The Millstream – News from the Grindstone series – 06 Exploding Bakery 

Founded in 2011 as a small café bakery in Exeter, Exploding Bakery has grown significantly over the years. Co-founders Ollie and Tom, who have known each other since childhood, take inspiration from their Devonshire upbringing which celebrated local, seasonal ingredients. The bakery now supplies cakes to retailers like Fortnum & Mason and operates a thriving online cake shop, in addition to their café. 

Ollie and Tom maintain their commitment to social responsibility, sourcing sustainable ingredients from ethical producers like Casa Luker (chocolate), Food & Forest (nuts), Shipton Mill (flour), Trewithen Dairy (milk and butter) and St Ewe (eggs). They also share profits with employees and donate to environmental causes through 1% For The Planet. They recently came to visit us at the Mill, and you can read more about their visit on their website here: Exploding Bakery X Shipton Mill

The Exploding Bakery’s second cookbook, Bake It Easy, was released in March this year by Quadrille, and they have very kindly agreed to share two recipes from it with us on our Journal – the stunning Roasted Rhubarb & Cream cake, and the Grape and Ricotta loaf.

Written by co-founders Ollie and Tom, this new offering from the award-winning, independent Devonshire bakery builds on the success of their debut, Bake It. Slice It. Eat It.. This time however, the duo have gone back to basics, penning a book which features simple, affordable, and quick-to-make recipes.

All of the 50 recipes require just one baking tin or tray, with many bakes featuring as little as four ingredients and most taking only 30 minutes to get oven-ready. Precision and perfection aren’t required - this cookbook is designed for busy home cooks looking for easy recipes that won’t break the bank. Ingredients are often simple and rely on pantry staples that are likely already on hand.

Standout fuss free recipes include the Cardamom Croissant Loaf (p.122), made with shop-bought or stale croissants and only six ingredients (prepare the night before for a breakfast treat); Treacle Pudding (p.89), a streamlined version of the classic treacle tart (no pastry required); and the innovative No Weigh Lemon Cake (p.25),which uses a jar of mayonnaise (for eggs and oil) and the mayo jar itself as a measuring tool. Other fun and nostalgic recipes include Jam Sponge (p.91), reminiscent of school canteens, No-Bake Piña Colada Cheesecake (p.115), a throwback to the 1980s, and S’mores Cake (p.84), which evokes childhood campfires. 

The book also offers useful baking tips and tricks, such as hacks for lining baking tins and how to prep ahead. For example, the Ice Cream Sponge Sandwich (p.118) is designed to be made the day before, perfect for parties.

With Bake It Easy, the Exploding Bakery duo continues their mission to make baking accessible, enjoyable, and environmentally conscious. Sit back, bake it easy, and scoff the fruits of your labour. 

For more information, visit explodingbakery.com or follow them on social media:@explodingbakery

You can find their cookbook available to purchase in Waterstones  and lots of independent book shops or direct from the Exploding Bakery website -https://explodingbakery.com/products/bake-it-easy-one-pan-recipe-book

Photography by Sam Harris, https://www.instagram.com/samaharris/

Roasted Rhubarb & Cream Cake Recipe

ROASTED RHUBARB & CREAM CAKE, by the Exploding Bakery 

Capturing the essence of spring with some forced rhubarb can bring some much-needed light and colour to the table after a long winter. The bright acidity paired with the vibrant fuchsia pink has been scientifically proven to warm the soul by a whole 5°C. The billowy cloud of whipped cream engulfs the sponge landscapes, allowing the bright batons of rhubarb to shine.

TO MAKE THE CAKE

• 220g (7¾oz) soft butter
• 200g (7oz) caster (superfine) sugar
• 4 eggs
• 200g (7oz) self-raising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• TO COOK THE RHUBARB
  
  400g (14oz) rhubarb, diced into 2cm (¾in) batons
• 1 orange
• 50g (1¾oz) caster (superfine) sugar

TO MAKE THE WHIPPED CREAM

• 275ml (9½fl oz) double (heavy) cream
• 85g (3oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar

Preheat the oven to 150°C fan/300°F/Gas 3½ and line your 20cm (8in) round tin.

To make the cake, cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl using a wooden spoon, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl. Finally, sift in the flour and baking powder until you achieve a smooth dropping consistency. Give the bowl a last scrape to make sure all the ingredients are mixed properly.

Transfer the cake mixture to the prepared tin, smooth the top of the batter with a spatula and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Whilst the cake is baking, prepare the rhubarb. Place the batons onto a baking tray (sheet pan) lined with parchment paper. Zest and squeeze the juice of the orange on top, then sprinkle over the sugar. Place the tray into the oven whilst your cake is baking and roast for 25–30 minutes.

Remove the cake and rhubarb from the oven, then pour the juices that have come out of the rhubarb over the sponge. Leave the cake to cool for 5 minutes, then remove from the tin and allow to fully cool.

Next, prepare the whipped cream. Pour the cream into a mixing bowl, add the icing sugar and whisk until you achieve soft peaks. An electric whisk makes this job much easier if you have one, but be careful not to over whip the cream.

Finally, assemble the cake. Add half of your roasted rhubarb to the whipped cream and mix through, then evenly spread it over the cooled sponge. Finish by piling the remaining batons of roasted rhubarb on top of the cake, then serve and enjoy!