Happy Belly – Quick Bites & Cookbook Giveaway
July 18, 2022 by JennyEnter our US/CA giveaway to win one of two signed copies of Happy Belly: The Cake Book by Aaron McInnis.
I remember watching Aaron on the Spring Baking Championship (Season 4) and vividly recall how the judges raved about his Brown sugar cream cheese pastry cream. (In fact, Duff said he was going to steal that recipe – and he did on an episode of Buddy v. Duff for his Boston cream donuts.) At that time, I made myself a note and went to his website and printed out the recipe (fyi, it is in the book!). So pleased doesn’t begin to describe my delight, when I saw his cookbook listed on Amazon as I did my Library updates last year. Due to printing and shipping delays there was some additional wait but the book is finally available to us all! I recommend it wholeheartedly.
Just one reason I love this book is the Brown sugar cream cheese pastry cream which is to die for. Many other reasons include the detailed instructions (Aaron wants you to understand the basics of baking), gorgeous photography and tempting recipes that will make you the baker that everyone envies.
Aaron begins with helpful tutorials – for instance, how to fill a piping bag and damming and filling a cake. A weight conversion table is shared as well as a table devoted to scoops. Yes, a scoop table. As scoops are universal, appropriate scoop numbers are listed along with the specifics for each scoop including diameter, ounces, teaspoons, cup, ml and how many scoops make a cup.
The recipes here have been thoroughly vetted by Aaron. He shares his “goop” recipe (nothing to do with Ms. Paltrow) which is a homemade cake release (that works brilliantly); simple syrup; ganaches; basic cake recipes and more. Want to make cupcakes? Aaron tells us that each cake recipe makes two dozen cupcakes. He has thought of everything.
Some of the recipes in this book are: Almond Joy cake; Terry’s chocolate-orange cake; Tiramisu cake; Cinnamon-roll cake; Chocolate, peanut-butter and pretzel cake; and Peanut-butter and jam cake. There are cakes for special occasions and holidays including a section just on holiday flavors. The best section is the out-of-the-box flavour combinations: Lemon, pepper and parsley cake; Beer and cheese cake and Avocado and coffee cake.
I can not tell you how much I love this book. Besides being approachable – it is thoughtfully written, perfectly organized, inspirational and filled with delicious recipes that will become family favorites.
Aaron was kind enough to take some time to do a Quick Bites for our Members. (If you can, go back and watch some of the shows he has been on – try “on demand” – you will see why I was so excited for this title).
Chef Aaron McInnis, was born and raised in Nova Scotia and a Newfoundland transplant since 2005, where he began his journey through university. Aaron has been baking nearly all his life and like most started as a self-taught/mom-taught baker. After University and a stint in health care, Aaron decided to pursue his lifelong passion of baking.
He is the owner of Happy Belly Cakery, a custom cake studio and the author of “Happy Belly: The Cake Book.” The heart behind Man versus Cake, an international education blog, and most recently the writer and host of “Baking it up a Notch” on Bell TV, coming Summer 2022. Be sure to follow Aaron on Instagram.
Aaron strongly and wholeheartedly believes in breaking the baking stereotypes and empowering men to get into the kitchen and bake all the things. As a father to three young men he wants them to know and understand that they belong wherever they find themselves most happy, making and creating a successful life for themselves and their family, no matter what the career.
Some fun facts . . .
- Aaron is a certified nutritionist. Having completed his bachelor’s degree with a major in nutrition.
- He is one of only a handful of Red Seal Certified Bakers in Newfoundland.
- Aaron is currently the Baking and Pastry Arts Instructor with College of the North Atlantic, in Stephenville Newfoundland.
- He is a four-time Food Network Veteran and Champion, having competed on the following programs:
- Spring Baking Championship, Season 4: Top 5
- Christmas Cookie Challenge, Season 2, Episode 4: Winner
- Winner Cake All, Season 1 Episode 1: Runner- Up
- The Big Bake, Season 1 Episode 2: Runner- Up
Aaron is passionate about his work, seeking every opportunity to better the world through cake and to empower cakers, bakers, and sweet-treat makers globally.
