dream come true. But I won’t lie; I’m still into it today. Lots of food colouring is used, but the result is a stunning multi-coloured loaf of bread.

Earl Grey Cinnamon Buns, page 123
Confession time: I drink a cup or two of Earl Grey tea most days. It’s no wonder that this yeasted bun called out to me. I was not disappointed. The whole thing just works. Both the dough and the glaze contain a delicious Earl Grey reduction (whipping cream and Earl Grey), and the cozy flavour is present throughout these delicious rolls. 

Birthday Cake Rolls, page 125
What can I say? These are cinnamon roll-adjacent with birthday sprinkles and hot pink icing. Festive, fun and another perfect party trick. Get the recipe: Birthday Cake Rolls

Cakes & Squares

Slow weekend grazing and brunching come to mind with this chapter. 

Blueberry Breakfast Cake, page 144
This is a simple enough coffee cake that gets its moist crumb texture from the addition of sour cream. As a sucker for anything lemon, the lemon glaze instantly sold me. Its presence is just the right amount of tartness to balance the sweetness in the cake and streusel topping. I’m keeping this recipe as a speedy, non-fussy dessert for when I’m having company. 

Banana Pudding Trifle Cups, page 169
This is a labour of love. Full stop. The stunning trifle relies on five components to come together. It kind of reminded me of the banana pudding made by a famous bakery in NYC, you know the one. At any rate, this dessert is something really wonderful, but you have to set out the time to bake, caramelize, boil, cook and whip.  There are SO MANY STEPS, but if you have the time, it’s really worth it!

Cookies

You can’t have a dessert book without a cookie chapter. I would even argue that if you have a good cookie recipe, you don’t need anything else. Especially if that cookie recipe has lemon or Earl Grey. You know me. 

Lemon Crinkle Cookies, page 179
As we've established, if there’s lemon, I’m making it. These cookies are tart, sweet and crunchy, and as far as I’m concerned, they really hit all the high notes. While I opted to skip the Diamond Edible Glitter, I don’t think it detracted from the overall impression this cookie makes. So bright and fresh!

Chocolate Whoopie Pies, page 192
Now take a sharp left from the lemon cookies. As it goes with whoopie pies, there’s a bit more efforts to make the cake cookies and filling then assemble. Having said that, the pillowy mini cakes were SO satisfying, and the filling — thickened with cooked flour and milk paste rather than tons of icing sugar — made this cookie way less sweet and way more delicious than I could have dreamed. 

Pastry, Pies, and Tarts

And the hits keep on coming. This chapter incorporated some sweet-and-savoury and definitely left me impressed.

Pear Honey Goat Cheese Galette, page 241
Until testing this recipe, I’d never made individual-sized galettes. I always thought it would be too finicky and not worth the effort. Having made these little gems, I would argue that because they take less time to bake, you get to enjoy them much sooner than if they had been baked in a full-sized format. I really loved how the slightly sweet and super creamy honey goat cheese filling contrasted with the shatteringly crisp pastry.

Salted Peanut Butter Pretzel Mouse Tart, page 261 
If given a choice, I will always opt for a salty-sweet or savoury dessert over a super-sweet one. For me, this combination is perfect. This dish is by no means a quick and easy dessert as you’ll have to prepare the tart dough, let it rest for an hour in the fridge, then make the peanut butter mousse, the pretzel crumble, and dark chocolate ganache and, if you’re into it, the golden peanuts. Once again, I opted out of literally gilding the peanuts with Antique Gold Lustre Dust, and truly, you don’t need it. Crunchy roasted peanuts sprinkled on top do just the trick.

Excerpted from Jenna Rae Cakes At Home by Ashley Nicole Kosowan and Jenna Rae Hutchinson. Copyright © 2024 by Ashley Nicole Kosowan and Jenna Rae Hutchinson. Photographs by Ashley Kosowan. Published by Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.