Q: What first triggered your interest in baking? Do you remember your first baking memory?
My first memories of baking all stem back to mom. My mom was always known in the family as the baker and no matter the function she was to bring dessert. Growing up we baked a lot together, whether for craft fairs, for school functions, bake sale or simply for fun, mom and I would always be in the kitchen until the wee hours of the morning.
Q: If you had to describe your baking style, what would it be?
My baking style would be best described as approachable, homespun with a twist. I want people to be less intimidated by the kitchen and feel comfortable like it’s a place they belong. Of course I can produce the high end fancy desserts, but my passion is getting people in the kitchen and showing them that with the same 5 simple ingredients, flour, butter, sugar, eggs and milk, you can make 100’s of different and delicious treats. I want people to know and understand that it’s ok to let go and not be so rigid on the recipe, get creative and have fun.
Q: Are you a cookbook collector?
I am not a cookbook collector! I have the odd one that may have been given to me over the years, but I find I will try a recipe or two, love them, forget I own the book but have a core memory of the food I ate and reinterpret it in my own way going forward. I will say one of my most used books especially in recipe development and dessert creations is The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, I recommend this book to anyone and everyone I can.
Q: What is the best part of your job? Do you sometimes feel like working with food all day keeps you from wanting to get creative in the kitchen?
Truly, the most rewarding part of my job is being able to inspire and educate the future of the industry. Seeing student’s day 1 versus their last day, watching their growth, progression, problem solving, and baking is so very rewarding. In my current role, having the ability to change up the desserts as I see fit and the fact that the courses change over so quickly throughout the year it’s tough to get bored with the mundane. Baking the simplest things like bread or vanilla cake still brings me just as much joy as it always did. I get excited at the thought of a perfect bake, dance with the smells of fresh bread, I have truly found my passion in the kitchen and there’s so much more to come!
Q: What is your go to for a quick dessert?
For me – the perfect dessert is something with fruit. I have never been an extreme lover of chocolate, so when I need something quick and easy, I throw some fresh (or frozen fruit) into a casserole dish and mix up a quick oat crumble with some spices and nuts and bake it off.
Q: Tell us about your cookbook or any future projects you are working on?
Happy Belly: The Cake Book is a collection of recipes that I developed over the years to simplify, grow and become recognized locally as a very sought-after cake artist. A cake can’t just look beautiful is has to also taste incredible. I needed to develop and find ways to simplify my processes but also still be able to offer people with flavour combinations and profiles they wouldn’t get anywhere else. The book is filled with tips, tricks, and secrets to successful cake making from the owner of Happy Belly Cakery and the online learning space Man versus Cake. As a firm believer that a great base recipe is all you need to be successful, I guide you on a journey through cakes and cupcakes, from popular candy bars and classic flavour pairings to holiday treats, unconventional flavours, and more. These are literally the recipes that built me and helped me create success in the industry.
I have big hopes to take this book and turn it into a series of books guiding readers through different aspects of the world of baking. First, I’m told we have to sell this one.
More recently and now we find ourselves in edit, I wrote, filmed, and hosted my very own show for Bell FibeTV set to launch this summer 2022, called Baking it up a Notch.
Special thanks to the publisher for providing two copies of this title in our promotion (one copy for a Canadian member and the other for a member in the US). Entry options include answering the following question in the comments section of this blog post.
Visit Aaron’s website and leave a comment about which of his recipes you would like to try.
Please note that you must be logged into the Rafflecopter contest before posting or your entry won’t be counted. For more information on this process, please see our step-by-step help post. Once you log in and enter your member name you will be directed to the next entry option – the blog comment. After that, there are additional options that you can complete for more entries. Be sure to check your spam filters to receive our email notifications. Prizes can take up to 6 weeks to arrive from the publishers. If you are not already a Member, you can join at no cost. The contest ends at midnight on September 20th, 2022.
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